Hydro projects of less environ damaging potential to be allowed to take off

01 Dec 2010 Editorial Team

The Planning Commission and the Ministry of Environment & Forests have reached an informal understanding to allow hydro power projects, that have little potential of environmental damage, to take off without waiting for more comprehensive studies of the whole basin. Hydro segment is one where a large number of projects have hit the environmental hurdle and about one-fourth of India’s planned expansion in generation capacity is in hydro power. There is already a huge slippage on the generation targets set for the current Five Year Plan as the target was revised from 78,700 MW to 62,000 MW. For the next plan, the power ministry aims to add 30,000 MW of hydro capacity with Rs 150,000 crore.

Over 13 projects with a combined capacity of 3,990 MW were awaiting environmental clearances. Most are based in Arunachal Pradesh, HP and Uttarakhand, including Reliance Energy’s 280 MW project at Urthing Sobla in Uttarakhand, Jindal Power’s 1,600 MW Subansiri project in Arunachal Pradesh, THDC’s 400 MW Koteshwar project and NHPC’s 630 MW Gurba Tawaghat project.

Infrastructure Urban

04 Dec 2025

ISRO’s IMAT Success Boosts Readiness for Maiden Gaganyaan Mission

Union Minister of State for Science and Technology Dr Jitendra Singh informed Parliament that ISRO has achieved a key milestone in its preparations for India’s first human space mission with the successful completion of the Integrated Main Parachute Airdrop Test (IMAT). He said in the Lok Sabha that the test forms a central part of the qualification campaign for the Crew Module’s parachute-based deceleration system, one of the most vital elements in human-rating the mission.According to Dr. Jitendra Singh, the IMAT recreated one of the most demanding descent conditions by intentionally del..

Gyanesh Kumar Takes Charge as Chair of International IDEA Council

Chief Election Commissioner of India Gyanesh Kumar has assumed the Chairship of the Council of Member States of the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance for 2026. The ceremony in Stockholm was also attended by India’s Ambassador to Sweden, Anurag Bhushan. India, a founding member of International IDEA, has long contributed to the organisation’s governance and global democratic dialogue, and the new Chairship signals broad recognition of the Election Commission of India as a trusted and innovative election management institution.During his visit, Kumar held discuss..

Coal Mines Boost Local Growth and Support India’s Energy Self-reliance

The Magadh and Amrapali coal mines in Jharkhand are playing a pivotal role in strengthening India’s energy security, contributing nearly half of Central Coalfields Limited’s total coal production in 2024–25. Both mines support the broader goal of ensuring steady coal availability for the power sector under the vision of Aatmanirbhar Bharat. Magadh has estimated mineable reserves of 854.91 million tonnes, while Amrapali holds 456.34 million tonne. For FY 2025–26, the two are expected to generate net sales revenues of Rs 28.12 billion and Rs 23.67 billion respectively. Local development ..