NITI Aayog Member Abhay Karandikar has said that India must urgently reassess its green finance frameworks and invest in developing a robust nuclear workforce to achieve its ambitious target of 100 gigawatt (GW) nuclear capacity by 2047. He emphasized that policy reforms and capacity building are critical to unlocking private and global investment in the nuclear sector.
India's sovereign green bond, RBI green deposit, and SEBI green debt securities frameworks currently exclude nuclear energy, he said while calling for their review to enable nuclear access to green finance, echoing global shifts by institutions like the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank (ADB).
He also highlighted the urgent need to develop specialised nuclear education and skills, noting that NITI Aayog has set up a committee to chart a roadmap for capacity building at all levels. He said strong talent is essential for sustainable sectoral growth. India has 25 operational nuclear reactors spread across seven sites, with a total capacity of about 8.8 GW. With projects underway and new reactors planned, capacity is projected to reach nearly 22 GW by 2032.
