Abstract:
As a large percentage of the world's poor come from India, development in India is a key issue, the eradication
of poverty is the foundation of the planning process for the economy. Accelerated growth is often the vehicle to
eliminate poverty, and adequate energy is central to India’s growth strategies. There is an increasing
recognition of the importance of access to clean and reliable energy for poverty alleviation but energy has
always been a terrain of struggle, with practices of energy usage, distribution and production shaped by
ongoing processes of social and political contestation, in this paper I have talked about empowering women
through policies and enabling economic opportunities. Efforts towards sustainable energy delivery must be
intensified and accelerated at the national, local and regional levels. A number of small-scale solutions that
simultaneously increase women’s opportunities need to be identified, creating a deliberately woman-centred
direct sales network to bring the breakthrough potential of clean energy technology to every nook and corner
of India. I conclude the paper with; there isn’t ideal policy, but that balancing efficiency and equity suggests
policies that encourage an energy democracy, where communities can actively address the impact of their
energy needs by being decision makers and owners of efficiency and renewable generation efforts. Current
barriers limit true energy democracy. But if we work together to find solutions that support all of us, we can
build a just and more sustainable future.
