Union Minister Goyal Highlights India’s Climate Leadership

Union Minister of Commerce & Industry, Piyush Goyal delivered the keynote address at the ‘Advancing Resilience with Climate Change’ dialogue in New Delhi today, highlighting India’s emergence as a global leader in climate action, its strong performance in achieving Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDCs), rapid expansion of renewable energy capacity, and ongoing global economic engagements with multiple countries and regions.

He stated that India is among the best performing countries globally in achieving its INDCs, consistently ranking among the top 1–3 countries in the G20, and noted that the country met its renewable energy goals eight years ahead of schedule, with 260 gigawatts already achieved. He recalled that when the government assumed office in 2014, the earlier plan was for 20 gigawatts of solar capacity over 9–10 years, which was scaled up to 100 gigawatts under Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi’s direction and achieved within time. India has now set an ambitious target of 500 gigawatts of clean energy capacity by 2030.

He mentioned that extensive planning, including around 29 studies on renewable energy scenarios, helped guide infrastructure and capacity decisions. Reflecting on his own learning experience despite not having an engineering background, he acknowledged inputs from experts and institutions, including suggestions to engage with programmes related to clean energy.

Concluding his address, Shri Goyal invoked the principle of trusteeship, recalling that humanity holds the planet in trust for future generations. He emphasized that climate justice, equity, and inter-generational responsibility require collective consciousness and action from governments, businesses, and citizens alike. (UPDATED ON 29TH APRIL 2026)