The India Forum: Destruction by the Char Dham project; India's mindless solar energy plans

By Dilip -

The high-profile Char Dham road project in Uttarakhand was proposed by the prime minister in 2019 and has been fast-tracked for completion by 2021. Mallika Bhanot writes that the accelerated execution of the project has broken laws, caused ecological damage, and raises the prospect of permanent damage to the ecologically-fragile region... India's ambitious solar energy targets are supposed to show its commitment to renewable energy. 

But, as Tejal Kanitkar argues, the aggressive pursuit of solar is not based on a larger vision for the energy sector, the targets have been arbitrarily drawn up, and there has been no concern for developing domestic manufacturing capacity in solar, together actually threatening India's energy security. 

What is a 'social' stock exchange? Varsha Aithala explains how this proposal, which has been mooted for India, will work as a source of finance for both not-for-profits and for-profit enterprises working in the social sector.

The India Forum

Twitter: @TheIndiaForum

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