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Sustainable development and energy: quick recap

मराठीत स्पष्टीकरण

Sustainable development and energy · Quick recap · Fact-checked on · how we check

Written with AI from the sources listed at the bottom of this page, then fact-checked by a separate AI.

The whole chapter in one sitting: the meaning of sustainable development, the road to the 2030 Agenda and India's SDG machinery; renewable energy targets, solar, wind, storage, green hydrogen, energy efficiency and biofuels; sustainable farming, organic and natural farming, and the regulation of GM crops.

Each idea is explained first in Marathi (मराठी), ending with the English and Hindi exam terms, followed by the same point in exam English. UPSC Prelims is in English or Hindi, so understand it in Marathi and revise it in English.

हा अध्याय एकच कल्पना दोन क्षेत्रांना लावतो. पहिला भाग शाश्वत विकास याचा अर्थ आणि जागतिक कार्यक्रम; दुसरा भाग ऊर्जा; तिसरा भाग शेती आणि जनुकीय सुधारित पिकांचे नियमन. तिन्हींत एकच साचा: जागतिक पातळीवरचे ध्येय, त्यासाठी आपले कायदे, अभियाने, योजना, आणि तराजूत तोलायच्या गोष्टी: क्षमता विरुद्ध उत्पादन, अन्न विरुद्ध इंधन, फायदा विरुद्ध जैवसुरक्षा. (→ English: sustainable development · हिन्दी: सतत विकास)

In exam EnglishThis chapter was taught in three parts that apply one idea to two sectors. Part 1 defined sustainable development and traced the global agenda built around it. Part 2 applied it to energy, the main source of India's emissions. Part 3 applied it to farming, through better practices and the regulation of genetically modified crops. Read together, the parts show the same pattern: a goal agreed at the global level, a set of Indian laws, missions and schemes to pursue it, and trade-offs that the exam likes to test, such as capacity against generation, food against fuel and benefits against biosafety risks.
Sustainable development and energy at a glance
PartCore ideaKey laws, missions and dates
1. Sustainable development and the SDGsMeet present needs without harming future generationsOur Common Future (1987); Rio (1992); 2030 Agenda (2015): 17 goals, 169 targets; Art 48A; Vellore (1996); Mission LiFE (2022)
2. EnergyClean supply, flexible grid, lower demand, cleaner fuels500 GW non-fossil by 2030; 50% capacity crossed 2025; Green Hydrogen Mission (2023); Energy Conservation Act (2001, amended 2022); E20 reached 2025
3. Agriculture and GM cropsGrow more with less water and fewer chemicals; regulate new technology with cautionSoil Health Card (2015); NPOP and PGS-India; Sikkim (2016); 1989 Rules, RCGM, GEAC; Bt cotton (2002); SDN-1/2 exempt (2022)

पहिला भाग: 1987 च्या ब्रंटलँड अहवालातील व्याख्या, तीन स्तंभ, पिढ्यांमधील न्याय. मग स्टॉकहोम 1972, रिओ 1992, जोहान्सबर्ग 2002, रिओ+20 2012 या पायऱ्या. आठ सहस्रक विकास उद्दिष्टांनंतर 2015 मध्ये 17 उद्दिष्टे, 169 लक्ष्ये; सर्व देशांना लागू पण कायद्याने बंधनकारक नाहीत. आपल्याकडे नीती आयोगाचे समन्वय, MoSPI चे निर्देशक. अनुच्छेद 48A, 51A(g), वेल्लोर निकाल (1996), मिशन LiFE (2022). (→ English: Our Common Future; 2030 Agenda; SDG India Index; Article 48A · हिन्दी: अवर कॉमन फ़्यूचर; 2030 एजेंडा; SDG इंडिया इंडेक्स; अनुच्छेद 48A)

In exam EnglishPart 1: the Brundtland Commission's report Our Common Future (1987) gave the classic definition and the idea of three pillars, economic, social and environmental, with fairness between generations at the centre. The road ran from Stockholm (1972) to Rio (1992), which produced Agenda 21 and the Rio Declaration, to Johannesburg (2002) and Rio+20 (2012), which created the High-level Political Forum. The eight Millennium Development Goals (2000–2015) were followed by the 2030 Agenda, adopted on 25 September 2015, with 17 goals and 169 targets that apply to every country but do not bind in law. In India NITI Aayog coordinates the goals and publishes the SDG India Index, and MoSPI keeps the National Indicator Framework. Indian law absorbed the idea through Articles 48A and 51A(g) and the Vellore Citizens Welfare Forum judgment (1996), and Mission LiFE (2022) carries it into everyday consumption.

दुसरा भाग: 2030 पर्यंत 500 GW बिगर-जीवाश्म लक्ष्य; स्थापित क्षमतेपैकी निम्मी जून 2025 मध्येच पार, पण उत्पादनात कोळसाच जास्त. सौर अभियान, सौर पार्क, कुसुम, सूर्य घर; वाऱ्यात गुजरात, तमिळनाडू. 25 MW पर्यंत लघु जलविद्युत नवीकरणीय मंत्रालयाकडे, मोठी ऊर्जा मंत्रालयाकडे. ऊन नसताना बॅटरी, उदंचन साठवण, मार्गिका वाहिन्या. हरित हायड्रोजन अभियान: 2030 पर्यंत 50 लाख टन. ऊर्जा कार्यक्षमता ब्युरो, PAT, तारे; 2022 ची दुरुस्ती कार्बन व्यापार. E20 2025 मध्ये गाठले. (→ English: pumped storage; non-fossil capacity; green hydrogen; E20 · हिन्दी: पंप भंडारण; गैर-जीवाश्म क्षमता; हरित हाइड्रोजन; E20)

In exam EnglishPart 2: India aims at 500 GW of non-fossil capacity by 2030, and its 2022 NDC goal of about half of installed capacity from non-fossil sources was crossed in June 2025, though coal still dominates generation. Solar grew under the National Solar Mission (2010), solar parks, PM-KUSUM and PM Surya Ghar; wind is led by Gujarat and Tamil Nadu, with offshore (2015) and wind-solar hybrid (2018) policies. Small hydro up to 25 MW sits with MNRE, while large hydro, declared renewable in 2019, stays with the Ministry of Power. Variable power needs batteries, pumped storage and Green Energy Corridor lines. Green hydrogen comes from electrolysis run on renewable power; the National Green Hydrogen Mission (2023) targets 5 million tonnes a year by 2030. The Energy Conservation Act, 2001 created the Bureau of Energy Efficiency, with PAT certificates and star labels, and its 2022 amendment enables carbon credit trading. E20 blending, advanced to 2025–26, was reached in 2025.

तिसरा भाग: मृदा आरोग्य पत्रिका, ठिबक, समतोल खते, निंबोळी लेपित युरिया, एकात्मिक कीड व्यवस्थापन. सेंद्रिय प्रमाणपत्र निर्यातीसाठी NPOP, गावासाठी PGS; 2016 मध्ये सिक्कीम पूर्ण सेंद्रिय. नैसर्गिक शेती विकतची खतेच नको म्हणते; 2024 मध्ये अभियान. NICRA, भरडधान्य वर्ष 2023. जनुकीय सुधारित पीक म्हणजे बाहेरचे जनुक, जीनोम संपादन म्हणजे स्वतःच्या DNA मध्ये बदल. RCGM संशोधनासाठी, GEAC सोडण्यासाठी. बीटी कापूस हे एकमेव व्यापारी GM पीक; बीटी वांग्याला स्थगिती; मोहरी न्यायालयात; 2025 मध्ये संपादित भात. (→ English: genetically modified crop; genome editing; GEAC; RCGM · हिन्दी: आनुवंशिक रूप से संशोधित फ़सल; जीनोम संपादन; GEAC; RCGM)

In exam EnglishPart 3: sustainable farming starts with the Soil Health Card (2015), micro-irrigation under Per Drop More Crop, balanced nutrients, neem-coated urea and integrated pest management. Organic produce is certified either through NPOP (2001, APEDA, for exports) or PGS-India (peer groups, for the home market); PKVY (2015) promotes organic clusters, and Sikkim became fully organic in 2016. Natural farming avoids even bought-in inputs, and its national mission was approved in November 2024. NICRA (2011) and the NMSA build climate resilience, and millets were celebrated in the International Year of Millets, 2023. A genetically modified crop carries a foreign gene, while genome editing changes the plant's own DNA; SDN-1 and SDN-2 plants were exempted in 2022. Under the 1989 Rules, the RCGM clears research and the GEAC decides on environmental release. Bt cotton (2002) is the only GM crop grown commercially, Bt brinjal has been under a moratorium since 2010, GM mustard DMH-11 awaits the courts, and genome-edited rice varieties were released in 2025.

Exam traps

Recap

Practice questions

Q1. Consider the following statements about the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development:
1. It has 17 goals and 169 targets.
2. It applies only to developing countries.
3. It is legally binding on the countries that adopted it.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. 1 only
  2. 1 and 2 only
  3. 1 and 3 only
  4. 1, 2 and 3
Show answer

Answer: A. 1 only

Only statement 1 is correct. The agenda is universal, applying to all countries, unlike the MDGs, which focused on developing countries; and it is a political commitment, not a binding treaty. Options 2, 3 and 4 each include at least one of the false statements 2 and 3.

Q2. The principle of sustainable development was held to be part of the law of the land in India in which case?

  1. Vellore Citizens Welfare Forum v Union of India (1996)
  2. Kesavananda Bharati v State of Kerala (1973)
  3. Maneka Gandhi v Union of India (1978)
  4. Minerva Mills v Union of India (1980)
Show answer

Answer: A. Vellore Citizens Welfare Forum v Union of India (1996)

In Vellore Citizens Welfare Forum (1996) the Supreme Court accepted sustainable development, with the precautionary and polluter pays principles, as part of Indian law. Kesavananda Bharati laid down the basic structure doctrine, Maneka Gandhi widened Article 21 to require fair procedure, and Minerva Mills protected the balance between Fundamental Rights and Directive Principles.

Q3. Consider the following statements:
1. India's updated NDC (2022) aims at about 50 per cent of installed electric power capacity from non-fossil sources by 2030.
2. Non-fossil sources now produce more than half of the electricity generated in India.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. 1 only
  2. 2 only
  3. Both 1 and 2
  4. Neither 1 nor 2
Show answer

Answer: A. 1 only

Statement 1 is correct, and that capacity share was crossed in June 2025. Statement 2 is wrong: because solar and wind run only part of the time, their share of generation is far below their share of capacity and coal still produces most electricity. Option 2 picks the false statement, option 3 includes it, and option 4 rejects the true statement 1.

Q4. Which one of the following correctly describes blue hydrogen?

  1. Hydrogen made by electrolysis using renewable electricity
  2. Hydrogen made from natural gas with the carbon dioxide captured and stored
  3. Hydrogen made from natural gas with the carbon dioxide released into the air
  4. Hydrogen extracted from sea water by solar evaporation
Show answer

Answer: B. Hydrogen made from natural gas with the carbon dioxide captured and stored

Blue hydrogen is made from fossil gas like grey hydrogen, but its carbon dioxide is captured and stored. Option 1 describes green hydrogen, option 3 describes grey hydrogen, and option 4 is not a recognised method.

Q5. Consider the following pairs:
1. Bureau of Energy Efficiency : Ministry of Power
2. Small hydro projects up to 25 MW : Ministry of New and Renewable Energy
3. Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee : Department of Biotechnology
Which of the pairs given above is/are correctly matched?

  1. 1 and 2 only
  2. 2 and 3 only
  3. 1 and 3 only
  4. 1, 2 and 3
Show answer

Answer: A. 1 and 2 only

Pairs 1 and 2 are correct. Pair 3 is wrong: the GEAC works under the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change; it is the RCGM that sits under the Department of Biotechnology. Options 2, 3 and 4 all include the wrong pair 3.

Q6. Under the National Policy on Biofuels, 2018 as amended in 2022, the target year for 20 per cent ethanol blending in petrol is:

  1. 2022–23
  2. 2025–26
  3. 2030
  4. 2070
Show answer

Answer: B. 2025–26

The 2022 amendment advanced the E20 target from 2030 to the ethanol supply year 2025–26, and 20 per cent blending was reported in 2025. 2030 was the original 2018 target, 2022–23 is too early, and 2070 is India's net zero year, not a blending target.

Q7. Consider the following statements:
1. The National Programme for Organic Production is mainly a domestic peer-certification system run by farmer groups.
2. Sikkim was declared India's first fully organic state.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. 1 only
  2. 2 only
  3. Both 1 and 2
  4. Neither 1 nor 2
Show answer

Answer: B. 2 only

Statement 2 is correct (January 2016). Statement 1 is wrong: NPOP uses accredited third-party certification through APEDA and serves exports; the peer system for the home market is PGS-India. Options 1 and 3 include the false statement 1, and option 4 rejects the true statement 2.

Q8. Match List I with List II:
List I (crop)
A. Bt cotton
B. Bt brinjal
C. GM mustard DMH-11
List II (status)
1. Recommended for environmental release in 2022; split Supreme Court verdict in 2024
2. Approved for commercial cultivation in 2002
3. Moratorium on release since 2010
Select the correct answer using the code given below:

  1. A-2, B-3, C-1
  2. A-3, B-2, C-1
  3. A-2, B-1, C-3
  4. A-1, B-3, C-2
Show answer

Answer: A. A-2, B-3, C-1

Bt cotton was approved in 2002 (A-2), Bt brinjal has been under a moratorium since February 2010 (B-3), and DMH-11 was recommended in October 2022 and reached a split verdict in July 2024 (C-1). Option 2 swaps cotton and brinjal, option 3 swaps brinjal and mustard, and option 4 swaps cotton and mustard.

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