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Plan panel for revamping National Action Plan on climate change
-The Economic Times

With carbon markets at an all time low and prospects of international long-term finance dim, the Planning Commission has suggested reworking the Rs 23,000 crore National Action Plan on climate change. It has reduced the number of missions and refocused them in line with "priorities".

In 2008, the government had laid out a national strategy that would address India's development concerns and the challenges that climate change would present. The National Action on Climate Change comprising eight missions was presented as framework to deal challenges of mitigation or reducing emission intensity of the economy and adapting to the adverse consequences of climate change. The eight missions covered issues such as solar energy, energy efficiency, habitat, agriculture, water, Himalayan ecosystems, forestry and strategic knowledge.

Nearly five years later, the progress on many of these missions has been slow. In some cases, nodal ministries are yet to fully assess costs. The preliminary estimate for implementing the eight missions is Rs 23,000 crore. However, budgetary allocations for most of these mission, has been far from adequate. The government now acknowledged, "funds of this magnitude cannot be mobilized through budgetary resources alone."

Dim prospects for international finance, along with a realization that for a mission to succeed "it must separable objectives, dedicated implementation machinery and adequate funding" has led the Planning Commission to rework the National Action Plan. In an effort to ensure the Action Plan achieves effective results, the eight missions have been regorganised with "updated priorities".

Not only has the list been shortened, there will seven instead of eight missions, and some of the missions, which have cross-cutting purpose, have been redesignated as policy thrust areas. Sources in the environment ministry indicated that while not averse to the idea of streamlining the National Action Plan, the decision to do so lay solely with the Prime Minister's Council on Climate Change. "The Planning Commission has to consult the Council, and that has not happened," a senior official said. There is also some concern about the bias towards mitigation, at the cost of dealing with the challenge of adaptation.

The national water mission, which aimed at conservation of water, minimizing wastage and ensuring more equitable distribution has been dropped. Given that the issue of water is larger than climate change, it has been suggested that these have been addressed in a holistic manner in the new national Water Policy. The Planning Commission has suggested merging this mission into the proposed national programme for sustainable management of water resources, which will be launched in the Twelfth Plan.

The strategic knowledge mission has also been dropped. The Plan panel is of the view that this mission is likely to "remain peripheral and is not likely to attract adequate funding through this window". Instead it has suggested mainstreaming the development of green technology and research into programmes of the scientific departments and ministries.

For the Sustainable Habitat Mission, the Plan document suggests pruning as the overarching objectives "are out of proportion to the limited funding that is available". Issues like solid waste management are already being funded through a separate central mission, Jawaharlal Nehru Urban Renewal Mission. However, since the issues covered by the mission like solid waste management, shift to public transport are important, these will be adopted as policy thrusts.

The Planning Commission has suggested a separate mission for wind energy. It has suggested seven policy thrust areas which will be monitored by the Prime Minister's Council, these include advanced coal technologies, technology improvements in steel and cement industry, solid waste management in towns and cities, treatment of sewage being released into water bodies, dedicated freight corridors along major routes, improving urban and non-motorised transport, and climate related research through scientific departments.