Why green hydrogen presents both major opportunities, significant challenges

• The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) recently unveiled a Rs-496-crore (2025-26) program to fund pilot projects that build safe supporting infrastructure, such refueling stations, or evaluate the viability of using green hydrogen as a car fuel.

Objecive of MNRE scheme

(i) validation of technical feasibility and performance of green hydrogen as a transportation fuel

(ii) evaluation of the economic viability of green hydrogen-powered vehicles

(iii) demonstration of safe operation of hydrogen-powered vehicles and refuelling stations.

About Green , Blue and grey hydrogen

• The importance of hydrogen-fueled automobiles, especially those with internal combustion engines (ICEs) and fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs)
• Zero Carbon Emissions: When operating, FCEVs and hydrogen-fueled internal combustion engines both emit zero carbon dioxide.
• Energy Efficiency: FCEVs still offer high energy efficiency when compared to traditional internal combustion engine vehicles, especially those powered by fossil fuels like diesel and petrol. However, research suggests that burning hydrogen in an ICE vehicle may be less energy-efficient than using it in a fuel cell.
• Clean Energy Production: A variety of renewable energy sources, including solar, wind, and hydroelectric power, can be used to manufacture hydrogen.
• Lightweight and Greater Payload Capacity: Because hydrogen and the fuel cell stack are less heavy than EV batteries, hydrogen fuel cell electric cars (FCEVs) often weigh less than battery electric vehicles (BEVs).
• Applications for Long-haul Freight: Studies show that long-haul FCEVs can transport loads of freight comparable to those of diesel trucks, however BEVs may be heavier than FCEVs.
• Diversification of Energy Sources: Vehicles powered by hydrogen are a practical substitute for battery-electric vehicles, thereby offering a greater variety of energy sources for transportation.

Challenges

• Difficulties with Storage and Transportation: It is important to create specialized cylinders that can securely store high-pressure green hydrogen. Compressed natural gas (CNG) cylinders that are currently in use are not appropriate for storing hydrogen.
• Fuel Prices and Infrastructure: The higher fuel costs and the requirement for infrastructure development, such as hydrogen refueling stations, make it difficult for green hydrogen-powered vehicles to compete with battery electric vehicles (BEVs). The high expense of setting up and maintaining infrastructure for hydrogen refueling prevents hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs) from being widely used.
• Safety Concerns: Because hydrogen burns easily, handling and storing the fuel at filling stations requires strict safety regulations and procedures.

Green hydrogen provides energy efficiency, zero emissions, and a variety of energy sources for mobility. Nevertheless, despite MNRE’s support program, obstacles including storage, infrastructure costs, and safety concerns prevent wider use.

Implementing Universal Health Coverage

Many nations hope to adopt Universal Health Coverage (UHC) on the eve of World Health Day (7 April), following India’s 2017 introduction of its National Health Policy. Nevertheless, there are obstacles to its implementation in India as well.

Context:

• The UN General Assembly unanimously adopted a resolution on December 12, 2012, pushing nations to move more quickly toward universal health coverage.
• In 2011, the Planning Commission received a report from a high-level expert committee informing them of the government’s intention to raise public financing for health to 2.5 percent of GDP in the country’s 12th Plan (2012–17).

What are the challenges in the Implementation of UHC in India?

• Federal Issue: In India, health is a state responsibility, although a national UHC policy is planned. Coordination between the federal government and state governments may become difficult as a result.
• The right to health is based on the Directive Principles of State Policy, but it may be difficult to ensure consistent and enforceable healthcare rights in the absence of an explicit constitutional provision.
• The population of migrants and urban slums: Because of problems including overcrowding, inadequate sanitation, and inadequate infrastructure, a considerable section of the population in urban slums struggles to get primary health care.

Suggestive Measures:

• Taking Care of the Medical Needs of Urban Migrants: Setting up mobile clinics or healthcare units that may travel to migrant groups in urban and peri-urban areas and offer basic medical care.
• Minimizing Out-of-Pocket Expense: Encouraging simple reimbursement for medical expenses by streamlining the reimbursement process through the digitization of healthcare payment systems and their integration with mobile banking platforms or government identity.
• Building Systems of Inclusive Health: To enable accessibility for a varied metropolitan population, bilingual and culturally relevant health information materials and services are being introduced.
• Establishing community health centers or clinics in urban and peri-urban regions manned by qualified community health workers capable of offering basic medical services and referrals is known as the implementation of community-based primary healthcare.

RBI to launch Mobile App for Retail Direct scheme

• To make it easier for individual investors to participate in government securities, the RBI has chosen to launch a mobile app for its RBI individual Direct program.

The Retail Direct Scheme: What Is It?

• November 2021 saw the launch of the Retail Direct Scheme, which allowed individual investors to purchase government securities and keep gilt accounts with the RBI.
• Investors can purchase Treasury bills, federal and state government bonds, and more with this app.
• Investors can purchase securities through the Negotiated Dealing System-Order Matching system (NDS-OM) platform and during primary auctions.
• A Gilt Account is similar to a bank account, but instead of receiving payments or credits from cash, it receives payments in the form of government securities or treasury bills.

How does it operate?

• Small investors can purchase or sell government securities (G-Secs), sometimes known as bonds, directly through the program, bypassing middlemen like mutual funds.
• Nonetheless, income from G-Secs is subject to the same tax laws.
• A bid must be at least ₹10,000, and anything beyond that must be in multiples of ₹10,000.
• Payments can be made via UPI or Net banking.

Advantages of RDS

• Since the government is the borrower, there is no default risk because the funds are guaranteed by the government.
• Additionally, depending on current interest rate patterns, government assets may offer higher interest rates than bank fixed deposits.

How can individuals access G-Sec offerings?

• Investors can use the web portal created specifically for the plan to open a Retail Direct Gilt account directly with the RBI.
• Upon successful activation of the account via a password supplied to the user’s mobile device, investors will have the ability to purchase securities through either the primary or secondary market.