Content
- Energy Transition
- Casual Racism in India
Energy Transition
Why in News ?
- The editorial analyses why India’s clean-energy transition now depends less on capacity addition and more on power sector reforms, especially distribution utilities (DISCOMs), tariffs, market design and flexibility.
- Solar-wind capacity is expanding fast, but inefficiencies in pricing, grid management and financial stress in DISCOMs are emerging as the core bottlenecks to renewable-led growth.
Relevance
- GS-III | Economy — Infrastructure & Energy
- Power sector reforms, DISCOM viability, tariff design, AT&C losses
- Renewable integration, grid management, market-based dispatch
- GS-III | Environment — Climate & Sustainable Development
- Clean-energy transition, decarbonisation, demand-side flexibility
- GS-II | Governance / Federal Issues
- Centre–State coordination in utility regulation, regulatory reforms
Practice Question
- “India’s renewable-energy challenge today is less about capacity creation and more about market and distribution reform.” Examine this statement with reference to DISCOM economics, tariff design, and wholesale market restructuring. Suggest policy measures to ensure efficient renewable integration.(250 Words)
Basics — What the Editorial Emphasises ?
- Earlier constraint → generation capacity
- Current constraint → distribution, tariffs, demand-side flexibility, market design
- Core idea → India must reform how electricity is priced, scheduled, traded and consumed to use cheap renewables efficiently.
Key Data & Facts
- Solar + wind installations: Crossed ~180 GW → among lowest-cost new power sources in India.
- DISCOM stress persists: Aggregate Technical & Commercial (AT&C) losses ≈ ~16% (despite UDAY & RDSS).
- Rooftop solar adoption rising, but affects DISCOM revenues when tariffs remain volumetric.
- India has mandated time-of-day (ToD) tariffs & smart-meter scaling at unprecedented speed.
- Smart meters installed: ≈ 49 million (under rollout).
- Outcome risk: If tariffs remain static / volumetric, DISCOMs face falling revenues + fixed costs.
- Market share of organised power exchanges: only 7–10% of total electricity supplied → bulk remains tied in long-term contracts.
- Studies cited: Renewables can reduce annual power procurement costs by ~$1.6 billion if scheduling improves.
Structural Problems Highlighted
- Three-level bottleneck
- Distribution reforms → biggest constraint.
- Retail tariffs & smart technologies → needed for efficiency.
- Wholesale market reform → essential for flexible scheduling.
- DISCOM economics vs renewables
- Costs are fixed, revenues are volumetric → efficiency gains reduce revenue.
- High-paying consumer migration to rooftop solar / efficiency weakens DISCOM finances.
- Network costs remain even if demand shifts to rooftop / efficiency.
- Lack of flexible procurement limits renewable scheduling & peak-time balancing.
Policy Issues Explained
- Time-of-Day Tariffs (ToD)
- Prices vary by time → signals consumers to shift load from peak hours.
- Smart meters
- Enable real-time billing, remote monitoring, demand response.
- Volumetric Tariffs vs Fixed Charges
- Over-reliance on per-unit pricing undermines DISCOM finances.
- Cross-subsidisation
- Industry pays higher tariffs → households/agriculture pay subsidised rates.
- Market-based Economic Dispatch (MBED)
- Cheapest power (including renewables) dispatched first nationwide.
- Distributed energy (rooftop solar, storage, EV charging)
- Beneficial for sustainability but financially disruptive without tariff reform.
Reforms Recommended
- Two wholesale market reforms
- Move to nationwide MBED-type system → dispatch cheapest power first.
- Integrate captive & private plants into wholesale markets to improve liquidity.
- Consumer-side reforms
- Pair ToD tariffs with automation, smart appliances, EV chargers, storage.
- Allow households to respond automatically to price signals.
- Financial redesign
- Allow regulators to recover network costs fairly while rewarding flexibility.
- Operational priorities
- Reduce reliance on long-term locked-in contracts.
- Expand short-duration, responsive resources.
Opportunities Identified
- Efficient tariff & market reform →
- Better renewable integration, lower procurement costs, improved grid reliability.
- Boosts flexibility, competition, and liquidity in power markets.
Risks & Challenges
- Revenue erosion from rooftop solar & efficiency under current tariff model.
- Implementation capacity gaps in DISCOMs.
- Fragmented markets & legacy long-term contracts.
- Need for automation, consumer awareness, and regulatory coordination.
Takeaway — Core Thesis
- Adding more solar & wind is not enough.
- India’s transition now hinges on:
- Distribution reform + tariff redesign
- Smart-meter enabled demand flexibility
- Modern wholesale power markets
- These steps are essential to unlock the full value of cheap renewables and sustain the clean-energy shift.
Casual Racism in India
Why in News ?
- The editorial highlights the normalisation of casual racism faced by people from the Northeast and other marginalised ethnic groups in academic and urban spaces, using a recent incident at the University of Delhi as a case example.
- It calls for institutional accountability, legal reform, social awareness, and zero-tolerance responses to everyday racial slurs and stereotyping.
Relevance
- GS-I | Indian Society
- Regional identities, stereotyping, social prejudice, migration-linked discrimination
- GS-II | Governance / Rights / Policy Implementation
- Institutional accountability, grievance mechanisms, policing and legal reform
Practice Question
- “Casual racism reflects deeper structural prejudices and weak institutional deterrence rather than isolated individual behaviour.”Discuss with examples. Evaluate existing policy measures and suggest a framework to prevent and redress such discrimination in educational and urban spaces.(250 Words)
What is “Casual Racism”?
- Everyday forms of verbal, behavioural or attitudinal prejudice that appear trivial but are rooted in racial/ethnic stereotyping.
- Examples:
- Mocking accents, features, food, clothing
- Using slurs such as “chinki,” “momo,” “Nepali,” “Chinese”
- Exoticising or othering identities (“outsider”, “foreigner”)
- Often dismissed as jokes → creates psychological harm, exclusion and inequality.
Key Themes & Arguments From the Editorial
- Normalisation in elite spaces
- Racist behaviour exists even in universities and educated settings, not just streets.
- Power + Impunity problem
- Students make racist remarks without fear of punishment when institutions fail to act.
- Institutional responsibility
- Need for quick inquiry, grievance systems, penalties, sensitisation.
- Incident as symptomatic reality
- Reflects a wider culture of tolerated prejudice against Northeastern citizens and migrant groups.
- Call to action
- Racism must be called out every time, not ignored or normalised.
Data & Policy Context
- North-East Indian migration to metros has risen significantly due to education & services employment — also increasing exposure to discrimination.
- Supreme Court–appointed Bezbaruah Committee (2014) recommended:
- Criminalising racial slurs through IPC amendments,
- Special police procedures, fast-tracking complaints,
- Integration & sensitisation measures in institutions.
- Government initiatives since then:
- Dedicated police helplines, Nodal Officers for North-East in major cities,
- Special Unit for North-East People (SPUNER) in Delhi Police.
- Despite measures, implementation gaps persist → under-reporting, weak enforcement, social stigma.
Structural Causes of Casual Racism
- Stereotyping + ignorance about cultural diversity
- Urban “othering” of migrants (appearance, language, lifestyle markers)
- Lack of sensitisation in schools & universities
- Weak deterrence & complaint redressal
- Media and pop-culture caricatures reinforcing bias
Impacts
- Psychological harm, alienation, social insecurity
- Erodes constitutional values of equality & dignity
- Weakens national integration & trust in institutions
- Produces hostile learning / working environments
Policy & Institutional Responses Needed
- Zero-tolerance codes in universities & workplaces; time-bound disciplinary action.
- Clear legal classification of racial slurs as punishable offences (per Bezbaruah recommendations).
- Mandatory sensitisation & diversity training for students, staff, police.
- Anonymous & accessible grievance channels; counselling support.
- Curriculum inclusion on culture, ethnicity, migration & citizenship.
- Community outreach to counter stereotypes and misinformation.
Best Practices
- UK / US universities: anti-racism ombuds, bias-incident reporting portals, restorative processes + penalties.
- OECD evidence: strong institutional signals reduce repeat bias incidents and improve belonging outcomes.
Way Forward
- Recognise → Report → Redress → Reform → Repeat monitoring
- Treat casual racism as institutional risk, not individual misconduct.
- Promote a culture of speaking up & allyship — everyday accountability.
