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Govt looks at revising coal stock rules to address fuel shortage

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Coal-mining

In an attempt to address the issue of coal shortage being faced by certain thermal power stations, the government is looking at easing coal stock rules to allow diversion of fuel to stations having critical level of stocks.

At a review meeting of thermal power plants, Union Power Minister R.K. Singh asked the power secretary to look at the possibility of reducing the benchmark of 14 days of coal stocks to 10 days for identifying and diverting coal to plants with extremely depleted stocks.

Once implemented, this could address the issues of a number of thermal plants having critical level of coal supplies while others functioning with adequate or excess coal stocks. Lower coal stocks at certain plants had impacted power generation in the last few months.

The Power Minister also desired the ministry to hold a separate review of power plants with captive mines to ensure maximum use of these mines by the power plants.

He also urged the ministry officials to look more into blending imported and indigenous coal for better economics for the plants, in case importing was the requirement for such plants.

The minister pointed out that rising demand for energy augurs well for the economy. He told the officials that energy demand is likely to rise, which will need to be factored in as they address the current constraints.

The issues came up during the minister’s review meeting on Friday with the representatives from the Ministry of Power, Ministry of Coal, Central Electricity Authority (CEA), Railways and power PSUs.

Taking a detailed review of the coal stock position at the individual thermal power plants, Singh directed the officials to work in a co-ordinated manner to streamline the stock and supply of coal, in anticipation of the rising energy demand.

Singh also reviewed the day-wise status of power requirement and withdrawal from the grid state-wise. He also reviewed the status of coal stocks and hydro power generation.

Business

India’s rooftop solar energy capacity to reach 25-30 GW by FY27

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New Delhi, April 15: India’s rooftop solar energy capacity is projected to surge from 17 GW to an estimated 25–30 GW between FY25 and FY27, a report showed on Tuesday.

The expansion is driven by India’s broader energy transition goals, with solar power emerging as a central pillar in the country’s clean energy roadmap.

With a total renewable capacity of 220 GW as of FY25 and a national target of 300 GW solar capacity by 2030, rooftop solar, particularly in the commercial and industrial (C&I) segment, is expected to play a pivotal role in this growth, according to the report by CareEdge Ratings.

As of FY25, India’s rooftop solar capacity stood at 17.02 GW, and increasing awareness among businesses about reducing operating costs and meeting sustainability targets is fuelling adoption.

Government incentives, reducing technology costs, and policy support such as net metering and PLI schemes are expected to further accelerate deployment.

Overall, the FY27 projection underscores a transformative phase for India’s solar industry, setting the foundation for sustained expansion through the end of the decade.

“Rooftop solar installations in India have gained momentum. With the growing C&I demand backed by an improving policy ecosystem, we expect the market to reach nearly 25-30 GW over the next two years,” said Tanvi Shah, Director at CareEdge Advisory and Research.

The PM Surya Ghar Muft Bijli Yojana, aimed at installing rooftop solar in 1 crore households with subsidies up to Rs 78,000, is expected to provide strong support to residential adoption. The scheme not only supports low and middle-income households by reducing their electricity bills but also aims to create nearly 17 lakh jobs, boosting the solar value chain.

Recently, rooftop solar initiative has achieved a historic milestone with 10 lakh installations as of March 10, 2025.

Gujarat remains a leader due to its progressive “Surya Gujarat” programme, while Maharashtra has seen strong commercial and industrial demand, especially from MSMEs and urban commercial hubs.

“The rooftop solar segment which currently holds around 20 per cent share of India’s solar mix is gaining importance due to its distributed nature and direct consumer engagement. This is despite utility-scale solar being the dominant contributor,” said the report.

The growth of rooftop solar market in India has witnessed accelerated growth in the recent years. With strong policy backing, falling costs, and growing consumer interest, it is set to emerge as a key pillar in India’s renewable energy transition, said the report.

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Ghulam Nabi Azad dissolves all committees of his party in J&K

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Srinagar, April 14: Former Chief Minister and Chairman of Democratic Azad Party (DAP), Ghulam Nabi Azad on Monday dissolved all state, province, district and block level committees of his party.

Bashir Arif, secretary to Gulam Nabi Azad, said the DAP chairman has dissolved all state, province, district and block level committees, and the reconstitution will take place in due course.

Ghulam Nabi Azad parted ways with the Congress party, with which he remained associated for over 40 years.

He was the Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha as a Congress MP in 2014, and after his term of office ended, he announced that he was parting ways with the Congress that had become a ‘family driven affair’ for the mother and son.

He launched the Democratic Azad Party (DAP) from Jammu and Kashmir on September 26, 2022, saying “it will not be autocratic, but democratic”.

“The DAP will be based on the principles of democracy. It will not be influenced by any outside leader or other party. It will have independent thinking and will stay independent in its decisions. It will not be autocratic and power will not be in one hand,” Azad said on the party’s launch day.

He quit Congress on August 26, 2022, after over four decades of association, following differences with the party high command.

However, none of the leaders from the G23, a rebel group within the Congress, was present at the party launch. He had suggested launching a national-level party rather than a regional party.

DAP fought the J&K Assembly elections last year, but could not manage to win a single seat in the 90-member Legislative Assembly.

After the complete defeat in the Assembly elections, many leaders of Azad’s party left the party to rejoin Congress.

Prominent among them are Taj Mohiuddin and some other former ministers in the Congress rule in J&K.

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Business

SEBI warns of securities market frauds via YouTube, Facebook, X and more

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Mumbai, April 12: Alarmed at frauds related to securities market on various social media platforms, capital markets regulator SEBI has issued an advisory for investors to exercise caution and due diligence to verify the genuineness of social media handles of SEBI-registered entities while accessing them.

SEBI noticed an increase in frauds related to securities market on various social media platforms such as YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, X (previously Twitter), WhatsApp, Telegram, Google Play Store and Apple Store, etc.

“With increasing adoption of digital communication platforms, it is observed that scamsters are enticing victims by giving trading calls in the name of providing education. They also provide misleading or deceptive testimonials, promise or guarantee of assured or risk-free return etc. through various social media platforms,” according to a SEBI statement.

SEBI noticed unregistered investment advisory services being provided by entities that falsely claim to be registered intermediaries with SEBI or by showcasing fake certificates purportedly issued by the regulator.

It also observed impersonation of SEBI-registered entities by fraudulent trading platforms, WhatsApp, Telegram channels which deceptively claim or suggest affiliation with SEBI-registered entity claiming to provide assured or risk-free return.

“Scamsters are enticing gullible investors by claiming that they provide exclusive services on their platform (fake trading/advisory apps) facilitating securities trading that allow the subscriber to enjoy preferential services with regard to trade and share price — institutional trading account, IPOs at discounted price, block trade at discounted price and sure shot allocation of IPO,” said SEBI.

Also, misleading and manipulative contents have been designed by scamsters to entice investors to join private chat groups or channels on WhatsApp/Telegram, through fraudulent ads/posts on various social media platforms.

“Investors are advised to exercise caution and due diligence to verify the genuineness of social media handles of SEBI registered entities while accessing them,” the regulator noted.

Further, while investing in securities market, investors are advised to deal with only SEBI-registered intermediaries and authentic trading apps, it added.

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