India, Jan. 30 -- Indian Railways (IR) needs to be lauded for pushing towards 'greening' through a variety of initiatives. Among these, 100% electrification of the railway network is one. As of October 2024, about 97% of the route network is electrified. While there are detractors, my view is that the policy of 100% electrification is visionary.

Electrification of the railways is the need of the hour, primarily to reduce the impact of climate change. India is committed to reducing emissions by 45% by 2030 and achieving net zero by 2070. Towards this, there is a National Electric Mobility Mission Plan (NEMMP), which sets targets for the road sector but expects all modes of transport to push in this direction. The mantra for future mobilit...