Book on energy and growth, edited by LG Jung, launched

Outlining the contents of the book, Jung said, “This book honours Vijay Kelkar, whose contribution to the hydrocarbon sector in India continues to influence academics and practitioners associated with the energy sector.”

Padma Vibhushan awardee Vijay Kelkar too was present on the occasion. He said, “It is a very important work to understand the hydrocarbon sector and today, more than ever, one needs a deep understanding of this sector… I am sure this book will help us do that.”

The book, published by Oxford University Press, covers a wide range of global energy debates, such as trends in oil markets, oil diplomacy, political economy of reforms, environmental concerns, interaction between macroeconomic policies and the energy sector, technology challenges, and innovations in oil industry, among others.

Ansari spoke about the importance of the debate on energy in the Indian and global context.

“This (the book) is a solid compendium and covers a whole gamut of issues which makes it an extremely valuable volume,” Ansari said. The book, which was written over three-and-a-half years, is divided into four sections. These are Economics of Energy and Economic Growth, International Oil: National and Global Context, India’s Energy Security and Natural Gas in India’s Energy Basket and Policy Debates. It also includes essays written by Daniel Yergin, Bill Gammell, Afsaneh Beschloss and R K Pachauri, among others.

Jung said, “I believe that the incisive essays on the vast issues ranging from the politics of oil and gas, energy, security, international issues, pricing, and the challenges for the future will add value to the existing knowledge on hydrocarbons, both for practitioners and for researchers on the energy sector.”