Legislator driven action on Community Green Energy Zones

A high-impact Legislators’ Roundtable on Community Green Energy Zones (CGEZs) was held in Bhopal on Tuesday 5 August. It reaffirmed Madhya Pradesh’s strong political will to lead India’s energy transition.

Chaired by the Hon Minister of New and Renewable Energy, Shri. Rakesh Shukla and convened by the Hon Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA), Smt. Riti Pathak, the Climate Parliament brought together around 25 progressive MLAs, senior government officials and experts from the public and private sectors to explore actionable opportunities under the CGEZ framework for sustainable, inclusive development.

The roundtable featured dialogues on four flagship State initiatives forming the core pillars of CGEZs:

• Pradhan Mantri-Kisan Urja Suraksha Evam Mahautthan- solarising agriculture to support farmers, enhance productivity and reduce diesel dependence.

• Pradham Mantri  Electric Drive- promoting electric mobility including public and goods transport.

• Micro Small and Medium Enterprises Motor Efficiency- modernising small-scale industries to improve energy efficiency.

• Building Energy Efficiency- scaling affordable and sustainable building infrastructure across urban and rural areas.

Each of these themes demonstrated strong interest from the bipartisan network of Madhya Pradesh MLAs representing constituencies from across the state, who committed to taking forward actionable strategies in their constituencies. Legislators have the unique position as local leaders and enablers and the Hon Convener Smt. Pathak emphasised their potential to:

• Build awareness on the economic and health benefits of clean energy.

• Partner with industry and civil society to implement pilot projects.

• Mobilise local resources and government schemes effectively.

• Lead community engagement on initiatives like decentralised solarization and rural EV adoption.

Attending MLAs advocated for more frequent knowledge-sharing forums and technology demonstrations to remain updated and push for rapid on the ground adoption. Several noted the transformative potential of CGEZs in addressing development gaps, particularly in underserved regions.

Experts from Rotomag Pumps, IBoard EV Trucks, International Copper Alliance, TERI’s Solarisation of Agriculture Project and CII-Green Building Centre presented pragmatic, scalable solutions tailored for Madhya Pradesh’s geography and demography. Their inputs energised the discussion around raising incomes and job creation, productivity enhancement and climate resilience through localised energy transition.

The Hon Minister, Shri Rakesh Shukla reaffirmed the government’s full commitment and outlined the Chief Minister’s visionary roadmap for sustainable development. He emphasised that “MLAs are critical partners in this journey, grounding the energy transition in local realities and aspirations.”

A highlight was the presentation by the Dr Shashi Ratnaker Singh from the Cambridge India Research Foundation affiliated with the University of Cambridge. He outlined a long-term, community-sensitive sustainability model for Singrauli, a region historically reliant on coal. His presentation highlighted the need to explore these models to ensure just transition pathways that protect community livelihoods as coal-based economies approach end-of-life.

The roundtable concluded with the participating MLAs expressing their strong desire to collaborate with the Climate Parliament in designing and advocating community green energy zones to support constituency-specific initiatives under energy reforms and energy-efficient construction. Legislators endorsed the idea of serving as trusted guides, connecting technological innovation with grassroots action.

This roundtable marked a key moment for Madhya Pradesh, positioning its elected representatives at the forefront of a people-centric energy transition and reaffirms the state’s potential to be a national pioneer in the clean energy movement.