Context: State Energy Efficiency Index 2019 has been released.

The first such Index, the “State Energy Efficiency Preparedness Index 2018”, was launched on August 1, 2018.

About the index:

It tracks the progress of Energy Efficiency (EE) initiatives in 36 states and union territories based on 97 significant indicators.

For a rational comparison, the States or Union Territories are grouped into four groups based on the aggregated Total Primary Energy Supply (TPES) required to meet the state’s actual energy demand (electricity, coal, oil, gas, among others) across sectors.

The Index categorises states as ‘Front Runner’, ‘Achiever’, ‘Contender’ and ‘Aspirant’ based on their efforts and achievements towards energy efficiency implementation.

There isn’t any ‘front runner’ state this year.

The index has developed by the Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE) in association with the Alliance for an Energy Efficient Economy (AEEE).

The objective behind releasing this Index is to help states in contributing towards national goals on energy security and climate action by:

1. Helping drive energy efficiency policies and program implementation at the state and local level.
2. Tracking progress in managing the states’ and India’s energy footprint.
3. Institutionalising data capture and monitoring of energy efficiency activities by states.

Performance of various states:

• Karnataka, HP, Haryana and Puducherry were the best performers.
• Manipur, Jharkhand, Rajasthan and Jammu and Kashmir were the least performers.

Significance of the Index:

Such an index assumes significance in a country that is now the biggest emitter of greenhouse gases after the US and China, and which is among the countries most vulnerable to climate change. India plans to reduce its carbon footprint by 33-35% from its 2005 levels by 2030, as part of its commitments to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change adopted by 195 countries in Paris in 2015.