“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.
It asks 2 things — 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, with the way forward, and what they mean for the other SDGs
Open with · Goal 7 scored 96 in NITI Aayog's SDG India Index 2023-24, the highest of all goals, up from 51 in 2018; access is nearly universal, reliable and clean supply is the unfinished half.
Cover
- SDG India Index 2023-24: Goal 7 scored 96, highest of all goals, up from 51 in 2018 (NITI Aayog, PIB).
- Access: Saubhagya (2017) electrified 2.9 crore rural households (Economic Survey 2023-24); all census villages electrified by April 2018.
- Clean cooking: Ujjwala (2016) released 9.5 crore connections; LPG coverage 62% (2016) to 99.8% (2021), Economic Survey.
- Sustainability: 175 GW renewable target for 2022; since then non-fossil capacity 51.93% in December 2025 (Economic Survey 2025-26).
- Efficiency: UJALA LEDs, Perform, Achieve and Trade, star labelling cut demand and bills.
- Gaps: distribution losses and discom debt (UDAY, IPDS), refill affordability under Ujjwala, coal and oil dominance, storage for renewables.
- Way forward: solvent discoms, metered supply, off-grid solar and mini-grids, storage and green corridors.
Close with · Reliable, not merely connected, energy turns SDG 7 into health, learning and jobs; sustaining the record 34.56 GW non-fossil additions of 2025-26 keeps India on course for its 2030 NDC.
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.”
- NITI Aayog's SDG India Index 2023-24 gives Goal 7 (Affordable and Clean Energy) the highest score of all SDGs, 96, up from 51 in 2018, citing universal household electrification under Saubhagya.PIB: Release of SDG India Index 2023-24 (NITI Aayog, July 2024), goal-wise highlights ↗“Goal 7 – Affordable and Clean Energy Highest score amongst all SDGs also significant improvement from 51 in 2018 to 96 in 2023-24 100% households have access to electricity under Saubhagya Scheme.”
- Economic Survey 2025-26 records that India has surpassed the goal of 50 per cent non-fossil installed power capacity, which stood at 51.93 per cent at the end of December 2025, and that the first eight months of FY26 added a record 34.56 GW of non-fossil capacity.Economic Survey 2025-26, chapter on energy transition and climate (paras 9.42 and 10.38) ↗“The country has already surpassed the goal of 50 per cent installed power capacity from non-fossil fuel sources (stood at 51.93 per cent at the end of December 2025”
- Economic Survey 2025-26: the first eight months of FY26 (to November 2025) recorded a 34.56 GW addition, the largest ever annual increase in non-fossil capacity, led by solar (27.20 GW).Economic Survey 2025-26, para 9.42 (renewable energy capacity additions) ↗“The first eight months of FY26 (up to November 2025) recorded a historic 34.56 GW addition—the largest ever annual increase in non-fossil capacity.”
- Economic Survey 2023-24 (infographic on quality of life) counts 2.9 crore rural households electrified under Saubhagya.Economic Survey 2023-24, chapter infographic 'Initiatives to improve the ecosystem of quality of life' ↗“2.9 crore rural households electrified under Saubhagya”
Question: UPSC's CS (Main) 2018, GS Paper III — paper ↗. Approach: Minimalist IAS, checked 3 Oct 2026 (how we verify) — UPSC publishes no model answers. ·
Model answer· 220words · Minimalist IAS
Goal 7 scored 96 in NITI Aayog's SDG India Index 2023-24, the highest of all goals, up from 51 in 2018. Access is nearly universal; reliable, clean supply is the unfinished half.
Progress towards affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy
- Access: Saubhagya (2017) electrified 2.9 crore rural households (Economic Survey 2023-24); all census villages were electrified by April 2018.
- Clean cooking: Ujjwala (2016) released 9.5 crore LPG connections; coverage rose from 62% (2016) to 99.8% (2021), per the Economic Survey.
- Sustainability: a 175 GW renewable target for 2022 and solar auctions; since then, non-fossil capacity reached 51.93% in December 2025, past the 50% goal (Economic Survey 2025-26).
- Efficiency: UJALA LEDs, Perform, Achieve and Trade, and star labelling cut demand.
Gaps that remain
- Reliability: a connection is not supply; distribution losses and discom debt, targeted by UDAY and IPDS, still cause outages.
- Affordability: some Ujjwala homes return to firewood as refills cost money.
- Clean energy: coal and imported oil still dominate; variable renewables need storage and grid integration.
Way forward
- Solvent discoms, metered supply, off-grid solar for remote hamlets, and storage with green corridors for round-the-clock renewables.
Reliable, not merely connected, energy turns SDG 7 into health, learning and jobs; sustaining the record 34.56 GW non-fossil additions of April-November 2025 (Economic Survey 2025-26) keeps India on course for its 2030 NDC.
Prepared by Minimalist IAS to the answer standard of Shivam Singh (mentor, 7 years) · facts checked against official sources (how we verify) · updated 3 Oct 2026. UPSC publishes no model answers: compare your structure and coverage with this, then write your own.
