NITI Aayog Launches Version 2.0 of the India Energy Dashboards

NITI Aayog, the policy think tank of the Government of India, has launched Version 2.0 of the India Energy Dashboards (IED).

NITI Aayog, the policy think tank of the Government of India with the aim to achieve sustainable development goals, has launched Version 2.0 of the India Energy Dashboards (IED). The IED is an endeavour to provide single-window access to the energy data for the country.

The new version of the IED was launched by Dr. Rajiv Kumar (Vice Chairman, NITI Aayog), Dr. V K Saraswat (Member, NITI Aayog), Amitabh Kant (CEO, NITI Aayog), and Dr. Rakesh Sarwal (Additional Secretary, NITI Aayog). Secretaries from the Ministry of Coal, the Ministry of Power, the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, and the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) also attended the launch event. 

Amitabh Kant, CEO, NITI Aayog, promulgated the need for a one-stop destination for the energy data of the country. “The goal is to turn data into information, and information into insights to inspire those in a position to make a difference. We are moving slowly into an era where big data is the starting point, not the end. So, the IED will continue to evolve and be a pillar around which robust energy decisions are taken in India.”

The India Energy Dashboards (IED) is an endeavour to provide single-window access to the energy data for the country, where the energy data published/provided by Central Electricity Authority (CEA), Coal Controller’s Organisation, and Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas is compiled in the Dashboards. The first version of the IED was launched by NITI Aayog in 2017. 

The key features of the enhanced version, India Energy Dashboards Version 2.0, are –

• The IED provides time-series data from FY 2005-06 until FY 2019-20;
• Enhanced data download – It enables easy downloading of data into convenient spreadsheet formats in a cleaner, more intuitive way;
• IED provides data at sub-yearly frequencies as well. This includes monthly data and API-linked data from some portals maintained by the government agencies. The monthly data is sourced from the monthly reports that are regularly published for the electricity, petroleum and natural gas sectors. API linked data from Saubhagya, UJALA, PRAAPTI, and Vidyut PRAVAH have been incorporated in the portal;
• A ‘Feedback and Suggestions’ forum for the engagement of energy data user community has been incorporated;
• A semi-automated workflow/ issue-tracking system for managing periodic updates to the IED. The workflow system performs basic checks and data validation, helping to avoid incorrect data entry;
• Addition of technical and financial data of electricity utilities available from the regulatory documents in the state of Maharashtra. Regulatory data specifically for the area served by the state-owned distribution utility – MSEDCL has been added. The Dashboards will include other states’ data in the future.

Dr. Rajiv Kumar, Vice Chairman, NITI Aayog, while launching the IED stated “IED is an endeavour to establish a central energy database of the country. With the rise of renewables and many other new energy technologies, the interplays between energy supply and demand sectors are now becoming increasingly critical. The scenario building exercise is the key as we need to seize today’s opportunities to build a sustainable tomorrow.”