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RAS question

India's total installed power capacity (approximate):

Correct answer: (C) Over 400 GW (as of 2023).

India's total installed power generation capacity was over 400 GW, at about 428 GW as on 31 December 2023.

  1. (A)

    200 GW

  2. (B)

    50 GW

  3. (C)

    Over 400 GW (as of 2023)

  4. (D)

    100 GW

Explanation

India's installed power capacity is not a low double-digit or near-100 GW figure; it had crossed the 400 GW mark by 2023. The PIB release, citing the Union Minister for Power and New and Renewable Energy's Lok Sabha reply, gives the all-India installed capacity of power generation as 428,299.27 MW on 31 December 2023. Since 1 GW equals 1,000 MW, this is about 428 GW, making 'Over 400 GW' the correct option. For RAS, power capacity is usually read along with India's energy mix: thermal remains the major component, while renewables, including hydro, form a large and growing share.

Why the other options are wrong

  • (A) 200 GW is far below the PIB figure of 428,299.27 MW, or about 428 GW, for 31 December 2023.
  • (B) 50 GW understates India's installed power capacity by a very large margin; the official figure was already over 400 GW in 2023.
  • (D) 100 GW is only about one-fourth of the official installed capacity reported for 31 December 2023, so it cannot be the approximate national total.

Concept

This tests Indian economic geography through the power sector, especially installed capacity and source mix. It recurs in RAS because electricity capacity links infrastructure, energy security, renewable transition and industrial development.

Source

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