“Access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy is the sine qua non to achieve Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).” Comment on the progress made in India in this regard.
Approach · directive: “comment”
What it asks · Comment on how far India has moved towards energy that is affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern (SDG 7): access, clean cooking, renewables and efficiency, and the gaps that remain.
The question has 2 parts — answer each
- Comment on India's progress towards affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy (SDG 7): electricity access, clean cooking, renewables and efficiency
- Comment on the gaps that remain and what they mean for the other SDGs
Open with · SDG 7 asks for energy that is affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern; India's progress is strong on access and clean cooking, but uneven on quality of supply and on cutting fossil dependence.
Cover
- Electricity access: Saubhagya (September 2017) aimed to connect four crore poor households free; all census villages were declared electrified in April 2018, though that does not mean every home is connected.
- Clean cooking: Ujjwala (2016) gave LPG connections to poor households and the 2018-19 Budget raised its target to eight crore; some homes still burn firewood too, as refills cost money.
- Sustainability: 175 GW renewable capacity targeted by 2022, falling solar tariffs through auctions, the International Solar Alliance, and the Paris pledge of about 40 per cent non-fossil power capacity by 2030.
- Reliability and affordability: distribution losses and weak last-mile supply persist; DDUGJY, IPDS and the UDAY discom scheme address them, and LED bulbs under UJALA cut household bills.
- Efficiency: the Perform, Achieve and Trade scheme, appliance star labelling and building codes have improved energy use, though coal and imported oil still dominate supply.
- Gaps and way ahead: grid integration and storage for variable renewables, discom finances, and reliable power for poor and remote areas, where off-grid solar and mini-grids can help.
Close with · India has largely solved access on paper; the next phase is quality, affordability and cleaner supply, so that energy powers the other SDGs instead of limiting them.
Add value (verified)
- The Economic Survey records the scale of clean-cooking progress: with 9.5 crore connections under Ujjwala, LPG coverage rose from 62 per cent on 1 May 2016 to 99.8 per cent on 1 April 2021. Economic Survey 2022-23, Social Infrastructure and Employment (Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana, para 6.119), Ministry of Finance ↗“The release of 9.5 crore LPG connections under the scheme has also helped in increasing the LPG coverage from 62 per cent on 1 May 2016 to 99.8 per cent as on 1 April 2021.”
Question: UPSC's CS (Main) 2018, GS Paper III — paper ↗. Approach: Minimalist IAS, checked 30 Sept 2026 (how we verify) — UPSC publishes no model answers. ·
Model answer · 229 words (UPSC limit 150) · Minimalist IAS
SDG 7 asks for energy that is affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern; without it the goals on health, education, water and jobs cannot be met. India's record is strong on access, weaker on quality and clean supply.
Progress made
- Electricity access: Saubhagya (September 2017) set out to connect about four crore poor households free of cost; every census village was declared electrified in April 2018.
- Clean cooking: Ujjwala (2016) took LPG to poor homes, and Budget 2018-19 raised its target to eight crore connections (since then, LPG coverage reached 99.8 per cent by April 2021).
- Sustainability: a 175 GW renewable target for 2022, solar tariffs falling through auctions, the International Solar Alliance, and the Paris pledge of about 40 per cent non-fossil power capacity by 2030.
- Efficiency: UJALA LED bulbs, the Perform, Achieve and Trade scheme and appliance star labelling trim demand and bills.
Gaps that remain
- Reliability: a connection is not supply; distribution losses and discom debt, which DDUGJY, IPDS and UDAY address, still cause outages.
- Affordability: some Ujjwala households return to firewood because refills cost money.
- Sustainability: coal and imported oil still dominate; variable renewables need storage and grid integration.
Access has largely been won on paper; the next test is reliable, affordable and cleaner supply, through off-grid solar for remote areas and solvent discoms, so that energy drives the other SDGs rather than holding them back.
Written by Minimalist IAS from facts checked at source (how we verify) — a little fuller than exam length, so every part of the question is covered; in the hall, keep the structure and trim the detail. UPSC publishes no model answers: compare your structure and coverage with this, then write your own.