Modernize and coal in the same sentence already seem oxymoronic to me.
Exactly. Put another way: the US emits over 9 times as much carbon dioxide per capita as India does. (The EU is better, but not by much - nearly four times as much carbon per capita as India).
When the India is already emitting 33% less carbon per capita than the EU despite having a population that's nearly three times as large, it's a bit silly to place the burden for global climate impact on a country that's already doing so well despite struggling to keep the lights on in many towns (literally).
I remember in college my professor was telling me about villages in Siberia where they mined asbestos. Even decades after every industrialized country had stopped using it, they were still mining it since it was the only way the village could survive.
Sometimes survival is more important then saving the environment to some people.
The Indian Prime Minister made it clear in COP21 summit that India is looking towards moving away from fossil fuels to clean energy. You can read his full speech here: http://blogs.wsj.com/indiarealtime/2015/12/01/narendra-modis...
I'll quote the relevant parts:
"Democratic India must grow rapidly to meet the aspirations of 1.25 billion people, 300 million of whom are without access to energy.
We are determined to do so, guided by our ancient belief that people and planet are inseparable; that human well being and Nature are indivisible.
So, we have set ambitious targets. By 2030, we will reduce emissions by 33 to 35% per cent of 2005 levels, and 40 per cent of our installed capacity will be from our non- fossil fuels.
We will achieve it by expanding renewable energy – for, example, by adding 175 Gigawatts of renewable generation by 2022. We will enlarge our forest cover to absorb at least 2.5 billion tonnes worth of carbon dioxide.
We are reducing dependence on fossil fuel through levies and reduction in subsidies; switching sources of fuel where possible; and, transforming cities and public transportation."