changeadminIn a written reply to a question in the lower house of the Indian Parliament, Lok Sabha, the minister of state for Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Mr Kirti Vardhan Singh laid out the schemes that address climate change in India.
The Government has notified a set of legislative regulatory and administrative measures, aimed at the preservation, conservation and protection of the environment and the prevention, control and abatement of pollution.
The Ministry of Environment Forest & Climate Change (MoEFCC) has been designated as the nodal ministry in the Union Government to oversee the implementation of India’s environmental and forest policies and programmes including climate change.
The Ministry has launched various schemes, aimed at the preservation, conservation and protection of the environment, forests and prevention, control and abatement of pollution.
These schemes are at various stages of their implementation and include umbrella schemes on environmental knowledge and capacity building; national coastal management programme; environment education, awareness, research and skill development; control of pollution; national mission for a green India, integrated development of wildlife habitat; conservation of natural resources and ecosystem, the impact of some of which is given below:
Air Pollution
The National Clean Air Programme (NCAP) launched in 2019 covers 130 cities in 24 States and Union Territories (UTs) to improve air quality, with up to 40% reduction in particulate matter by 2025-26 from 2017-18.
A ‘PRANA’ portal has been launched to update the air quality data in real-time.
Circular Economy
A regulatory framework for circular economy in various waste streams has been notified.
The producers have been mandated to get under an extended producer responsibility regime. Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) rules have been notified for plastic waste, tyre waste, battery waste, used oil waste and e-waste to enhance circularity in the economy and help manage the wastes in an environmentally sound manner.
Mangrove Protection
The ‘Mangrove Initiative for Shoreline Habitats & Tangible Incomes (MISHTI)’ was launched on 5th June 2024 to restore and promote mangroves as a unique, natural ecosystem and to preserve and enhance the sustainability of the coastal habitats.
The objective of the MISHTI is to ‘restore mangrove forests’ by undertaking mangrove reforestation/afforestation measures along the coast of India. Approximately 22,561 Hectares of Degraded Mangroves have been restored in 13 States and UTs and Rs. 17.96 Crore has been released for the restoration of 3,836 hectares in 6 States and UTs.
Sustainable Lifestyle
The Mission LiFE (Lifestyle for Environment) is a global initiative launched by India in October 2022 aimed at fostering sustainable lifestyles through mindful and deliberate consumption to protect the environment.
The initiative focuses on seven core themes: saving water, conserving energy, reducing waste, managing e-waste, eliminating single-use plastics, promoting sustainable food systems, and adopting healthy lifestyles.
In alignment with the ‘LiFE’, MoEFCC notified the Eco-mark Rules on 26th September 2024. The scheme will encourage the demand for environment-friendly products aligning with the principles of ‘LiFE’, and promote lower energy consumption, resource efficiency and circular economy. The scheme seeks to ensure accurate labelling and prevent misleading information about products.
Green Cover
The National Afforestation and Eco-development Board (NAEB) is implementing the Nagar Van Yojana which envisages developing 600 Nagar Vans (Urban Forests) and 400 Nagar Vatikas (Urban Gardens) in the country during the period from 2020-21 to 2026-27 to significantly enhance the trees outside forests and green cover, enhancement of biodiversity and ecological benefits to the urban and peri-urban areas apart from improving quality of life of city dwellers.
On ‘World Environment Day’ celebrated on 5th June 2024, the Prime Minister launched the campaign ‘Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam (# Plant4Mother)’, exhorting people to plant trees as a mark of love and respect for one’s own Mother and for protecting and preserving the Mother Earth.
To promote the campaign Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam, MoEFCC has reached out to central government ministries, departments, state governments, institutions and organizations to ensure the plantation of 140 crore trees by March 2025. As of January 2025, 109 crore saplings have been planted.
Forest Cover and Wildlife
The number of Protected Areas in the country, which stood at 745 in the year 2014 has risen to 1022. This accounts for 5.43% of the country’s total geographic area. There has been a substantial increase in the establishment of Community Reserves. The number of Community Reserves in the country has increased from 43 in the year 2014 to 220 as of date.
Apart from the protected areas, the country also has 57 Tiger Reserves notified under the Wild Life (Protection) Act, of 1972 with the prime focus on the conservation of tigers and their habitat. States have also declared 33 elephant reserves to provide safer habitats for the elephants.
Since 2014, 59 wetlands have been added to the list of ‘Ramsar’ sites, taking the tally to 89 in the country covering an area of 1.35 million ha.
India boasts the largest ‘Ramsar site network in Asia and the 3rd largest in the world in terms of number of sites. Besides, Udaipur and Indore have been recently included in the list of Wetland Accredited Cities under the Wetland City Accreditation Scheme implemented under the Ramsar Convention.
As per the All India Tiger Estimation 2022 report, the estimated tiger population in India is 3,682, which accounts for 70% of the wild tiger population of the World. The area under the tiger reserve network is now 82,836.45 sq km, which is roughly 2.5% of the total geographical area of the country.
Climate Action Strategy
India’s climate action is guided by its updated Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC) and the long-term strategy to reach net zero by 2070 and it cuts across various sectors of the economy.
The National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC) provides the overarching framework for all climate actions and comprises missions in specific areas of solar energy, enhanced energy efficiency, sustainable habitat, water, sustaining Himalayan ecosystems, Green India, sustainable agriculture, human health and strategic knowledge for climate change.
All these Missions are institutionalized and implemented by their respective Nodal Ministries and Departments. The MoEFCC has implemented the Central Sector Schemes namely, Climate Change Action Programme (CCAP) and the National Adaptation Fund for Climate Change (NAFCC) assisting in efforts of the Government to combat climate change.
As a result of these interventions, India has progressively continued decoupling economic growth from GHG emissions. Between 2005 and 2020, India’s emission intensity of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) reduced by 36%.
By October 2024, the share of non-fossil sources in the installed electricity generation capacity was 46.52%. The total installed capacity of renewable power, including large hydropower, is 203.22 GW, and cumulative renewable power installed capacity (excluding large hydro projects) has increased 4.5 times from 35 GW in March 2014 to 156.25 GW.
India’s forest and tree cover has consistently increased and currently stands at 25.17% of the total geographical area of the country. From 2005 to 2021, an additional carbon sink of 2.29 billion tonnes of CO2 equivalent has been created.
Despite India’s very low contribution to historical emissions and the current levels of global emissions, India has taken several climate actions to reflect equity and the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities and respective capabilities in the light of different national circumstances and in the context of sustainable development and efforts to eradicate poverty, as enshrined in the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and its Paris Agreement.
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