Daily Newspaper Notes: March 7, 2026

India’s Greenhouse Gas Emissions Trend And Renewable Energy Impact

Global Emissions Trends Across Sectors

• Among ten major emitting sectors, the largest increase in emissions came from fossil fuel operations.
• Emissions also increased in transportation, manufacturing, and buildings.
• The power sector, the largest source of global emissions, recorded a slight decline in emissions.
• Expansion of renewable power and electric vehicles is contributing to declining emissions in some regions.

Power Sector Emissions: Global and India

• The power sector accounts for about 26% of total global greenhouse gas emissions.
• Global power-sector emissions declined by 0.13% (20.31 MtCO₂e) in 2025, the first drop since the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Much of the global reduction was linked to declines in electricity-generation emissions in India and China.

India’s Power Sector Emissions

• India’s power sector emissions fell by 2.6% in 2025, the first decline since 2020.
• The decline occurred despite rising electricity demand and economic growth.
• Rapid expansion of renewable energy capacity helped moderate emissions from electricity generation.

Emissions Trend in India and China

• Between 2015 and 2024:
  • China’s power-sector emissions increased 53.7%.
  • India’s power-sector emissions increased 34.6%.
• In 2025, both countries recorded a decline in power-sector emissions.
• The shift indicates that growing renewable energy deployment is beginning to offset emissions growth, even as electricity consumption increases.

Overall Emissions Trend in India

• Despite declining power-sector emissions, India’s total emissions increased slightly in late 2025.
• In December 2025, emissions rose 4.77 million tonnes CO₂e (1.34%) compared to December 2024.

Localised Emission Changes in Industrial Clusters

• Some industrial hubs recorded sharp increases in emissions:
  • Butibori (Maharashtra)
  • Yamunanagar (Haryana)
• Mettur (Tamil Nadu) recorded one of the largest declines in emissions globally.

Revision Of India’s GDP Series And Key Implications

Concept of Gross Domestic Product (GDP)

• GDP represents the market value of all final goods and services produced within India’s geographical boundaries.
• It measures the size of the economy.
• A larger GDP generally indicates greater economic prosperity.

Need for Revision in GDP Series

• GDP estimates require periodic revision due to changes in prices and consumption patterns.
• Revisions help provide a more accurate representation of the economy.
• MoSPI periodically updates GDP estimates and introduces new base years to reflect structural changes.

New Base Year for GDP Calculation

• The new GDP series adopts 2022–23 as the base year.
• MoSPI has released updated GDP estimates for subsequent years and will release estimates for the year preceding the base year later.

Impact on the Estimated Size of the Economy

• The revised series estimates a smaller size of the Indian economy than previously calculated.
• For 2022–23, GDP is now estimated at ₹261 lakh crore, compared to the earlier estimate of ₹269 lakh crore.
• For the current financial year, GDP is estimated at ₹345 lakh crore, instead of the earlier ₹357 lakh crore.

Impact on Per Capita Income

• Per capita income is calculated by dividing GDP by population.
• According to earlier estimates, the average annual income in 2025–26 was about ₹2,51,393.
• Revised estimates place the average annual income at ₹2,43,180, equivalent to ₹20,265 per month.

Implications for the $5 Trillion Economy Target

• For international comparison, GDP measured in rupees is converted into US dollars using the exchange rate.
• The revised estimates show India’s GDP at about $3.9 trillion in 2025–26, assuming an average exchange rate of ₹88 per dollar.
• Earlier estimates had placed India’s GDP above $4 trillion in the same year.
• The revision indicates that India is further away from the $5 trillion economy target, initially set for 2024.

Care Economy And Women-led Development In India

Women as Drivers of Development

• Women are increasingly contributing to national progress across sectors including governance, workforce participation, and grassroots leadership.
• Policy approaches emphasise women-led development rather than welfare-based frameworks.
• Women’s contributions span both formal sectors and domestic spaces such as homes, farms, and communities.

Role of the Care Economy

• The care economy refers to unpaid and under-recognised labour involved in caregiving within families and communities.
• Care work includes responsibilities such as childcare, elderly care, and household support.
• This labour has historically remained unmeasured, despite sustaining families, communities, and the broader economy.
• Policy focus is emerging on recognising and strengthening care work as part of inclusive growth.

Trends in Women’s Workforce Participation

• India’s Female Labour Force Participation Rate (FLFPR) increased from 23.3% in 2017–18 to 41.7% in 2023–24.
• Greater workforce participation combined with stronger care services can expand opportunities for women.

Policy Measures to Strengthen the Care Ecosystem

• Budget 2026–27 includes increased investments to strengthen the care economy.
• The Gender Budget crossed ₹5 lakh crore for the first time.
• Key initiatives include:
  • Skilling 1.5 lakh caregivers.
  • Expansion of working women’s hostels.
  • Upgrading anganwadi centres for early childhood care.
  • Strengthening convergence across health and nutrition systems.

Legal and Institutional Support

• Legal reforms are aimed at improving worker welfare and childcare support:
  • Code on Social Security.
  • Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code.
• These reforms strengthen crèche facilities and worker welfare provisions.

Changing Social Structures and Care Needs
• Urbanisation, migration, and nuclear family structures are transforming traditional support systems.
• This shift increases the need for accessible, affordable and quality childcare and family services.

Developmental Importance of the Care Economy

• Investment in the care economy contributes to multiple national priorities:
  • Enhancing women’s workforce participation.
  • Supporting child development.
  • Improving elderly wellbeing.
  • Creating dignified employment opportunities.

Ethical AI And Women’s Digital Safety

Rising Digital Threats to Women

• Increased internet accessibility has led to greater exposure of women to online harassment and abuse.
• Around 16%–58% of women have faced online harassment and abuse.
• Abuse against women increasingly extends beyond physical spaces into digital platforms.
• Online anonymity and deep integration of technology into daily life make doxxing, harassment, and abuse harder to prevent.

Deepfakes and AI-enabled Abuse

• Deepfakes are digitally altered images, audio, or videos created using AI that falsely depict individuals as saying or doing something they never did.
• AI tools are being used to generate non-consensual sexualised images of women.
• Online anonymity and AI-enabled tools can weaken traditional social restraints on unacceptable behaviour.

Gender Gap in AI Development

• Lack of women’s representation in AI development is a key concern for digital safety.
• According to UN Women, many deepfake tools built predominantly by men rarely function on images of men.
• According to the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP):
  • Women constitute 22% of AI professionals.
  • Less than 14% hold senior-level roles in AI.

Policy and Regulatory Measures

• Stronger legal frameworks and prompt investigations are considered essential to address unethical AI use.
• Indian legislation attempts to address online abuse, though implementation challenges remain.
• A notification by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) directs online intermediaries to:
  • Remove deepfake content within three hours after receiving a takedown notice.

Importance of Diversity in AI Development

• Limited participation of women in AI design leads to less diverse perspectives in technological innovation.
• Research suggests that greater diversity in AI development teams improves effectiveness and applicability of AI systems.
• Increased participation of women researchers can integrate women’s lived experiences into AI design, potentially leading to safer digital environments.

Digital Safety Education

• As one in three internet users are children, early digital literacy and safety awareness are essential.
• Children and young adults need education on digital abuse and AI misuse similar to awareness about physical and sexual abuse.

Women Farmers, Land Rights And Nutrition In India’s Agri-Food Systems

Women’s Land Ownership and Legal Recognition

• Legal reforms granting equal inheritance rights to daughters have not fully translated into outcomes on the ground.
• In many rural households, land and property remain registered in men’s names.
• Factors limiting women’s land ownership include:
  • Patrilineal inheritance practices
  • Social norms
  • Limited legal awareness
  • Administrative hurdles
• Women who manage farm operations often lack the legal standing provided by land titles.

Institutional Barriers Faced by Women Farmers

• Without formal recognition as farmers, women face barriers in accessing:
  • Institutional credit
  • Crop insurance
  • Irrigation schemes
  • Agricultural extension services
  • Climate-resilient technologies
  • Government programmes requiring asset documentation

• Eligibility criteria linked to asset ownership often exclude women.

Feminisation of Agriculture

• Migration of men from rural areas is increasing the “feminisation” of agriculture.
• Women increasingly handle:
  • Cultivation activities
  • Agricultural risk management
  • Household food provisioning
• However, lack of labour-saving technologies and care support systems increases work burdens.

Health and Nutrition Challenges

• High agricultural workloads and limited resources expose women to health problems and micronutrient deficiencies.
• India continues to face high levels of malnutrition among women and girls.
• Anaemia among women of reproductive age remains persistently high.

Intergenerational Impact

• Maternal undernutrition and anaemia contribute to:
  • Low birth weight
  • Child stunting
  • Impaired development
• Diets in many rural households remain cereal-heavy and low in pulses, fruits, vegetables and animal-source foods.

Right to Food Framework in India

• India has implemented a right-to-food framework anchored in the National Food Security Act (NFSA).
• The framework provides:
  • Subsidised cereals
  • Supplementary nutrition for pregnant and lactating women and young children
  • Maternity entitlements

• Some States have introduced millets, fortified foods and local food items into nutrition programmes.
• Despite these measures, improvements in women’s nutrition remain uneven, and anaemia levels remain concerning.

Structural Issues in Food and Nutrition Systems

• Public Distribution System (PDS) transfers remain largely cereal-centric.
• Integration of pulses, millets and nutrient-dense foods is uneven.
• Programme delivery faces constraints such as:
  • Overburdened frontline workers
  • Limited community awareness
  • Digitalisation barriers for individuals lacking connectivity, documentation or digital skills.