India aims bridging policy gaps for inclusive green employment 

Government focuses on skilling, capacity building, and sharing learnings and recommendations from women leaders’ experiences in the renewable energy sector.

On the occasion of International Women’s Day on March 8th, 2024, the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy organised an event titled ‘Women in Renewable Energy: Inspiring Gender Inclusion through Skill Development and Targeted Policies for Green Jobs’ in New Delhi. The event, supported by NRDC India, aimed to deliberate on bridging policy gaps for inclusive green employment, with a focus on skilling, capacity building, and sharing learnings and recommendations from women leaders’ experiences in the renewable energy sector.

Through a video message, the Union Minister for Power and Renewable Energy, R. K. Singh, highlighted India’s achievements in the clean energy transition and reiterated the Government’s commitment to designing women-centric policies and initiatives to enhance women’s livelihoods, improve health, and build community resilience.

Speaking at the event, New and Renewable Energy Secretary, Bhupinder Singh Bhalla highlighted the government’s commitment of raising India’s non-fossil energy capacity to 500 GW by the year 2030 and the need for the contribution of every citizen towards energy transition. The Secretary mentioned the recently launched PM Surya Ghar: Muft Bijli Yojana and the surge of registrations from the public on the National Portal for participation in the scheme. He emphasiSed the requirement for skilled workforce at various levels for effective implementation of the programmes and schemes of the Government and in achieving the targeted capacities and opportunities available, for women to assume a larger role in the renewable energy sector.

The Secretary also mentioned the necessity for gender-specific employment data at various levels within the sector. He highlighted the ongoing primary survey led by the Ministry, in collaboration with NRDC and CEEW, focusing on job opportunities and the representation of women in the renewable energy workforce.

Sudeep Jain, Additional Secretary of the Ministry of New & Renewable Energy, underscored the pivotal role of women as societal pillars offering diverse problem-solving perspectives. He emphasised that women are not only a substantial workforce but also a robust decision-making force in the renewable energy sector.

The event saw participation from stakeholders across the renewable energy value chain, including Central and State Government officials, representatives of multilateral organizations, financiers, technology suppliers, think tanks, NGOs, and civil society.