UPSC Prelims Practice Questions — India Achieves Landmark 300 GW Non-Fossil Fuel Power Capacity

Q1. Of the five 'Panchamrit' pledges announced by India at COP26, which one is framed as a reduction in the absolute volume of emissions rather than as an intensity, share or capacity target?

  • A. Reducing the carbon intensity of the economy by 45 per cent over 2005 levels
  • B. Reducing total projected carbon emissions by one billion tonnes
  • C. Meeting the entire energy requirement of the economy from renewable sources
  • D. Reaching 500 GW of installed capacity from non-fossil energy sources

Q2. By how many percentage points did India's Updated NDC communicated to the UNFCCC raise its emissions-intensity reduction target, as compared with the upper end of the range pledged in its first NDC of 2015?

  • A. 5 percentage points
  • B. 10 percentage points
  • C. 12 percentage points
  • D. 15 percentage points

Q3. Consider the following pairs of milestone and the time at which India attained it: 1. Non-fossil sources reaching 40 per cent of installed electricity capacity — November 2021 2. Non-fossil sources reaching 50 per cent of installed electricity capacity — June 2025 3. Non-fossil installed capacity crossing 250 GW — August 2025 4. Installed solar power capacity crossing 100 GW — March 2025 Which of the above pairs is/are correctly matched?

  1. Non-fossil sources reaching 40 per cent of installed electricity capacity — November 2021
  2. Non-fossil sources reaching 50 per cent of installed electricity capacity — June 2025
  3. Non-fossil installed capacity crossing 250 GW — August 2025
  4. Installed solar power capacity crossing 100 GW — March 2025
  • A. 1 and 4 only
  • B. 2, 3 and 4 only
  • C. 1, 2 and 3 only
  • D. 1, 2, 3 and 4

Q4. How much capacity from non-fossil fuel based sources was added in India during the financial year 2025-26, the highest such annual addition recorded so far?

  • A. About 17.04 GW
  • B. About 34.98 GW
  • C. About 55.29 GW
  • D. About 44.51 GW

Q5. The Union Cabinet decision of 2019 that reclassified hydropower projects above 25 MW as renewable energy sources and created a Hydro Power Purchase Obligation was taken on the proposal of which one of the following?

  • A. Ministry of Power
  • B. Ministry of New and Renewable Energy
  • C. Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change
  • D. Ministry of Jal Shakti

Q6. Which one of the following is responsible for communicating India's Nationally Determined Contribution to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change?

  • A. Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, which administers the 500 GW non-fossil capacity target
  • B. Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, which also hosts the National Clean Air Programme
  • C. Ministry of External Affairs, which negotiates India's multilateral treaty commitments
  • D. NITI Aayog, which frames India's long-term low-carbon development strategy