DAW 12th January 2026, Mains Answer Writting 2027
Question
India’s energy transition is guided by the principle of “Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam – One Earth, One Family, One Future”. Examine how this philosophy shapes India’s domestic energy policies and its approach to global climate leadership. (250 Words, 15 Marks).
Model Answer
Approach:
Introduction:
Briefly link Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam to climate ethics, equity, and India’s people-centric energy transition (optionally anchor with a recent global forum like IRENA).
Body:
Domestic dimension: Show how the philosophy shapes inclusive energy policies—access, affordability, early NDC achievement, long-term targets, resilience, and self-reliance.
Global dimension: Explain India’s values-based climate leadership through CBDR-RC, multilateral institutions, South–South cooperation, and performance-based credibility.
Conclusion:
Conclude by linking India’s energy transition to SDGs, projecting India as a credible, equitable, and cooperative global climate leader.
Introduction:
The ancient Indian philosophy of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam envisions the Earth as a shared household where responsibilities, benefits and burdens are collectively borne. In the context of climate change and energy transition, this worldview underpins India’s people-centric, equity-oriented and cooperative approach. As reiterated by Union Minister Pralhad Joshi at the 16th Assembly of the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) in Abu Dhabi (January 2026), India’s energy transition is not merely a technological shift, but a moral and developmental project aligned with global well-being.
Body:
Influence on India’s Domestic Energy Policies:
Equity-centred and inclusive transition:
Guided by the ethos of “One Family”, India integrates energy access, affordability and decarbonisation, ensuring climate action remains people-centric.
PM Surya Ghar: Muft Bijli Yojana has benefited ~2.5 million households through rooftop solar, targeting 10 million by 2027, reducing electricity bills and transforming households into prosumers.
PM-KUSUM has enabled ~2.17 million farmers to replace diesel pumps with solar pumps and solarise feeders, cutting emissions while improving rural incomes and reducing air pollution.
Together, these initiatives operationalise distributive justice, ensuring that the energy transition does not exacerbate poverty or inequality.
Balancing development and sustainability:
Reflecting “One Earth”, India rejects the development–environment trade-off. Despite hosting ~17% of the global population, India’s historical emissions are below 4%, and per-capita CO₂ emissions (~1.9 t) are far below the global average.
Key outcomes include:
Achievement of 50% non-fossil installed electricity capacity in 2025, five years ahead of its NDC under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.
266+ GW renewable energy capacity, placing India among global leaders (IRENA).
This demonstrates responsible environmental stewardship alongside poverty reduction.
Long-term policy stability and system resilience:
Anchored in “One Future”, India’s transition is guided by long-term certainty and intergenerational responsibility.
Commitments to 500 GW non-fossil capacity by 2030 and Net Zero by 2070 balance ambition with developmental realities.
Green Energy Corridors, grid modernisation, energy storage deployment, and RTC/hybrid bidding enhance grid reliability and resilience.
India has reduced emission intensity by 33% (2005–2019) while sustaining growth—critical for a country ranked 5th most climate-vulnerable (Global Climate Risk Index).
Structural Reforms Anchored in Responsibility
Transition from PAT to Carbon Credit Trading Scheme (CCTS)
Shifts focus from energy savings to carbon-intensity reduction
Industrial sectors earn tradable credits for outperforming emission targets → Aligns economic activity with planetary responsibility.
Standards & Labelling (28 appliance categories)
UJALA LED Programme
36.87 crore LEDs distributed leading to annual savings of 47,883 million kWh or Rs. 19,153 crores and 3.88 million tonnes CO₂.
Building Codes
ECBC, ECSBC, Eco Niwas Samhita → Embed sustainability into everyday living spaces.
Self-reliance with global responsibility:
Through Atmanirbhar Bharat, India is expanding domestic manufacturing of solar modules, wind turbines, batteries and electrolysers, strengthening energy security while contributing to diversified and resilient global clean-energy supply chains—aligning national interest with the global good.
Shaping India’s Global Climate Leadership:
Normative leadership rooted in values:
Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam strengthens India’s advocacy of Common But Differentiated Responsibilities and Respective Capabilities (CBDR-RC), highlighting that high-income countries (~16% of global population) account for ~74% of excess resource use, underscoring equity in mitigation and climate finance.
Multilateralism and South–South cooperation:
India has institutionalised its philosophy through proactive leadership:
Founder member and key voice in the International Renewable Energy Agency.
Initiator of the International Solar Alliance, promoting affordable solar deployment in developing countries.
Leadership in platforms such as CDRI and the Global Bio fuels Alliance.
At the 16th IRENA Assembly (2026), India called for technology transfer, concessional finance and capacity building, especially for LDCs and SIDS.
Credibility through performance:
India’s leadership rests on delivery, not rhetoric:
Early achievement of NDC targets.
Addition of ~50 GW renewable capacity in 2025 alone.
Stable policies and transparent markets, making India a leading clean-energy investment destination, with ~USD 300 billion investment needs by 2030.
Climate action as shared prosperity:
India frames the energy transition as a development multiplier, linking decarbonisation with jobs, affordability, energy security and growth, capturing the essence of “One Earth, One Family, One Future”.
Conclusion:
India’s energy transition reflects a synthesis of Civilisational values, developmental pragmatism, and global responsibility. Through inclusive domestic policies and principled global leadership, Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam has evolved from philosophy into a governing framework for climate action, aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals- particularly SDG 7 (Affordable and Clean Energy), SDG 12 (Responsible Consumption), SDG 13 (Climate Action) and SDG 17 (Global Partnerships).