Two recent developments have brought India’s reliance on fossil fuel into sharp focus. The Russia-Ukraine conflict and the consequent surge in crude oil prices roiled the economy. Separately, the most recent IPCC report on climate highlighted the energy sector’s large contribution to global warming. Both these developments need to be located in the context of India’s pledge to get to net zero carbon emissions by 2070. Meeting this pledge requires an overhaul of both the logistics and electricity sectors to reduce reliance on fossil fuels. Transitioning to renewables in energy is an important part of the solution. Within renewables, solar energy has been lavished with policy support. However, it won’t be enough to meet the targets. Anil Kakodkar, former chairman of Atomic Energy Commission, had written that India can’t meet its net-zero commitment without nuclear power. He’s right. It is an area where India was off to an early start, developed relatively high indigenous capabilities in relation to other sectors, but subsequently let the ball drop. Today, nuclear power contributes a mere 3% of the total electricity generated, and has a capacity of 6780 MW. After the early euphoria of the India-United States civil nuclear deal, progress has been disappointing. The deal did open the pathway to a stable supply of uranium ore from Kazakhstan and Canada. However, the design of the subsequent bill on civil liability for nuclear damage killed the prospect of participation of Western firms. India’s main partner today is Russia, which side stepped the bill through inter-governmental agreements.

What is the central idea in the passage as conveyed by the author?

Correct Answer: india needs to increase use of nuclear power.

Step-by-Step Explanation:

Step 1: Analyze the passage content and main argument
The passage discusses India's dependence on fossil fuels in light of recent events such as the Russia-Ukraine conflict and climate change reports from the IPCC. It emphasizes India's pledge to reach net-zero carbon emissions by 2070 and notes that while solar energy receives strong policy support, it alone is not sufficient.

Step 2: Identify the core proposal made by the author
The passage explicitly quotes Anil Kakodkar stating that "India can’t meet its net-zero commitment without nuclear power" and the author directly agrees with this by stating, "He’s right." The author further explains that nuclear energy currently contributes only 3% of India's electricity and highlights the need to overcome past stagnation in this sector.

Step 3: Evaluate the options
- Option 1 ("india needs to increase use of nuclear power."): This directly aligns with the main point and author's explicit stance that nuclear power is indispensable for achieving net-zero emissions.
- Option 2 ("india needs to increase production of fossil fuels."): Incorrect, as the passage stresses reducing reliance on fossil fuels.
- Option 3 ("india needs to enter into multilateral agreements addressing use of nuclear power."): Incorrect, as civil nuclear agreements/bills are mentioned as background context rather than the main goal.
- Option 4 ("Nuclear energy is a renewable source of power."): Incorrect, as this is a factual misclassification and not the central idea conveyed by the text.

Therefore, the central idea of the passage is that India needs to increase use of nuclear power.