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Hans India
38 minutes ago
- Hans India
Electronics, pharma industries get 70 pc of total PLI scheme funds in FY25: Govt data
New Delhi: The electronics and pharmaceutical sectors emerged as the biggest gainers under the government's production-linked incentive (PLI) scheme in the financial year 2024-25, cornering nearly 70 per cent of the total incentive disbursed, according to official data. Out of Rs 10,114 crore released under the scheme during the year, the electronics sector received Rs 5,732 crore, while the pharma sector got Rs 2,328 crore, the data showed. Launched in 2021 to boost domestic manufacturing, the PLI scheme was initially rolled out for 14 key sectors. Since then, it has played a crucial role in strengthening India's industrial base and pushing for higher value-added exports. The success of the scheme is clearly reflected in the performance of the electronics sector. Due to the strong manufacturing push, electronics have now made it to the list of India's top three export categories. The sector recorded a remarkable export growth of 32.46 per cent in 2024-25, with shipments rising from $29.12 billion in 2023-24 to $38.58 billion in the previous financial year. This is a big jump from $15.7 billion in 2021-22 and $23.6 billion in 2022-23, according to the government data. A major highlight within the electronics segment was computer hardware and peripherals, which saw an impressive 101 per cent growth, with exports doubling from $0.7 billion to $1.4 billion in FY25. The United Arab Emirates, the United States, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, and Italy were among the top destinations for Indian electronic goods. The pharmaceutical sector also continued to show strength. India's drugs and pharmaceutical products are now reaching over 200 countries. In 2024-25, pharma exports rose by nearly 10 per cent to touch $30.5 billion -- underlining the country's global presence in the healthcare and medicines space. The fresh data points to the growing impact of the PLI scheme in driving India's manufacturing and export ambitions, especially in sectors where the country is beginning to emerge as a global leader.
Time of India
42 minutes ago
- Time of India
FGD norms eased to balance costs, climate and compliance
MUMBAI: The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change ( MoEF&CC ) has revised India's 2015 emission norms, dropping the blanket requirement for coal-fired power plants to install Flue Gas Desulphurisation (FGD) systems in a move that will save Indian households and industries some 25 to 30 paise per unit of electricity. FGDs will now be mandatory only for coal-fired power plants within 10 km of cities with population of over 1 million, plants in critically polluted or non-attainment areas and those using high-sulphur imported coal. All other plants, especially those using low-sulphur Indian coal, are exempt. FGD is a system that removes sulphur dioxide (SO₂) from the smoke released by coal-fired power plants. While effective in high-sulphur conditions, it is expensive, water-intensive and adds carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions during installation and operation. FGDs are useful in places with high sulphur coal (like in China or the US), high ambient SO₂ levels and dense urban proximity. The decision follows a series of studies by IIT Delhi, CSIR-NEERI and the National Institute of Advanced Studies (NIAS), which found that ambient sulphur dioxide (SO₂) levels in most parts of India are well within the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS). Measurements across multiple cities showed SO₂ levels ranging between 3 and 20 µg/m³, significantly below the NAAQS threshold of 80 µg/m³. The studies also questioned the environmental and economic efficacy of a universal FGD mandate in the Indian context. Indian coal typically has a sulphur content of less than 0.5%, and due to high stack heights and favourable meteorological conditions, dispersion of SO₂ is efficient. The NIAS study warned that retrofitting FGDs nationwide would add an estimated 69 million tonnes of CO₂ emissions between 2025 and 2030 due to increased limestone mining, transportation, and power consumption. Globally, carbon markets aim to incentivise generators that are reducing their carbon footprint and penalize those who are emitting carbon. With the installation of FGD, India may be increasing its carbon footprint with a reduction in SO2 emission, which is not advisable as per the present ambient air quality levels, according to a report written by CSIR-NEERI with financial support from NITI Aayog. Besides, SO₂ and CO₂ have different atmospheric lifetimes - SO₂ has a short atmospheric lifetime of several hours to about 15 days, while CO₂ persists for over 100 years. The current cost of FGD systems is approximately Rs1.40 crore per MW. As per recent Central Electricity Authority (CEA) estimate, around Rs1,47,000 crores capital investment will be required for the installation of the remaining 105 GW coal-based power plants. 'Now, it becomes imperative that the country make timely decisions so that consumers can be prevented from additional financial burdens. An appropriate decision may be taken by the concerned authority regarding the installation of FGDs in Thermal Power Plants (TPPs) considering that the ambient SO2 concentration is well below the prescribed limit,' the CSIR-NEERI report said. 'If FGD retrofits raise CO₂ emissions, are we not choosing the lesser evil here by avoiding them where they are not needed,' said a power industry source. 'Do we need to burden consumers with ₹2.5 lakh crore in unnecessary infrastructure when SO₂ levels are already well within limits,' he asked. 'This is a smarter use of resources, focusing on particulate matter and grid upgrades instead of chasing a global fad,' he said, noting that Indian consumers are better off without the one-size-fits-all FGD mandates. The Ministry's move is seen as a smart, science-led decision based on Indian coal chemistry and local air data. It avoids unnecessary CO₂ emissions from limestone use and auxiliary power. It aligns with global best practices - even the US, EU and China have moved to targeted FGD deployment, not blanket mandates. 'This is not a rollback. FGDs remain mandatory where necessary - near large urban populations or in heavily polluted areas,' the industry source said. 'This is a good example of India taking sovereign control of environmental policy, instead of blindly following Western rules,' he added.
Economic Times
an hour ago
- Economic Times
'Faulty premises': Jairam Ramesh slams govt after it eases SO2 emission norms
With the government exempting about 78 cent per cent of coal-fired plants from installing key anti-polluting systems, Congress leader Jairam Ramesh on Sunday said the Environment Ministry's rationale for the policy is based on "faulty premises". He asserted that the government's policymaking will continue to be driven by "flawed metrics" in the absence of the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) revision. The former environment minister attacked the government after the central government once again extended the deadline for coal-based thermal power plants to comply with sulphur dioxide emission norms and fully exempted those located away from critically polluted areas or cities with a population of over one million. "The Modi Government has already achieved the dubious distinction of having made India the global leader in sulphur dioxide emissions. Now we learn that the Environment Ministry has exempted 78-89% of India's thermal power plants from installing flue gas desulphurisation (FGD) systems that cut sulphur dioxide emissions," Ramesh said in a post on X. This is after the deadline for installing FGD systems, initially slated for 2017, was repeatedly pushed, the Congress general secretary said. Sulphur dioxide is a direct threat to public health and has also been known to impact cloud formation, disrupting the monsoon that is the lifeline of the Indian economy, Ramesh said. "More damagingly, research has increasingly shown that a large part of India's ambient PM2.5 (fine particulate matter of diameter less than 2.5 mm) is attributable to secondary particulate matter formed when sulphur dioxide reacts with other compounds," he said. Estimates suggest that anywhere between 12 per cent to 30 per cent of PM2.5 is attributable to such sulphur dioxide compounds, he said. "The Ministry's rationale for this policy is based on two faulty premises. The Ministry had earlier amended the focus of the National Clean Air Program (NCAP) to focus largely on PM10 emissions (particulate matter of less than 10mm diameter). "PM10 is a lot less dangerous to human health than PM2.5 but is more obviously visible and somewhat easier to tackle, since it includes elements such as road dust." he said. By choosing to turn a blind eye towards PM2.5 in its policymaking, the ministry has consigned us to many years more of our ongoing public health crisis - and this decision to tolerate sulphur dioxide compounds is only set to exacerbate this trend, he said. "The Ministry claims that sulphur dioxide levels in India are largely within the limits of the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS). As we have repeatedly pointed out, the NAAQS were last updated in 2009, when the prevailing levels of particulate matter and emissions were of a decidedly lower order of magnitude, and when the catastrophic public health consequences of particulate matter were not known, Ramesh said. A revision of the NAAQS therefore is long due," he added. In the absence of such a revision, the ministry's policymaking will continue to be driven by flawed metrics, Ramesh said. India established stringent sulphur dioxide emission standards for coal-based power plants in December 2015, requiring compliance within two years. Even after multiple extensions, 92 per cent of coal-fired power plants have not yet installed flue gas desulphurisation units to control SO2 emissions, a major air pollutant that converts into fine particulate matter (PM2.5) and causes a range of diseases. In a notification dated July 11, the Environment Ministry said the compliance deadline for Category A plants, located within a 10-km radius of the National Capital Region or cities with a population of over one million, has been extended from December 2024 to December 2027. Category B plants, situated within a 10-km radius of critically polluted areas or non-attainment cities, will now be assessed on a case-by-case basis instead of adhering to the earlier 2025 deadline. Category C plants -- all others not falling under Category A or B -- have been completely exempted from the sulphur dioxide norms, provided they meet the prescribed stack height criteria by December 31, 2029. These plants were earlier required to comply by December 2026. Of around 600 thermal power units in India, 462 are Category C units and 72 are Category B units. The ministry said it received many representations seeking exemption or relaxation in the timelines of the emission standards due to factors such as the "limited availability of technology providers, its techno-economic feasibility, negative impact of COVID-19 pandemic on supply chain, price escalation due to high demand and low supplies, low SO2 concentration in ambient air and heavy burden on consumer due to increase in electricity prices etc".
