India Last Week #69
A round-up of research & reportage on India across climate, energy, foreign policy, politics & more over the last week
Climate, Energy & Environment:
“This study presents a first-of-its-kind financial analysis of solar module recycling in India, including a detailed assessment of the various costs and financial benefits… We modelled two recycling pathways for the cost–benefit assessment. Each pathway employs different recycling techniques, resulting in the recovery of distinct materials. Pathway 1 (P1)–mechanical recycling: In this pathway, mechanical operations are used to recover materials from solar modules (Figure ES1). Various methods are available to separate the refined mixture after the grinding process… P1 is able to recover aluminium, glass, copper and silicon. However, silver is not recovered by this process. Pathway 2 (P2)–chemical recycling: This pathway involves the use of mechanical and chemical recycling processes to recover materials from solar modules… In India, recycling of solar modules currently costs between INR 883 and INR 1,079 per module (approximately INR 4.11 to INR 5.02 per watt). Among the various recurring costs, module procurement accounts for the largest share (56–68 per cent), followed by processing and collection costs… Mechanical recycling in a formal setup is financially unviable, resulting in a loss of about INR 10,230 per tonne (INR 1.05 per watt). The recurring costs are INR 40,132 per tonne (INR 4.11 per watt), compared to the benefits of INR 29,902 per tonne (INR 3.06 per watt)… Chemical recycling, which involves the recovery of high-grade materials, currently remains financially unviable in its present form. The recurring cost is INR 49,607 per tonne (INR 5.02 per watt), a 22 per cent increase compared to mechanical recycling, due to chemical requirements and the need for proper waste disposal.” Read more: Ajinkya Kale and Akanksha Tyagi, Council on Energy, Environment and Water
“Researchers at the International Institute of Information Technology Bangalore (IIIT-B) are using machine learning and mathematics to tackle one of renewable energy’s toughest problems - how to generate enough clean power without driving up costs or risking grid instability. By developing optimisation models that balance carbon reduction with affordability, their work aims to make India’s transition to solar and wind energy both reliable and practical. Their models not only forecast solar or wind power generation, but they also balance multiple objectives at once such as accuracy, cost, and reliability, helping grid operators make fairer, more transparent decisions in real time… While much of his early work was in Europe, Prof. Kannan says India presents a far more dynamic challenge. “India’s renewable data quality is actually very good, sometimes better than Europe, but its variability is much higher,” he said, pointing out that unlike Germany’s uniform weather, India’s solar and wind conditions vary drastically across States and seasons… According to Prof. Kannan, India’s energy transition is not difficult because of policy or unpredictable supply, but because of scale. “In Europe, the transition meant retrofitting existing pipelines for hydrogen. In India, the challenge is creating new microgrids, battery systems, and transmission lines for variable renewable power,” he said.” Read more: Rishita Khanna, The Hindu
“This paper identifies four core structural barriers that create a policy paradox for the Global South: they are tasked with solving a climate crisis they did not cause, using a new industrial sector where they are fundamentally uncompetitive… Green industrialization is capital-intensive. Developing countries face a weighted average cost of capital (WACC) that is two to three times higher than in advanced economies… Most developing nations are trapped in low-value assembly roles, a “low-end lock-in.” This is evident even in ambitious countries like India, which has built 118 GW of solar module assembly capacity but only 2.2 GW of high-value upstream wafer capacity, remaining dependent on imports for critical components… The Global South is blocked from using the very industrial policy tools (like local content requirements) that the North and China used. WTO rules (like ASCM and TRIMS) have been used to strike down such policies (e.g., the 2014 dispute against India’s National Solar Mission)… Developing countries are forced to solve a global problem (decarbonization) that they largely did not cause, using a new industrial sector (clean technology) where they are fundamentally uncompetitive due to capital and technological asymmetry. This situation creates a policy paradox—they must industrialize through clean-tech, but the economic conditions for success are dictated by the heavily subsidized, technologically superior Global North and China… It can be argued that a stronger domestic supply of clean-tech goods could aid in the energy transition by helping the expansion of renewable energy that is more stable and cost-effective. Yet the import dependence of developing countries is huge for clean energy components.” Read more: Avantika Goswami and Trishant Dev, Centre for Science & Environment
“Indian coal power giant NTPC is looking to enter the coal gasification business with a plan to start producing 5-10 million tonnes per annum of synthetic gas over the next three-four years, a source familiar with the move said on Wednesday. The tender for technical consultation for the project is expected within this fiscal year ending March 31 and the company is looking at sites for the project, the source said… India in 2024 approved plans to provide incentives worth 85 billion rupees ($967.06 million) for projects to convert coal into gas, that could be used for fertilisers and petrochemical projects. India aims to gasify 100 million tonnes of coal by 2030. Globally, several countries are looking to explore coal gasification technology, including the United States, as a part of reducing emissions. NTPC has also started scouting land for nuclear projects in 16 Indian states as a part of its plan to build 30 gigawatts of nuclear portfolio, the source said… NTPC’s projects would range from 700 megawatt to 1600 MW and will be using multiple technologies as a part of the process, the source said.” Read more: Sethuraman N R, Reuters
Economy:
“Both inside India and abroad, the Modi government has trumpeted its achievements in social spending, as both a reason for its declared popularity especially with relatively less well-off voters and as an example of other governments to follow… It emerges that in terms of aggregate social spending as a share of its total spending, the Modi-led NDA government has performed significantly less well than the previous much-maligned UPA government. Insofar as social spending has increased, it is entirely due to the efforts of the State governments, which have sharply raised their own social spending… [The] share of social spending in the total budgetary outlays of the central government fell from 2014-15 onwards (that is, the first year of the Modi government) and mostly stayed lower until the extraordinary year of the Covid-19 pandemic, that is 2021-22. This meant a drop in the average share of social spending in total expenditure from 8.5 per cent under the UPA government, to as low as 5.3 per cent in the 11 years under Modi… The largely stagnant per capita social spending of the central government is even more disturbing given the price increases that would have impacted ordinary people over this entire period… The share of cesses and surcharges in gross tax revenue under the Modi government rose from 10.4 per cent before the Modi government took over, to peak at 20 per cent in 2021-22, before coming down to 14.5 in 2023-24, still much higher than under the previous regime.” Read more: CP Chandrasekhar & Jayati Ghosh, The Hindu Businessline
“The annual financial debt accumulated by Indian households has grown faster than their annual financial assets since the pre-pandemic year 2019-20, an analysis of data from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has found. The amount of financial assets added each year has grown 48% between 2019 and 2025, while the annual liabilities have grown 102% over that period. Even as a percentage of Gross Domestic Product (GDP), the annual financial asset addition is lower this year than before the pandemic, while the annual liabilities added are higher… Indian households added ₹24.1 lakh crore to their financial assets in 2019-20, which grew to ₹35.6 lakh crore in 2024-25, the latest period for which the RBI has so far released data. This is a growth of 48% over this period. On the other hand, households added ₹15.7 lakh crore worth of financial liabilities to their portfolios in 2024-25, which is 102% higher than the ₹7.5 lakh crore they added in 2019-20… Financial liabilities of Indian households, on the other hand, made up 3.9% of GDP in 2019, which increased to 4.7% in 2024-25. Here, however, the situation has improved recently, with this proportion having hit a post-pandemic peak of 6.2% in 2023-24 before declining in 2024-25. The data also show the changing nature of the way households in India are saving and investing their money. For example, bank deposits have remained the main destination for household savings, but mutual funds have seen their share grow rapidly over the last few years.” Read more: T. C. A. Sharad Raghavan, The Hindu
“While diversification makes sense strategically, India needs to have a specific product- and geography-wise game plan for diversification of its exports, says Sonal Varma, India chief economist at Japanese financial firm Nomura. Varma points out that India’s share in global exports has hovered around 2% for years, showing little improvement even during periods when global supply chains were shifting away from China. Now, as higher US tariffs hit most major exporting nations, almost every country is seeking new markets—making the race for diversification fiercer than ever… So while diversification makes sense strategically, we need to be very clear about which markets and which product categories we focus on. For instance, in the EV space, China is dominant, but in small cars, demand is growing in Africa and parts of Latin America. Those markets—with similar consumption patterns to India—might make more sense than, say, ASEAN countries, where Chinese competition is already intense… The biggest risk is to MSMEs in export-heavy sectors like textiles, jewellery, and marine products. As cash flows shrink, many could struggle to service working capital loans, leading to higher non-performing assets for banks with exposure to these sectors. We could also see a slowdown in capex from these smaller manufacturers, which would affect overall fixed investment. Job uncertainty or income stagnation among workers could further dampen consumption.” Read more: Devabrata Dutta, Outlook
“ndia’s statistics ministry has proposed revamping the way it compiles the country’s key industrial output index by replacing closed factories in the sample with active facilities, a move aimed at improving data accuracy and aligning with global standards. The federal government currently uses 2011–12 as the base year to compile the Index of Industrial Production (IIP), adopted in 2017 to reflect changes in industrial activity and align with updated national accounts. It now plans to shift the base year to 2022–23 as part of a broader statistical overhaul covering key datasets, including GDP and the Consumer Price Index (CPI), to better capture newer industries and structural shifts. Under the proposed methodology, factories reporting zero output or no data for three straight months would be reviewed, and if found shut or producing different goods, would be replaced with a similar unit identified from the latest annual industries survey… The paper also said that the change will help capture structural shifts in industry and avoid underreporting during periods of factory churn. The proposed changes, according to the government, have been recommended by an internal Technical Advisory Committee, which also reflects suggestions from the International Monetary Fund.” Read more: Shubham Batra, Reuters
Foreign Policy & Security:
“In 2020, after Indian and Chinese soldiers brawled with stones and spiked rods in the thin Himalayan air along their countries’ contested border, nationalist fury gripped India… Five years later, India-China commerce has revived and direct flights between the countries have resumed. At a recent summit in Tianjin, China, Xi met his Indian counterpart, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and the leaders pledged to strengthen relations, with the Indian side touting “the maintenance of peace and tranquility along the border areas.” In New Delhi, however, and along the steep mountain passes that divide the countries, a chorus of critics contend that agreed-upon buffer zones meant to ease tensions have, in practice, disproportionately restricted Indian forces from patrolling in areas they once routinely accessed. With India’s quiet acquiescence, they allege, China has been able to effectively push the boundary lines in its favor. “Some of the buffer zones created are mostly in areas previously patrolled by us and on our side,” said a retired lieutenant general who has overseen these parts of the border. “We are supposed to try and get back our territory, but in the foreseeable future, it is a pipe dream,” he added, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss a sensitive topic. Warnings about the shifting boundary lines — from former military officials and ambassadors, as well as sitting members of Parliament and border residents — have grown louder and more frequent… The Indian government has been careful and sparing in its descriptions of the situation along the border.” Read more: Karishma Mehrotra, The Washington Post
“A key leader of the Kashmir terror module plotting what could have been India’s largest terrorist attack since 1993 secretly left the country for Afghanistan in mid-August, ThePrint has learnt. Muzaffar Ahmad Rather, a 33-year-old paediatrician, is believed to have been asked to liaise between the Kashmir terror cell and the Afghanistan-based jihadists on bomb-making and assault techniques, say intelligence sources… An intelligence officer claimed that a few details had become available after Muzaffar’s journey to Afghanistan. The officer said the paediatrician first travelled to Dubai, and then told his family he wished to “serve a truly Islamic society and state”… In recent years, evidence has regularly emerged that terrorist groups are training recruits online, providing basic lessons in combat tactics, fabricating improvised explosive devices (IEDs), and teaching ways to use weapons… Kashmiri jihadists have been involved in running several different jihadist groups from this entropic milieu in southern Afghanistan. In 2022, the United Nations Security Council reported that the Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammad ran camps, providing training services to the Taliban.” Read more: Praveen Swami, ThePrint
“US President Donald Trump said he would visit India at the urging of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the latest sign of a possible thaw in a trade dispute that has soured the two countries’ relationship. “He’s a friend of mine, and we speak, and he wants me to go there, and we’ll figure that out, I’ll go,” Trump told reporters on Thursday, calling Modi a “great man.” Trump said the visit “could be” next year but otherwise declined to provide a timeline for a trip. “I do not have anything on this to share,” Randhir Jaiswal, a spokesman for India’s Ministry of External Affairs, said at a briefing in New Delhi on Friday regarding Trump’s visit. “I will let you know when I have.”… In recent weeks, Trump has said that Modi has pledged to wind down purchases of crude from Russia and expressed optimism about trade talks. While some officials in New Delhi have indicated that India is close to signing a trade deal with Washington, others — including the Minister of Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal — have sent mixed signals, saying the country won’t be pressured into finalizing any agreement… Trump’s last presidential visit to India came over five years ago, during his first term. “The people of India still remember your visit of 2020, and hope that President Trump will come to them once again,” Modi had said at the February press conference.” Read more: Lauren Dezenski and Sudhi Ranjan Sen, Bloomberg
“The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), India’s largest Hindu far-right organization, initiated a well-funded lobbying effort in the U.S. earlier this year, a Prism investigation has found. Prism is the first news outlet to report that Squire Patton Boggs, one of the top lobbying firms in the U.S., registered as a lobbyist on Jan. 16 for the RSS, according to lobbying disclosures. In the first three quarters of 2025, Squire Patton Boggs received $330,000 to lobby officials in the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives on behalf of the RSS, according to lobbying reports. This marks the first time the RSS has hired lobbyists in the U.S., according to public records… The RSS’s lobbying efforts in Washington, D.C., raise questions among experts on foreign influence operations about how the RSS has been able to conduct its activities without identifying as a foreign entity or without Squire Patton Boggs registering under the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA), a 1938 law that requires transparency from representatives of foreign interests… “Registering under the LDA and not FARA really keeps this influence campaign in the shadows,” said Ben Freeman, director of the Democratizing Foreign Policy program at the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft and a leading expert on lobbying and foreign influence in the U.S. “And so, we really don’t have much idea at all about what [the lobbyists] are doing for the RSS.”.. In June, the Shuster brothers and Ellison were among the guests at an RSS event in Nagpur, India, where the group is headquartered. Neither the RSS nor local news reports indicated that the Shusters and Ellison are the RSS’s lobbyists.” Read more: Meghnad Bose and Biplob Kumar Das, Prism Reports
“India’s ties with Britain are undergoing a silent revolution. The timing is notable. A relationship long tainted by mistrust, despite known historical depth and interactive breadth, is on the mend in an age of collapsing order. From resenting London’s relations with Pakistan, to rubbishing post-Brexit Britain as strategically inconsequential, India took measures big and small to communicate its anger to Whitehall… The shift in needle is not just on trade and tech, but also in the security sphere. The former plays out on the frontstage, and the latter on the backstage. On trade, the UK urgently needed trading partners as Brexit loomed. The India-UK Roadmap 2030, released in 2021, concentrated minds on opportunities and initiated CETA negotiations in 2022… New Delhi’s decision to appoint a new high commissioner to London in 2022 changed the game. Vikram Doraiswamy cracked the British cultural code that more gets done over proverbial pints than formal luncheons. In response, Whitehall appointed a former cyber security head of Northern Irish heritage as high commissioner to New Delhi in 2024. Lindy Cameron entered the role with expansive knowledge of the emergent tech landscape, openness to India’s security concerns, and awareness of Britain’s complicated colonial legacies… Such understandings have helped Raisina Hill and Whitehall to better manage the troika of China, Russia, and Pakistan.” Read more: Avinash Paliwal, Hindustan Times
People & Politics:
“The Maharashtra government has ordered a high-level investigation into an alleged land scam involving Parth Pawar, son of Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, after the Inspector General of Registration (IGR) submitted an interim report detailing serious irregularities in a Rs 1,800-crore property transaction. The report, sent to the Additional Chief Secretary in Mumbai, points to major lapses in the sale and registration of government-linked land in Pune’s Mundhwa area. Following the revelations, one official has been suspended, and a special committee has been tasked with submitting its final findings within eight days. According to the report, a 43-acre (17.5-hectare) plot in Mundhwa, recorded under the ‘Mumbai Government’ as occupant, was sold to Amedia Enterprises LLP, a firm reportedly connected to Parth Pawar, for just Rs 300 crore. The market value of the land is estimated to be as high as Rs 1,800 crore… Investigators found that while the declared deal value was Rs 300 crore, the total payable stamp duty, including taxes, should have been around Rs 21 crore. Instead, the deed was registered for a token stamp duty of just Rs 500… A government notice has been issued to recover the unpaid stamp duty of Rs 5.99 crore, and criminal complaints are being prepared against the Power of Attorney holder, the buyer company, and the Sub-Registrar.” Read more: Ritvick Arun Bhalekar, India Today
“Dozens of people — parents, concerned citizens, environmental activists and even political leaders — were detained on Sunday at India Gate after they staged a protest at India Gate against the worsening air quality. The protest which began around 5pm was joined by the animal rights activists who were there to show their disapproval over the recent Supreme Court ruling on stray dogs… Eventually, dozens of people were detained and, protesters said, moved to an unknown location. “Approximately 60-80 people were detained from both protests. We only detained those who were blocking the Mansingh Road and were not allowing people and vehicles to pass,” said DCP (New Delhi) Devesh Kumar Mahla. He said the protest at Mansingh Road was being led by Delhi Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) President Saurabh Bharadwaj… In a post on X, environmentalist Vimlendu Jha alleged the police were also detaining children. “Even children are detained, who were only asking for their right to breathe,” he said in the post, which included a video of what appeared to be a scuffle at the site… Another protester, asking not to be named, said the situation is so bad that individual efforts will do little to mitigate the crisis. “The government is only hiding behind by highlighting issues of stubble burning and data manipulation, if they really wanted to make a difference governments of all nearby states should have called a meeting and proposed a joint-strategy to deal with crisis,” the protester said.” Read more: Gargi Shukla and Jignasa Sinha, Hindustan Times
“The CBI-led special investigation team probing the Tirupati laddu ghee adulteration case has stumbled upon some shocking details following the arrest of A-16, Ajay Kumar Sugandh, who supplied various chemicals including monodiglycerides and acetic acid ester to Bhole Baba Organic Dairy, contracted by the TTD to supply ghee to be used in the preparation of laddu prasadam. The SIT has made several startling revelations in the remand report submitted to the Nellore ACB court. The SIT investigation revealed that Bhole Baba Organic Dairy established by its promoters Pomil Jain and Vipin Jain at Bhagawanpur in Uttarakhand never procured a single drop of milk or butter from anywhere but yet managed to supply 68 lakh kg of ghee to the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams between 2019 and 2024. During the course of the investigation, the SIT unravelled the end to end modus operandi of Bhole Baba dairy promoters, who managed to successfully con the richest Hindu temple trust for five long years.” Read more: Sandeep Raghavan, Times of India
“A group of over 120 prominent citizens including activists, urban planners and former officials have written to the Maharashtra government on Wednesday (November 12) expressing strong opposition to “indiscriminate monetisation” of Mumbai’s public land, including railway, port, and mill lands for commercial and speculative development. In a detailed letter and white paper emerging from a meeting organised by the Moneylife Foundation on October 4, the signatories including former Mumbai police commissioner Julio Ribeiro, retired Justice G.S. Patel, former naval chief admiral Vishnu Bhagwat, and RTI activist Shailesh Gandhi underlined that the state and its agencies are “custodians, not owners” of public land… The signatories have urged the Maharashtra government to take immediate steps to restore transparency and accountability in the management of Mumbai’s public land. They have called for the release of a comprehensive white paper detailing all public land transactions, leases, and monetisation proposals currently underway in the city. Further, they have demanded the formulation of a Unified Public Land Policy covering all state and central agencies operating in Mumbai, with clear disclosure norms and public consultation procedures.” Read more: The Wire
“Supreme Court on Monday deprecated the Union government’s request, made mid-hearing, to refer to a five-judge bench petitions challenging the constitutional validity of Tribunal Reforms Act, which sets out uniform service conditions for chairpersons and members of various tribunals. A bench led by CJI B R Gavai, which had heard the arguments of petitioners and adjourned hearing at attorney general R Venkataramani’s request, to enable his participation in an international arbitration, said it was shocking for the Centre to make this request after the petitioners concluded arguments… “We will reject this application with an observation that the Union govt is making attempts to avoid the bench (as CJI is demitting office shortly),” the CJI said.” Read more: Dhananjay Mahapatra, Times of India
Tech:
“Reliance Jio has urged the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) to review net neutrality rules, so that consumers can benefit from the technological innovations which can be enabled by 5G standalone (SA) technology. Basically, what Jio has pitched for is rolling out differentiated tariff products based on 5G network slicing technology, for specific use cases like guaranteed upload speeds or low-latency gaming experiences. The current net neutrality policy mandates that all Internet traffic be treated equally. This principle prohibits telecom operators from blocking, throttling, or giving preferential treatment to any content or applications, ensuring a level playing field for all Internet users. The policy came into effect in 2016 when initiatives like Facebook’s Free Basics and Airtel Zero were stopped as they were seen not to be in sync with the principles of net neutrality… According to analysts, so far, Trai and DoT have indicated that current interpretations of net neutrality do not consider network slicing a violation, as long as other Internet users’ experiences are not degraded. However, they added this still continues to be a regulatory grey area and perhaps Jio is seeking clarity on the matter… In 2014-15, Facebook’s Free Basics and Airtel Zero were two high-profile initiatives that had sparked widespread controversy around net neutrality, leading to decisive regulatory actions by Trai.” Read more: Rishi Raj, Financial Express
Bonus:
‘We aren’t security conscious as a nation’ [Interview with Prof. M Vidyasagar]
“The private sector’s entry into defence production is good, but the defence procurement process is unpredictable. It’s highly predictable that it will be delayed! So companies like Kalyani and L&T are looking at export markets first for their guns and tanks. The risk is that if their market is export, why would they stay in India? They might move to a cheaper location. While some industrialists are patriots, they also have an obligation to shareholders. It frustrates me that these systemic issues are well-known but there seems to be no attempt to fix them… The security aspect is key. It’s not that open source can’t have viruses, but the good guys are more likely to find weaknesses before the bad guys. Yet, government officials use Gmail and ordinary phones without basic security consciousness. We are not security conscious as a nation. Interoperability, especially in joint exercises with countries like the US, worries me. It often means we open our systems to them, but they don’t reciprocate. They could have kill switches in their systems and might even be able to affect ours. Agreements like BECA (Basic Exchange and Cooperation Agreement) involve sharing geospatial data, which is very dangerous.” Read more: Shivanand Kanavi, Rediff
Watch/listen:
The Bookshelf: Toward a Free Economy: Swatantra and Opposition Politics in Democratic India | Aditya Balasubramanian in conversation with Sandeep Bhardwaj | Institute of South Asian Studies, National University of Singapore
BJP is no longer denying caste; it is managing it politically: Anand Teltumbde | Frontline Magazine