Gujarat govt's new "worry": How would India realize solar energy target? It woefully lacks quality manpower

By A Representative
A new “worry” appears to have gripped Gujarat government: Claiming to be No 1 in solar power, it is not sure how the Government of India would fulfill the solar power dream, revising the target upwards from 20 GW to 100 GW, especially when the rooftop segment, forming 40 per cent of the target, as it woefully lacks necessary manpower.
Suggesting that while solar power in general may have enough quality controls, a workshop held at Gandhinagar under the auspices of the state-controlled Gujarat Energy and Management Institute (GERMI) sounded a warning bell: The 40 GW, which will have to contributed by rooftop solar systems, does not have any strict quality control system.
Worse, it was suggested, India is woefully short of “skilled technicians and non-standard installation processes” for producing rooftop solar power, and the country would require at least 13 lakh technicians by 2022 in order to achieve the target of 100 GW it has set for itself. There is, however, no data on the number of technical manpower existing for solar power as of today.
This was particularly highlighted by the BJP government’s political appointee, IM Bhavsar, chairman, Gujarat Energy Development Agency, the state agency promoting renewable energy issues, and L Chuaungo, principal secretary, energy, Government of Gujarat.
While both “specifically focused on developing teaching capacity of the instructors of the rooftop solar installers”, a note issued by the Ahmedabad-based PR agency Simulations for the GERMI workship, said, the two “dignitaries”, underlining the importance of renewable energy, insisted that there is an “urgent need for skilled manpower for meeting the substantial national targets.”
Eighteen personnel from Maharashtra, Gujarat, West Bengal, Haryana, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, New Delhi and Goa attended the workshop. Those attended represented mainly industry bodies such as Pathfinder Ventures India, Grey Batter, Amba Township, Tata Power Co Ltd, Ichamati Society for Human Welfare and Relations, Gujarat Institute of Solar Energy, Bergen Group, and Australian Premium Solar.
The note added, “While the large-scale grid connected solar power projects have strict quality requirements, the rooftop segment currently lacks the stringent quality”, which is the “the need of the hour for administrators, project developers, industries and a young job-seeking workforce.”
Titled “Train the Trainer Workshop for Rooftop Solar Photovoltaic Installers”, the workshop worked out a 12-point programme, aimed at setting up over 100 partnering training centres across the country, so that these training centers can further train 10,000 rooftop solar technicians and entrepreneurs each year.
The note does not say how 10,000 technicians would be able to fulfill the target of 13 lakh technicians needed across the country, nor does it point towards how many technicians are there in the country today for rooftop power.
“Through the training workshop, GERMI wants to develop a network of centres across the country to connect the latest solar technologies and standards to the remotest locations of India”, the note said, claiming, “The Train the Trainer workshop incorporates comprehensive educational elements including technical concepts, design, installation and maintenance.”
“In addition”, the workshop said, “The workshop also stressed on imparting the knowledge of entrepreneurship and soft skills. The classroom sessions will be supplemented with extensive hands-on activities.”
It added, “The programme is also in line with the recently launched Gujarat Solar Policy 2015, wherein it aims at 10,000 MW of solar systems, both ground-mounted and rooftop. In this policy Gujarat has announced a net-metering scheme for rooftop solar consumers.”

Comments

Gram sabha as reformer: Mandla’s quiet challenge to the liquor economy

By Raj Kumar Sinha* This year, the Union Ministry of Panchayati Raj is organising a two-day PESA Mahotsav in Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh, on 23–24 December 2025. The event marks the passage of the Panchayats (Extension to Scheduled Areas) Act, 1996 (PESA), enacted by Parliament on 24 December 1996 to establish self-governance in Fifth Schedule areas. Scheduled Areas are those notified by the President of India under Article 244(1) read with the Fifth Schedule of the Constitution, which provides for a distinct framework of governance recognising the autonomy of tribal regions. At present, Fifth Schedule areas exist in ten states: Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha, Rajasthan and Telangana. The PESA Act, 1996 empowers Gram Sabhas—the village assemblies—as the foundation of self-rule in these areas. Among the many powers devolved to them is the authority to take decisions on local matters, including the regulation...

MG-NREGA: A global model still waiting to be fully implemented

By Bharat Dogra When the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MG-NREGA) was introduced in India nearly two decades ago, it drew worldwide attention. The reason was evident. At a time when states across much of the world were retreating from responsibility for livelihoods and welfare, the world’s second most populous country—with nearly two-thirds of its people living in rural or semi-rural areas—committed itself to guaranteeing 100 days of employment a year to its rural population.

Policy changes in rural employment scheme and the politics of nomenclature

By N.S. Venkataraman* The Government of India has introduced a revised rural employment programme by fine-tuning the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), which has been in operation for nearly two decades. The MGNREGA scheme guarantees 100 days of employment annually to rural households and has primarily benefited populations in rural areas. The revised programme has been named VB-G RAM–G (Viksit Bharat Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission – Gramin). The government has stated that the revised scheme incorporates several structural changes, including an increase in guaranteed employment from 100 to 125 days, modifications in the financing pattern, provisions to strengthen unemployment allowances, and penalties for delays in wage payments. Given the extent of these changes, the government has argued that a new name is required to distinguish the revised programme from the existing MGNREGA framework. As has been witnessed in recent years, the introdu...

A comrade in culture and controversy: Yao Wenyuan’s revolutionary legacy

By Harsh Thakor* This year marks two important anniversaries in Chinese revolutionary history—the 20th death anniversary of Yao Wenyuan, and the 50th anniversary of his seminal essay "On the Social Basis of the Lin Biao Anti-Party Clique". These milestones invite reflection on the man whose pen ignited the first sparks of the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution and whose sharp ideological interventions left an indelible imprint on the political and cultural landscape of socialist China.

Swami Vivekananda's views on caste and sexuality were 'painfully' regressive

By Bhaskar Sur* Swami Vivekananda now belongs more to the modern Hindu mythology than reality. It makes a daunting job to discover the real human being who knew unemployment, humiliation of losing a teaching job for 'incompetence', longed in vain for the bliss of a happy conjugal life only to suffer the consequent frustration.

Concerns raised over move to rename MGNREGA, critics call it politically motivated

By A Representative Concerns have been raised over the Union government’s reported move to rename the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), with critics describing it as a politically motivated step rather than an administrative reform. They argue that the proposed change undermines the legacy of Mahatma Gandhi and seeks to appropriate credit for a programme whose relevance has been repeatedly demonstrated, particularly during times of crisis.

Rollback of right to work? VB–GRAM G Bill 'dilutes' statutory employment guarantee

By A Representative The Right to Food Campaign has strongly condemned the passage of the Viksit Bharat – Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) (VB–GRAM G) Bill, 2025, describing it as a major rollback of workers’ rights and a fundamental dilution of the statutory Right to Work guaranteed under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA). In a statement, the Campaign termed the repeal of MGNREGA a “dark day for workers’ rights” and accused the government of converting a legally enforceable, demand-based employment guarantee into a centralised, discretionary welfare scheme.

Making rigid distinctions between Indian and foreign 'historically untenable'

By A Representative Oral historian, filmmaker and cultural conservationist Sohail Hashmi has said that everyday practices related to attire, food and architecture in India reflect long histories of interaction and adaptation rather than rigid or exclusionary ideas of identity. He was speaking at a webinar organised by the Indian History Forum (IHF).

India’s Halal economy 'faces an uncertain future' under the new food Bill

By Syed Ali Mujtaba* The proposed Food Safety and Standards (Amendment) Bill, 2025 marks a decisive shift in India’s food regulation landscape by seeking to place Halal certification exclusively under government control while criminalising all private Halal certification bodies. Although the Bill claims to promote “transparency” and “standardisation,” its structure and implications raise serious concerns about religious freedom, economic marginalisation, and the systematic dismantling of a long-established, Muslim-led Halal ecosystem in India.

Search This Blog