India among best-performing G20 nations in meeting sustainability commitments: Piyush Goyal

New Delhi :2/9/25:  India is one of the best-performing G20 nations in meeting our sustainability commitments. This was said by Union Minister of Commerce and Industry, Shri Piyush Goyal, at CII’s 20th Global Sustainability Summit in New Delhi, today.

Remarking on the role played by India for the cause of the environment, Shri Goyal noted that Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi had played a decisive role in making COP21 a success. “Prime Minister Narendra Modi had a very important role in making COP21 a success. Without his active participation, without him weighing in with the developed nations to contribute to the sustainability efforts of the less-developed countries, probably COP21 could not have come to fruition. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had got the whole global south together, that this should be a collective responsibility of every country in the world,” he said.

Shri Goyal emphasised that India continues to remain firmly committed to its sustainability goals, upscaling renewable energy targets five-fold since 2014 and successfully creating a national interconnected grid under the principle of “One Nation, One Grid.”

Highlighting achievements in the power sector, Shri Goyal noted that  India is achieving renewable energy goals well ahead of schedule, with 50% renewable energy capacity already installed. He highlighted that India aims to reach 500 GW by 2030, powered by Make in India products, self-reliant manufacturing, and rapid innovation. He pointed out that renewable power is now available in India at globally unmatched prices, around Rs. 4.60 to Rs. 5.00 per kWh for a 24-hour clean energy supply. He added that there was no contradiction in simultaneously pursuing coal and renewables, and that transparent bidding processes reduced the price of solar power from Rs. 7–8 to Rs. 2.41. He noted that India now can offer renewable energy round-the-clock at highly competitive rates unmatched globally.

The Minister called on startups to innovate solutions for challenges such as water harvesting and energy efficiency. Citing the UJALA scheme launched in 2015, he said India had replaced incandescent bulbs with LED bulbs, showcasing how small steps can have transformational impacts.

Shri Goyal concluded by affirming that India’s future rests firmly on resilience, sustainability and collective determination. He said, “With this collective commitment and mindset, with the effort of 1.4 billion people, meeting the aspirations of a young India, one of the youngest countries in the world, I am very confident that India’s future is safe, is secured, is resilient, and rests on the pillar of sustainability and high quality, cost competitiveness, to be able to engage with the whole world with confidence, and at the same time, ensuring that inclusive growth, growth which reaches the last man at the bottom of the pyramid will be our credo, will be our ultimate and final target or mountain that we have to cross.”