2.1 Comparative Policy Analysis Framework and Document Corpus
This methodological framework establishes a multi-level comparative policy analysis designed to evaluate spatial inequalities across Indian energy transition initiatives. The research synthesises national policy directives, sub-national developmental plans, and capital allocation frameworks governing clean energy deployment and fossil asset phase-down. Primary analytical protocols categorise the institutional mechanisms that distribute federal resources between renewable-rich territories and legacy mining basins. By integrating the evaluative approaches outlined in renewable energy policy assessments (Policy and Economics of Renewable Energy in India, 2025), the methodology traces capital allocation trends across solar, storage, and green hydrogen projects while systematically identifying market, fiscal, and grid infrastructure barriers. Furthermore, this research design incorporates spatial vulnerability metrics to assess how concentrated fossil dependencies exacerbate regional lock-in dynamics across primary coal-producing jurisdictions (Pai et al., 2022). Document analysis operates across two distinct analytical streams: the institutional architecture governing the National Green Hydrogen Mission and the socio-economic adjustment instruments available to resource-dependent sub-national economies. Comparative scoring matrices assess policy coherence, fiscal transfer mechanisms, and industrial diversification strategies across selected sub-national clusters. Through qualitative document mapping and comparative cross-jurisdictional profiling, the analytical architecture evaluates whether current federal investment criteria perpetuate historical carbon lock-ins or establish genuine pathways toward spatial equity. By triangulating national policy targets against regional infrastructure readiness and institutional capacity, this methodological scheme provides a rigorous, replicable basis for evaluating distributive justice within long-term decarbonisation trajectories.