Indigenous technological capability is central to India's green energy transition. Discuss with examples from the transport sector.

Transport accounts for a large share of India's fossil-fuel demand and emissions. Building this capability at home—rather than importing green technology—is decisive for affordability, energy security and the Atmanirbhar Bharat vision underpinning India's net-zero-by-2070 pledge.

Why indigenous capability is central

• Energy security: domestic green-tech cuts crude imports; the National Green Hydrogen Mission targets ~₹1 lakh crore of import substitution and ~50 MMT/annum CO₂ cut by 2030 [1].
• Cost & scale: local manufacturing lowers unit costs and enables mass deployment, backed by the SIGHT programme's electrolyser incentives (₹19,744 crore outlay, FY24–30) [1].
• Strategic autonomy: control over IP positions India as a green-hydrogen export hub, not a technology importer [1].

Transport-sector examples

• India's first indigenous hydrogen fuel-cell train (10-car, 2×1200 kW), launched on the Jind–Sonipat section, emits only water vapour; part of "Hydrogen for Heritage" (35 trains) [2].
• Green hydrogen is produced via electrolysis at an indigenous Jind plant—India's largest railway H₂ refuelling facility [2].
• Complementary rollouts: the KPIT-CSIR hydrogen bus (Pune) and a hydrogen passenger vessel at Varanasi [2].

Challenges

• High electrolyser and fuel-cell costs, hydrogen storage/safety hurdles, and pilot-scale (75 kmph, short routes) deployment still short of commercial maturity [2].

Indigenous innovation, when coupled with policy support like NGHM, converts imported dependence into home-grown capability. Sustaining R&D, private participation and skilling can scale these pilots into a decarbonised transport backbone—advancing both Panchamrit commitments and SDG-7 (affordable clean energy).