NEW DELHI, October 17 — NITI Aayog unveiled the comprehensive State Energy and Climate Index (SECI 2.0) on Saturday, benchmarking Indian States and Union Territories across clean energy transition, distribution grid efficiency, and decarbonisation readiness.
The composite index evaluates sub-national performance across six pivotal pillars: DISCOM Performance and Financial Health, Access, Affordability & Reliability of Power, Clean Energy Initiatives, Energy Efficiency, Environmental Sustainability, and New Strategic Initiatives. In the 'Larger States' category, Gujarat, Kerala, and Tamil Nadu secured the top three positions, while Goa topped the 'Smaller States' cohort and Chandigarh led among Union Territories.
NITI Aayog leadership stressed that SECI 2.0 harnesses cooperative and competitive federalism to steer regional distribution utilities toward smart prepayment metering, lowering aggregate technical and commercial (AT&C) losses below 12%, and accelerating compliance with statutory Renewable Purchase Obligations (RPO).
The constitutional and policy mandate of NITI Aayog (constituted on January 1, 2015, replacing the Planning Commission), key benchmarking publications (SDG India Index, Export Preparedness Index, India Innovation Index), and the role of the Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE) under the Energy Conservation Act 2001 are foundational for UPSC GS-II and GS-III papers.