Draft Electricity (Rights of Consumers) Second Amendment Rules, 2023

These rules state that on request of any owner or occupier of any premise in a Group Housing Society or Residential Colony or Resident Welfare Association, the distribution licensee shall provide individual connection for supply of electricity. The draft rules also provide that the distribution licensee shall provide a separate connection for supply of electricity for Electric Vehicle (EV) charging system. Comments or suggestion on these draft rules have been invited up to January 12, 2024. The comments shall be in a word file and can be emailed to debranjan.chattopadhyay@nic.in and narendra.kumar65@nic.in

India-US Collaboration Towards Electrification of Public Transport & Achieving Net-Zero Emissions by 2070

The Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change emphasized the critical role of decarbonizing the transport sector to reduce Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions and achieve the ambitious net-zero emissions target by 2070 set by the Government of India. Speaking at a side event on the India-US “Payment Security Mechanism (PSM)” for e-buses, the Minister highlighted the significance of transitioning to electric vehicles (EVs), particularly electric buses, to achieve these environmental goals.

Directives for Cleaner Public Transport Services in the NCR

The CAQM has been actively engaging with NCR states to develop comprehensive action plans aimed at transitioning to cleaner and more efficient bus services in the region. The ultimate goal is to have electric vehicles (EVs) for all bus services in the NCR within five years, with the medium-term objective of adopting EVs, compressed natural gas (CNG), and BS-VI diesel buses within three years.