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In the global climate action, India is often praised for its ambitious renewable targets. People believe that solar parks, green hydrogen missions, and wind corridors are evidence of a country’s progress. But beneath this gleaming story is a more somber truth: India’s transition to green energy is neither fair nor consistent. Energy-poor people, particularly those living in rural, isolated, and climate-vulnerable areas, continue to be excluded from this transition.
This exclusion is not accidental; it is the result of policy design and implementation. Individuals often talk about energy transitions in terms of technology and capability, but they are political processes in which some individuals have more influence and resources than others. To truly make an impact, energy justice must move from a footnote in policy studies to the center of India’s climate action strategy.
The Unequal Energy Map
Despite significant progress in rural electrification, India’s energy supply remains uneven. Households in West Bengal districts such as Puruliya and Sunderbans continue to face chronic shortages and unreliable supplies during the monsoon season. Diesel generators regularly replace grid electricity, confining poor communities to expensive and polluting energy sources.
This is more than just an infrastructural gap. It resembles the structure of national projects like the Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Gram Jyoti Yojana, Pradhan Mantri Kisan Urja Suraksha evam Utthaan Mahabhiyan (PM-KUSUM), and SAUBHAGYA. While these initiatives aim to improve energy access and promote decentralized renewable energy, their implementation has disproportionately benefited more accessible and economically viable areas.
Geographically or climatically challenging places are typically classified as “low priority” for investment.
Beyond Megawatts: What Does Energy Justice Demand?
Energy justice consists of three major components: distributive justice, procedural justice, and recognition justice.
Distributional justice requires a fair distribution of the benefits and costs of energy systems. In India, solar parks, rooftop incentives, and subsidies primarily favor urban or semi-urban consumers with higher purchasing power. Meanwhile, rural regions are typically left with unreliable mini-grids or expensive diesel generators.
Procedural justice is concerned with who has a say. Panchayats, community cooperatives, and local women’s organizations rarely have a significant impact on energy infrastructure decisions. Policy consultations take place far from the people who will be most affected by them.
Recognition justice entails acknowledging and meeting the needs of vulnerable communities. People who live in energy-poor families, indigenous tribes, and fishermen on the coast are not merely passive energy users; they have unique energy requirements that policymakers do not recognize.
To incorporate these principles, India would need to abandon its one-size-fits-all approach to energy transformation and instead implement policies that are better suited to the country’s geography and economy.
Climate goals without justice are fragile
India is expected to become the world’s third-largest energy consumer. Its objectives under the Paris Agreement include developing 500 GW of non-fossil fuel energy capacity by 2030 and reaching net zero by 2070. These are lofty ambitions. If the transition makes existing imbalances worse, though, it could threaten both its social legitimacy and its long-term survival.
People who live in communities where energy poverty persists are hesitant to make changes that will not benefit them. An equitable energy shift builds trust, creates local jobs, and improves resilience to climate shocks. An unjust transition leads to resentment, alienation, and resistance.
Reimagining Policy for a Just Transition
To integrate energy justice into the heart of India’s green revolution, three changes are critical:
Targeting vulnerability, not just capacity: Policy incentives should prioritize regions and communities that are most vulnerable to energy poverty and climate consequences, rather than focusing merely on grid connection and generation capacity.
Participation and transparency: Panchayats, local civil society organizations, and cooperatives must have a genuine say in energy planning, rather than just ceremonial consultations.
Climate financing and renewable energy subsidies should favor community-led solar initiatives above major corporations and urban rooftop owners.
These steps require political will, but they are neither unreasonable nor untested. Countries in the Global South are implementing justice principles into their energy strategies. India, with its federal structure and robust local governance institutions, is well-suited to accomplish the same.
A transition that belongs to everyone.
The narrative of India’s green transition is still being written. It might be a story of sleek solar parks and corporate-led energy revolutions, or it can be a story of a people-centered change that empowers those who have historically been left behind. Energy justice isn’t a luxury. It serves as the foundation for a more sustainable, resilient, and democratic energy future.
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About the author:
Anusreeta Dutta is a columnist and climate researcher with prior experience as a
political researcher and ESG analyst.
These pieces are being published as they have been received – they have not been edited/fact-checked by ThePrint.