Examine the role of the National Green Hydrogen Mission in India's energy transition and transport sector decarbonisation.

Launched in January 2023 by the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy with a ₹19,744 crore outlay, the National Green Hydrogen Mission (NGHM) seeks to make India a global hub for green hydrogen—produced via electrolysis using renewable power [1]. It is central to India's pledge of net-zero by 2070 and to decarbonising hard-to-abate sectors like transport.

Role in energy transition

• Renewable scale-up: targets 5 MMT green hydrogen annually by 2030, adding ~125 GW renewable capacity, deepening the clean-energy base [1].
• Import substitution: displaces fossil-fuel and ammonia imports, strengthening energy security and the Aatmanirbhar Bharat goal [1].
• Industrial decarbonisation: enables green feedstock for refining, steel and fertiliser via the SIGHT incentive programme [1].

Role in transport decarbonisation

• Zero-emission mobility: pilot funds under NGHM support fuel-cell transport; India's first hydrogen train (Jind–Sonipat, 89 km, ~2,600 capacity) was flagged off on 17 July 2026, emitting only water vapour [2][3].
• Non-electrified routes: hydrogen traction replaces diesel where overhead electrification is unviable—heritage and hill lines under "Hydrogen for Heritage" (35 trains) [4].
• Ecosystem creation: on-site electrolysis plants and India's largest rail refuelling facility at Jind demonstrate integrated supply chains [3].

Challenges: high initial production and running costs, storage/safety concerns, and technology dependence temper near-term scaling [3].

NGHM thus anchors India's twin goals of energy sovereignty and low-carbon transport. Sustained cost reduction, domestic electrolyser manufacturing and demand aggregation can convert these pilots into a scalable decarbonisation pathway, advancing SDG-7 and SDG-13.