Dr. Jitendra Singh, the Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Science and Technology, MoS PMO, and Minister of State for Personnel and Public Grievances, emphasized the importance of international cooperation in achieving India’s net-zero emissions target by 2070. He made these remarks during the launch event of the website and logo for the Joint 8th Mission Innovation Ministerial (MI-8) and 14th Clean Energy Ministerial (CEM-14). The launch event was attended by Dr. Jitendra Singh and Union Power & NRE Minister Shri R. K. Singh.
India will be hosting the MI-8 and CEM-14 from July 19 to 21, 2023, alongside the G20 Energy Transition (ET) Ministerial meeting in Goa. The MI-8 Ministerial will bring together Ministers and Heads of delegations from MI member countries, the European Union, and international organizations, as well as high-level representatives from industry, research, academia, citizen organizations, and innovators from around the world. The focus of this year’s Ministerial is “Advancing the Continuum of R&D towards Pilot Demonstration on Clean Energy Technologies.”
Dr. Jitendra Singh stated that hosting the Annual Ministerial meeting of MI during India’s 75th year of independence is significant for turning ambitious clean energy commitments into action while ensuring energy security and accessibility. He highlighted that the Mission Innovation initiative aligns with Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi’s vision of national aspiration on India’s climate action, known as Panchamrit, which was outlined during COP26.
Under the Panchamrit action plan, India aims to achieve a non-fossil fuel energy capacity of 500 GW by 2030, fulfill at least half of its energy requirements through renewable energy by 2030, reduce CO2 emissions by 1 billion tons by 2030, decrease carbon intensity to below 45% by 2030, and work towards a net-zero emissions target by 2070.
Mission Innovation (MI) is a global initiative of 23 countries and the European Commission to accelerate the clean energy revolution and progress towards the goals of the Paris Agreement and net-zero pathways. India was one of the founding members of MI. The initiative aims to catalyze action and investment in research, development, and demonstration of clean energy technologies to make them affordable, attractive, and accessible to all.
In the first phase of Mission Innovation (2015-2020), India led three MI Innovation Challenges, announced funding opportunities in identified areas, made financial and technical contributions to initiatives like the Global Cooling Prize, and had two MI Champions. After the successful completion of the first phase, MI2.0 was launched in June 2021, focusing on a decade of action (2021-2030) to scale up the deployment of innovative clean energy technologies and make them affordable and accessible.
India actively participates in MI2.0, leading missions like Integrated Biorefineries, being a member of the Clean Hydrogen Mission, a core coalition member of the Green Powered Future Mission, a core group member of the Zero-Emissions Shipping Mission and Urban Transitions Mission, a support group member of the Carbon Dioxide Removal Mission, and contributing to various innovation platforms.
The launch event was attended by Secretary of Science and Technology, Dr. Srivari Chandrasekhar; Secretary of Power, Shri Alok Kumar; Secretary of MNRE, Shri Bhupinder Singh Bhalla; Director-General of BEE, Shri Abhay Bakre, and other senior officials. The Head of CEM and MI Secretariat addressed the event through video conference, and government delegates from 32 countries also joined the event virtually.
