Energy Conservation Act, 2001
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Current affairsIndia Carbon Credit Trading Scheme (CCTS): Compliance Carbon Market Becomes Operational in 2026India's Carbon Credit Trading Scheme (CCTS), notified in June 2023 under the Energy Conservation (Amendment) Act 2022, moved into its operational phase in 2026 with the launch of the Indian Carbon Market Portal (March 21, 2026) and emission-intensity targets notified for seven industrial sectors. The Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE) administers the scheme, which replaces the Perform, Achieve and Trade (PAT) mechanism and links India's domestic carbon market to its Paris Agreement commitments. Current affairsCAFE-III Norms Notified: India Sets 16.7% Fleet Fuel Efficiency Target for Passenger Vehicles by 2031-32The Ministry of Power notified India's Corporate Average Fuel Economy-III (CAFE-III) norms on September 30, 2026. The new standards — effective April 1, 2027 through March 31, 2032 — require the fleet-average fuel consumption of passenger vehicles to improve by 16.7%, from 3.996 litres per 100 km in 2027-28 to 3.327 litres per 100 km in 2031-32. The Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE) sets the standards; enforcement is by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) under the Central Motor Vehicles Rules, 1989. Current affairsMaruti Suzuki Commissions India's First Automotive Green Hydrogen Electrolyser Plant at Manesar, HaryanaMaruti Suzuki India commissioned a 300kW green hydrogen electrolyser plant at its Manesar manufacturing facility in Haryana on September 24, 2026 — the first such installation by an Indian automobile manufacturer. Using surplus solar power generated during holidays, the plant produces green hydrogen for blending with natural gas as a process fuel, advancing India's National Green Hydrogen Mission target of 5 million metric tonnes per year by 2030 while reducing Maruti's manufacturing carbon footprint from 615,000 to 266,000 tonnes by FY31. Current affairsPremier Energies Commissions India's Largest Solar Cell Manufacturing Plant — 7GW TOPCon Facility at Naidupeta, Andhra PradeshPremier Energies commissioned a 7GW N-type TOPCon solar cell manufacturing plant at Naidupeta, Andhra Pradesh, in September 2026 — raising its total capacity to 10.6GW and making it India's largest solar cell manufacturer. The ₹3,293 crore facility, spanning 101 acres, produces approximately 88,000 cells per hour with an average efficiency of 25.8%, advancing India's National Solar Mission targets and domestic manufacturing push under PLI schemes. Current affairsIndia's First Soil Carbon Payments: Aadi Programme Disburses ₹2.9 Crore to 2,550 Farmers in Punjab and HaryanaIndia launched its first direct-benefit-transfer soil carbon payments on September 17, 2026 at Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana. Under the Aadi farmer carbon programme, 2,550 smallholder farmers in Punjab and Haryana received more than ₹2.9 crore for adopting regenerative agriculture practices — direct seeded rice, reduced tillage, and crop residue management — between 2019 and 2022, marking a landmark convergence of climate finance and agricultural welfare. Current affairsIndia Electric Mobility Index (IEMI) 2025: Delhi Tops Rankings, National EV Share Reaches 8.25%NITI Aayog and WRI India released the second edition of the India Electric Mobility Index (IEMI) 2025, ranking Delhi first with a score of 84/100. India's national EV market penetration reached 8.25% in 2025–26, with 2.5 million new registrations — a 25% year-on-year rise — placing the country on a trajectory toward its EV30@30 target. Current affairsUK Recognises India's Carbon Credit Trading Scheme (CCTS) Under UK CBAM — A Climate and Trade MilestoneThe United Kingdom's HM Treasury has officially recognised India's Carbon Credit Trading Scheme (CCTS) as a qualifying carbon-pricing mechanism under its Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM), effective ahead of the UK CBAM's full launch on January 1, 2027. Indian exporters of steel and aluminium to the UK can now claim carbon-price relief, avoiding double taxation on emissions already priced domestically under CCTS — a major win for India's climate diplomacy and export competitiveness. Current affairsUNEP "Limiting Overshoot" Report 2026: World Set to Breach 1.5°C — Paris Agreement Pathways and India's Climate ObligationsUNEP's "Limiting Overshoot" report (September 2026) declares that breaching the 1.5°C Paris Agreement warming threshold is now unavoidable in the near term. Without enhanced action, global temperatures could reach 2.6°C by 2100, but an "overshoot-peak-decline" pathway can return temperatures below 1.5°C through aggressive emissions cuts and large-scale carbon dioxide removal. Current affairsPNGRB-EESL MoU: Smart Domestic PNG Meters to Be Deployed Across India's City Gas Distribution Sector — Energy Efficiency, Demand Aggregation, and the Smart Metering PushThe Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board (PNGRB) and Energy Efficiency Services Limited (EESL) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to accelerate the deployment of smart domestic Piped Natural Gas (PNG) meters across India's City Gas Distribution (CGD) sector. The MoU aims to replicate EESL's proven smart electricity meter rollout model — 44.5 lakh+ meters already deployed — in the gas distribution domain, using demand aggregation to drive down costs and enable accurate billing and leak detection for millions of PNG households. Current affairsPradhan Mantri Surya Sarovar Yojana (PM-SSY): India's ₹5,070 Crore Floating Solar Scheme with Battery StorageThe Union Cabinet approved the Pradhan Mantri Surya Sarovar Yojana (PM-SSY) on July 31, 2026, allocating ₹5,070 crore to deploy 5,000 MW of floating solar photovoltaic capacity with 10,000 MWh of battery storage on India's reservoirs, dams, and inland water bodies. Implemented by SECI under the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, the scheme is expected to reduce CO₂ emissions by 10 million tonnes annually and generate 16,000–17,000 jobs. Current affairsIndia Crosses 300 GW Non-Fossil Fuel Power Capacity: Milestones, Breakdown, and Road to 500 GW by 2030India's installed non-fossil fuel electricity generation capacity reached 300.50 GW as of July 31, 2026 — announced by PIB on August 9, 2026. This milestone represents 54% of India's total 552 GW installed capacity and 60% progress toward the 500 GW target by 2030 committed under the Paris Agreement's Panchamrit pledges. Current affairsIndia Crosses 300 GW Non-Fossil Fuel Installed Electricity Capacity: A Milestone in Clean Energy TransitionIndia's installed non-fossil fuel electricity generation capacity crossed 300 GW (300.50 GW) as of 31 July 2026, announced the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy on 10 August 2026. This represents 54% of total installed capacity of 552 GW and over 60% of India's Paris Agreement NDC target of 500 GW non-fossil capacity by 2030.
In previous-year questions
- India's Carbon Credit Trading Scheme (CCTS) — the country's first domestic carbon market — was introduced through an amendment to which Act?UPSC · Current Affairs
- With reference to India's gas sector, which of the following correctly matches a regulatory/policy body with its parent ministry? 1. PNGRB — Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas 2. EESL — Ministry of Power 3. BEE (Bureau of Energy Efficiency) — Ministry of New and Renewable EnergyUPSC · Current Affairs
- India's Carbon Credit Trading Scheme (CCTS) is administered by which body?UPSC · Current Affairs
- The Energy Conservation Act, 2001, was amended in 2022 to insert Section 14A, which enables the Central Government to specify a carbon market in India. Which of the following schemes is directly enabled by this amendment?UPSC · Current Affairs
- The Carbon Credit Trading Scheme (CCTS) 2023 in India was notified under which legislative framework?UPSC · Current Affairs
- The Carbon Credit Trading Scheme (CCTS), which incentivises adoption of green hydrogen and renewable energy in industry, was introduced through an amendment to which Act in 2022?UPSC · Current Affairs
- India's CAFE-III norms, notified on September 30, 2026, require passenger vehicle fleet-average fuel consumption to improve from 3.996 litres per 100 km in 2027-28 to 3.327 litres per 100 km in 2031-32. Which body is empowered to SET (not enforce) CAFE standards under the Energy Conservation Act, 2001?UPSC · Current Affairs
- India's Carbon Credit Trading Scheme (CCTS), which became operational in 2026, draws its legal authority from which of the following?UPSC · Current Affairs