Energy and Resources Institute (TERI), in association with the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE), Government of India, organised a strategic closed-door workshop on accelerating Decentralised Renewable Energy (DRE) for livelihood enhancement at Atal Akshaya Urja Bhawan, New Delhi.
TERI’s Lighting a Billion Lives (LaBL) 2.0 initiative with national programmes such as PM-KUSUM, PM Surya Ghar and the Model Solar Village Programme. The session began with context-setting remarks by Dr Jeevan Kumar Jethani, Senior Director, MNRE, followed by a special address by Dr Vibha Dhawan, Director General, TERI, who outlined TERI’s vision to move beyond energy access towards livelihood-centric outcomes through decentralised clean energy solutions.
Shri Santosh Kumar Sarangi, Secretary, MNRE, delivered the keynote address, highlighting the growing role of distributed renewable energy in powering livelihoods and strengthening India’s energy transition through flagship government initiatives.
A detailed presentation on the vision and strategic pillars of LaBL 2.0 was made by Dr Amit Kumar Thakur, Associate Director, TERI, followed by the screening of the LaBL 2.0 teaser, signalling MNRE’s endorsement of the programme. Shri Mayank Tewari, Additional Secretary, MNRE, emphasised the government’s commitment to scaling decentralised solutions through focused pilot initiatives.
Workshop concluded with a technical panel discussion on Advancing Decentralised Clean Energy for Livelihoods, moderated by Shri Dipankar Saharia, Senior Director, TERI, with participation from policymakers, academics, PSUs and philanthropic organisations. Dr Mini Govindan, Senior Fellow, TERI, shared insights on an upcoming policy paper to be released at the World Sustainable Development Summit (WSDS) 2026. Closing remarks and a vote of thanks were delivered by Dr Jethani, MNRE.
