{"id":3778,"date":"2026-06-21T07:08:35","date_gmt":"2026-06-21T07:08:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/iasquest.com\/?p=3778"},"modified":"2026-06-21T07:09:48","modified_gmt":"2026-06-21T07:09:48","slug":"net-zero-emissions-census","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kingmakersiasacademy.com\/current-affairs\/net-zero-emissions-census\/","title":{"rendered":"Net-Zero Emissions &amp; Census"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-1 wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#ff0000e3\"><strong>1. How can optimisation of existing transmission infrastructure contribute to achieving India&#8217;s net-zero and energy security goals?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table class=\"has-black-color has-text-color has-background has-link-color\" style=\"background-color:#ffeccff2\"><tbody><tr><td><strong>Syllabus: Infrastructure<\/strong> <br><strong>General Studies \u2013 :III <\/strong>Infrastructure: Energy, Ports, Roads, Airports, Railways etc.<strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-black-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-2 wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>IN NEWS:<\/strong> India\u2019s cheapest power is here, the grid must catch up<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-black-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-3 wp-block-paragraph\">India&#8217;s commitment to achieving <strong>Net-Zero emissions by 2070<\/strong> and securing its <strong>500 GW non-fossil fuel capacity target by 2030<\/strong> hinges significantly on its transmission network. Currently, India\u2019s power grid spans over <strong>5.04 lakh circuit kilometers (ckm)<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-black-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-4 wp-block-paragraph\">While building new lines is crucial, a business-as-usual expansion faces execution risks; approximately 25% of Inter-State Transmission System (ISTS) projects face delays of a year or more due to Right-of-Way (RoW) issues and land acquisition. Therefore, <strong>optimizing existing transmission infrastructure<\/strong> offers a faster, highly cost-effective, and resource-efficient pathway to balancing energy security with decarbonization.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-black-color has-text-color has-link-color has-medium-font-size wp-elements-5\">C<strong>ontribution to India&#8217;s Net-Zero Goals<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-black-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-6 wp-block-paragraph\">Optimizing the current grid helps overcome the traditional mismatch between generation (Renewable Energy plants take 12\u201318 months to build) and transmission (lines traditionally take 36\u201348 months to deploy).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"has-black-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-block-list wp-elements-7\">\n<li><strong>Minimizing Renewable Energy (RE) Curtailment:<\/strong> Transmission bottlenecks can lead to clean energy being wasted. For instance, in Q1 2026, grid constraints led to the curtailment of nearly 300 GWh of renewable energy. Optimizing line capacities prevents this &#8220;dumping&#8221; of green electrons.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Enhancing Asset Utilization via Advanced Technologies:<\/strong> Implementing <strong>Dynamic Line Rating (DLR)<\/strong> allows utilities to adjust the power-carrying capacity of existing lines based on real-time weather parameters (wind, ambient temperature), safely unlocking 10\u201330% extra capacity without laying new cables.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Upgrading Physical Corridors (Reconductoring):<\/strong> Replacing traditional aluminum conductors with <strong>High-Temperature Low-Sag (HTLS)<\/strong> conductors allows existing transmission towers to carry up to double the power capacity. This directly bypasses land acquisition disputes and ecosystem disruption.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Enabling Round-the-Clock (RTC) Renewable Energy:<\/strong> Optimization supports the integration of hybrid solar-wind systems and Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) at existing pooling stations. This utilizes the same transmission asset through different hours of the day, lowering the carbon footprint per megawatt-hour transmitted.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-black-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-8 wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Contribution to Energy Security Goals<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"has-black-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-block-list wp-elements-9\">\n<li><strong>Mitigating Grid Intermittency and Frequency Shocks:<\/strong> As variable RE scales up, optimization via smart grid devices stabilizes the system. Technologies like <strong>STATCOMs (Static Synchronous Compensators)<\/strong> and <strong>Synchronous Condensers (SynCONs)<\/strong> are deployed within the existing footprint to inject reactive power, controlling voltage fluctuations and preventing localized blackouts.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Balancing Demand and Supply Anomalies:<\/strong> Optimization allows seamless inter-regional transfer of power from power-surplus zones (e.g., solar-rich Western India or wind-rich Southern India) to high-demand industrial zones. The Central Electricity Authority (CEA) intends to scale inter-regional capacity to <strong>168 GW by 2032<\/strong>, heavily relying on the efficiency of current HVDC and HVAC corridors.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Reducing Transmission and Distribution (T&amp;D) Losses:<\/strong> Technical power losses compound energy insecurity by wasting generated fuel. Optimizing existing substations through automated load balancing and gas-insulated switchgear (GIS) conversions significantly improves overall grid efficiency.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-black-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-10 wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Institutional and Policy Frameworks<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table class=\"has-black-color has-text-color has-background has-link-color\" style=\"background-color:#d0f6e8\"><tbody><tr><td><strong>Policy \/ Initiative<\/strong><\/td><td><strong>Core Mechanism for Optimization<\/strong><\/td><\/tr><tr><td><strong>CERC GNA Regulations (Amendments)<\/strong><\/td><td>Introduced <strong>solar-hour and non-solar-hour connectivity<\/strong>, enabling multiple generators (e.g., wind and solar) to optimize and share the same transmission capacity seamlessly.<\/td><\/tr><tr><td><strong>Green Energy Corridor (GEC) Scheme<\/strong><\/td><td>Phases I &amp; II focus heavily on setting up <strong>13 Renewable Energy Management Centres (REMCs)<\/strong> for real-time forecasting and digital optimization of intra-state flows.<\/td><\/tr><tr><td><strong>National Electricity Plan (NEP &#8211; Transmission)<\/strong><\/td><td>Strategizes the dual-use of existing corridors and outlines transformation capacity scaling to <strong>2,345 GVA by 2032<\/strong> using smarter equipment.<\/td><\/tr><tr><td><strong>CEA Standardized Timelines<\/strong><\/td><td>Incentivizes brownfield augmentation at existing sub-stations by providing faster regulatory clearances (24 months) compared to greenfield routes.<\/td><\/tr><tr><td><strong>National BESS Scheme &amp; ISTS Waivers<\/strong><\/td><td>Unlocks 100% inter-state transmission charge waivers for co-located battery storage until 2028, maximizing the peak-load handling of existing lines.<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-black-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-11 wp-block-paragraph\">Optimizing existing transmission infrastructure acts as a low-hanging fruit in India&#8217;s green transition strategy. It bridges the critical time lag of greenfield grid expansion, preserves capital, and minimizes environmental conflicts over land. By seamlessly integrating advanced analytics, flexible AC transmission components (FACTS), and regulatory agility, India can convert its existing grid into a high-yielding, resilient highway capable of driving both energy independence and its 2070 climate promises.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table class=\"has-black-color has-text-color has-background has-link-color\" style=\"background-color:#ffeccff2\"><tbody><tr><td><strong>PYQ REFERENCE UPSC 2021<\/strong> <br>Q. &#8220;Explain the purpose of the Green Grid Initiative launched at the World Leaders Summit of the COP26 UN Climate Change Conference in Glasgow in November, 2021. When was this idea first floated in the International Solar Alliance (ISA)?&#8221;<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-12 wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#4501ff\"><strong>Source:<\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/epaper.thehindu.com\/ccidist-ws\/th\/th_international\/issues\/190194\/OPS\/G27G3RMK1.1+GH6G4UCCA.1.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>https:\/\/epaper.thehindu.com\/ccidist-ws\/th\/th_international\/issues\/190194\/OPS\/G27G3RMK1.1+GH6G4UCCA.1.html<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-13 wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#ff0000e3\"><strong>2. &#8220;The credibility of a Census depends not only on technology but also on institutional integrity and public cooperation.&#8221; Discuss.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table class=\"has-black-color has-text-color has-background has-link-color\" style=\"background-color:#ffeccff2\"><tbody><tr><td><strong>Syllabus: Governance<\/strong> <br><strong>General Studies \u2013 : II <\/strong>Important aspects of governance, transparency and accountability, e-governance- applications, models, successes, limitations, and potential; citizens charters, transparency &amp; accountability and institutional and other measures.\u00a0 <\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-black-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-14 wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>IN NEWS:<\/strong> The pressures of counting India<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-black-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-15 wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>A Census is not merely a data-aggregation exercise; it is a foundational pillar of governance, resource allocation, and policy design.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-black-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-16 wp-block-paragraph\">As India rolls out its <strong>16th Decennial Census (Census 2027)<\/strong>\u2014the country&#8217;s first truly <strong>digital census<\/strong>\u2014the transition brings immense technical capability but also highlights a critical reality: <strong>technology is only the vehicle<\/strong>. For a Census to possess baseline credibility, it requires an unyielding combination of technological precision, deep institutional integrity, and widespread public cooperation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-black-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-17 wp-block-paragraph\"><a><\/a><strong>1. Technology: The Backbone of Efficiency<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-black-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-18 wp-block-paragraph\">Modern technology eliminates human transmission errors, reduces compilation lags, and structures data cleanly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"has-black-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-block-list wp-elements-19\">\n<li><strong>The Digital Shift:<\/strong> The Census 2027 scheme utilizes mobile applications (Android and iOS) for data collection and a centralized <strong>Census Management &amp; Monitoring System (CMMS)<\/strong> portal. This eliminates paper-trail inefficiencies for approximately 30 lakh field enumerators.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Granular Mapping:<\/strong> Innovations like the <strong>Houselisting Block (HLB) Creator<\/strong> web-mapping application ensure exact geo-referencing, avoiding duplicate counting or missing remote settlements entirely.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Actionable Turnaround:<\/strong> Under the <em>Census-as-a-Service (CaaS)<\/em> model, processed data is designed to be instantly accessible to ministries in machine-readable formats, replacing the traditional 3-to-5-year publication lag with near real-time utility.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-black-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-20 wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>2. Institutional Integrity: The Guardrail of Trust<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-black-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-21 wp-block-paragraph\">While apps collect data swiftly, the <em>veracity<\/em> of that data depends entirely on the public\u2019s faith in the institutions storing and utilizing it. If the state is perceived as biased, the incoming data becomes structurally flawed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"has-black-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-block-list wp-elements-22\">\n<li><strong>Data Privacy and Protection:<\/strong> The current census collects deeply sensitive markers, including demographic status and, for the first time since 1931, comprehensive <strong>Caste Enumeration<\/strong>. Storing this electronically demands rigorous compliance with the <strong>Digital Personal Data Protection (DPDP) Act, 2023<\/strong>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>The Shadow of Vulnerability:<\/strong> Public trust in digital safety is fragile following historical, high-profile infrastructure leaks (such as the CoWIN portal vulnerability). To mitigate this, the Office of the Registrar General of India (ORGI) has designated census data centers as <strong>Critical Information Infrastructure (CII)<\/strong>, deploying end-to-end encryption and ISO\/IEC 27001:2022 standards.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Political Neutrality and Delimitation:<\/strong> Census data holds massive constitutional leverage; it acts as the baseline for the future <strong>delimitation of parliamentary constituencies<\/strong> and the implementation of the <em>Women\u2019s Reservation provisions (Constitution 131st Amendment)<\/em>. If institutions are suspected of data manipulation or targeted exclusion to favor specific political geometries, the democratic fabric itself loses credibility.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-black-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-23 wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>3. Public Cooperation: The Source of Truth<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-black-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-24 wp-block-paragraph\">No algorithm can correct a lie told at the doorstep. The ultimate accuracy of a census depends entirely on the willingness of citizens to volunteer authentic personal information.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"has-black-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-block-list wp-elements-25\">\n<li><strong>The Hurdle of the Digital Divide:<\/strong> Census 2027 introduces a <strong>15-day online Self-Enumeration window<\/strong>. However, according to the National Family Health Survey (NFHS-5), only <strong>57% of rural households<\/strong> possess internet access, compared to 80% in urban centers. This stark digital divide means marginalized communities risk under-reporting or being excluded if field-level handholding is inadequate.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Fear of Surveillance and Exclusionary Overlaps:<\/strong> Public cooperation degrades when a purely statistical exercise is conflated with citizenship verification or targeting. Apprehensions regarding overlaps between the Census, the National Population Register (NPR), and potential citizenship registers can cause marginalized groups or undocumented populations to intentionally falsify data out of fear of state retribution or deportation.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>The Complexity of Self-Reporting:<\/strong> With caste data being captured electronically, the absence of real-time, objective field verification during the self-enumeration phase poses a problem. Caste identities are fluid, highly localized, and deeply contested; misreporting due to a lack of literacy or deliberate inflation to claim welfare benefits can heavily skew the data.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-black-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-26 wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>4. The Interdependent Triad<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"has-black-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-block-list wp-elements-27\">\n<li><strong>Tech + Institutional Integrity without Public Cooperation<\/strong> results in an incredibly sophisticated, secure database that holds inaccurate, incomplete, or boycotted data.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Tech + Public Cooperation without Institutional Integrity<\/strong> leads to massive data generation that is weaponized, leaked, or distrusted by states and researchers alike.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Institutional Integrity + Public Cooperation without Tech<\/strong> defaults back to the sluggish, paper-heavy systems of the past, delaying critical development planning.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-black-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-28 wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Way Forward<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-black-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-29 wp-block-paragraph\">To cement the validity of the upcoming data, the government must actively back its technology with robust institutional and social measures:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"has-black-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-block-list wp-elements-30\">\n<li><strong>Public Awareness Campaigns:<\/strong> Use localized, vernacular campaigns via the official mascots (<em>Pragati<\/em> and <em>Vikas<\/em>) to clearly decouple the statistical census from citizenship-stripping narratives.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Empowering the Last Mile:<\/strong> Adequately compensate and train the 30 lakh ground-level enumerators (mostly government teachers) to bridge the digital divide for households unable to self-enumerate.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Rigorous Independent Audits:<\/strong> Subject the CMMS and self-enumeration portals to transparent third-party security audits to assure the public that their personal, socio-economic, and caste data is completely anonymized and locked behind state-of-the-art cryptographic walls.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table class=\"has-black-color has-text-color has-background has-link-color\" style=\"background-color:#ffeccff2\"><tbody><tr><td><strong>PYQ REFERENCE UPSC 2014<\/strong> <br>Q. &#8220;Two parallel run schemes namely Aadhaar Card and National Population Register (NPR), one as voluntary and the other as compulsory, have led to debates at national level and litigation in the Supreme Court. Discuss how the convergence of these two schemes can enhance or jeopardize individual data privacy and security.&#8221; (GS2, 2014)<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-31 wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#5d00fff5\"><strong>Source:<\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/epaper.thehindu.com\/ccidist-ws\/th\/th_international\/issues\/190194\/OPS\/G27G3RMK4.1+GF4G4U49U.1.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>https:\/\/epaper.thehindu.com\/ccidist-ws\/th\/th_international\/issues\/190194\/OPS\/G27G3RMK4.1+GF4G4U49U.1.html<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>How can optimisation of existing transmission infrastructure contribute to achieving India&#8217;s net-zero and energy security goals? Syllabus: Infrastructure General [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":3782,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[1,68,39,49,25,26,113,152,12],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3778","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blog","category-daily-current-affairs","category-daws","category-governance","category-gs-2","category-gs-3","category-important-aspects-of-governance-transparency-and-accountability","category-infrastructure-energy","category-mains"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kingmakersiasacademy.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3778","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kingmakersiasacademy.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kingmakersiasacademy.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kingmakersiasacademy.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kingmakersiasacademy.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3778"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/kingmakersiasacademy.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3778\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3781,"href":"https:\/\/kingmakersiasacademy.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3778\/revisions\/3781"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kingmakersiasacademy.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3782"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kingmakersiasacademy.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3778"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kingmakersiasacademy.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3778"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kingmakersiasacademy.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3778"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}