A Vision Document on Sustainable Just Transition ‘Nav-Nirman Ki Ore Agrasar’ was unveiled today by Chief Secretary Sukhdev Singh in gracious presence of Secretary, Ministry of Coal, Government of India, Amrit Lal Meena, Additional Chief Secretary, Department of Forest, Environment and Climate Change L. Khiangte (IAS), Chairman, Task Force on Sustainable Just Transition A.K. Rastogi (IFS Retd.), , IFS (PCCF & HoFF, Department of Forest Environment and Climate Change), Dr. Sanjay Srivastava, Chairman, Jharkhand State Pollution Control Board Shashikar Samanta, and other senior officials from key departments of Jharkhand.
The launch event cum conference was organised by the Task Force on Sustainable Just Transition (GoJ) and its technical partner Centre for Environment and Energy Development (CEED) in association with the Department of Forest, Environment and Climate Change and Jharkhand State Pollution Control Board. The vision document outlines the strategic approach of the sustainable just transition process and intends to lay the foundation of the low-carbon development pathways for the state.
Addressing the conference, Chief Secretary, Sukhdev Singh, said, “This moment marks a groundbreaking initiative in our policy planning, as we set out on a transformative path towards sustainable development. The State Government believes that no one should be left behind in the sustainable transition. We aim to support India's leadership in addressing energy security and socio-economic interests by forging a convergence of efforts towards a carbon-neutral and climate-resilient economy at both the national and state levels. We congratulate the task force for bringing out the vision document to outline the way forward in heralding growth, inclusiveness and social advancements in the state.”
The vision for the sustainable transition is guided by India’s ambitions towards a low carbon economy and sustainable development goals. The vision document has been prepared through a consultative process and is based on the perspectives from inter-departmental meetings and stakeholders consultations.
Pledging support to the process of sustainable transition and addressing the conference via online, Secretary, Ministry of Coal, Government of India, Amrit Lal Meena, said, “Jharkhand has become a beacon for other states by showcasing sustainable transition strategies. Congratulations to the State Government and task force for this pioneering initiative. Energy transition is vital for a low carbon economy, with coal's role remaining significant in future. We wholeheartedly support the state's journey towards sustainable energy transition pathways.”
Elaborating on the broader intent of the vision document, Chairman, Task Force on Sustainable Just Transition A.K. Rastogi (IFS Retd.), said, “The vision document follows a structured approach through engaging in bottom-up planning, collaborating with research partners, and drawing inspiration from best practices around the globe. It provides a holistic approach with focus on thematic areas e.g. livelihood transition, energy transition, decarbonisation pathways, coal transition, sustainable mobility transition, green hydrogen, investment & finance and institutional framework to develop a cross-sectoral roadmap for future-ready Jharkhand. It prioritises people-centric policy interventions and a cohesive integration of environmental, social, and economic aspirations in the state.”
Emphasising the need of convergence approach in a multi-stakeholder setting, Ramapati Kumar, CEO of CEED said that, ‘The vision document stands as a bold and farsighted initiative, presenting a comprehensive climate governance approach for the state. It highlights the imperative of a sustainable transition to chart a path toward a resilient future that complements national and global climate change endeavours. Essential to this process is inter-departmental and inter-sectoral convergence to foster climate-compatible growth. CEED is committed to provide solution-driven knowledge support to facilitate the state's journey towards becoming a forward-looking economy.’
The conference witnessed participation of senior officers from key state departments and agencies, Secretary, Department of Mines & Geology and Department of Agriculture, Animal Husbandry and Cooperative, Aboobacker Siddique P, Secretary, Department of Rural Development, Chandra Shekhar, Secretary, Department of Planning & Development Prashant Kumar, Labour Commissioner Sanjeev Besra, Member-Secretary, JSPCB, Y. K. Das, APCCF, Dept of Forest Dr. D.K. Saxena and Special Secretary, Department of Agriculture, P.K. Hazari . They collectively emphasised the need of enabling a convergence approach for sectoral transition and sustainable growth trajectory for the state.
Chief among these dignitaries were; Ram Naresh Singh (Chairman, Damodar Valley Corporation), Manoj Kumar (CMD, Central Mine Planning & Design Institute Ltd), Uwe Gehlen, (Head of Economic Cooperation and Development, India Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany), Atanu Bhowmick (Director In-Charge, Bokaro Steel Plant & Rourkela Steel Plant, SAIL), R.B. Prasad (Director-Technical & Operations, Central Coalfield Ltd), S. Nagachari (Director-Technical/ES, Central Mine Planning & Design Institute Ltd.), Ashish Chaturvedi, (Head, Energy, Environment and Resilience, United Nations Development Programme), Navonil Das (Advisor, GIZ), Anoop Zachariah (Project Development Lead, Renew Power), Deepak S. Krishnan (Deputy Director, Energy Programs, World Resource Institute), Debnath Bera (Ranchi Partners Consultants), Shreelata Krishnan (School of Policy and Governance) and Jaideep Malik (John Cockerel Hydrogen), etc.