Development of Green Cities in Madhya Pradesh

• 17 May 2025

Why in News? 

The Madhya Pradesh government has launched a scheme to develop major historical, religious and tourist cities of the state as  “Green Cities”. 

Key Points 

• About the Scheme:  
  • This scheme has been brought under the guidelines of Renewable Energy Policy 2025. 
  • The Department of Renewable Energy, State Government and the concerned municipal bodies will be responsible for its implementation. 
  • The aim of the scheme is to develop 10 major cities of Madhya Pradesh as model green cities for environmental protection and clean energy in the next two years. 
  • Historical and religious cities like Maheshwar, Chanderi, Mandu, Orchha, Amarkantak, Bhimbetka, Omkareshwar and Chitrakoot will be included in the scheme. 
  • The government has started this initiative as a pilot project from Sanchi and Khajuraho. 
• Use of Green Energy: 
  • 75% of the electricity in these cities will be supplied from solar and other renewable energy sources. 
  • Green energy will be used in religious places, schools, Anganwadis, health centres and government institutions. 
• Key Features: 
  • All street lights will be solar powered. 
  • Solar lanterns will be provided to hawkers and vendors. 
  • Incentives and assistance for large consumers (above 6 kW) to adopt solar energy. 
  • Solar rooftop will be mandatory in multi-storey buildings. 
  • Electric vehicles will be promoted and 50% of the energy in their charging stations will be derived from renewable sources. 
  • Promotion of biogas plants and community solar farming. 
• Importance: 
  • This scheme will reduce pollution and carbon emissions will decrease due to the use of green energy. 
  • Increasing use of renewable energy will strengthen the energy security of the state. 
  • These places will become clean and energy efficient, which will increase the attraction of tourists. 
  • This scheme will strengthen the sustainable development and clean energy goals of Madhya Pradesh. 
    

 Renewable Energy 

• This is the energy that depends on natural sources. It includes various types of solar energy, geothermal energy, wind, tides, water and biomass. 
• It is noteworthy that it can never end and is constantly renewed. 
• Renewable energy resources are spread over a much wider area than conventional sources of energy (which are present in a very limited area of the world) and can be easily available to all countries. 
• These are not only environmental friendly but also have many economic benefits associated with them. 

Electric Vehicles (EVs) 

• Introduction: Electric vehicles are vehicles that use one or more electric motors for propulsion instead of a conventional internal combustion engine (ICE) powered by petrol or diesel . 
  • Although the concept of electric vehicles has existed for a long time, there has been widespread interest in them in the last decade due to the increasing carbon emissions and other environmental impacts of fuel-based vehicles. 
• Type: 
  • Battery Electric Vehicles (BEVs): These rely entirely on battery power for propulsion and produce zero tailpipe emissions. 
  • Plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEV) : These have a gasoline engine along with an electric motor. They can be charged externally and run on battery power for a limited distance, while the gasoline engine can be used for longer trips. 
  • Hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs): These use both an electric motor and a gasoline engine, but the battery cannot be directly plugged in and charged. 
    • The battery is charged through the gasoline engine or regenerative braking.