Parliament Question: Climate change and India’s preparedness

OIH GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE RAJYA SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 4389 TO BE ANSWERED ON 02.04.2026 Climate change and India’s preparedness 4389. DR. SANDEEP KUMAR PATHAK: Will the Minister of ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE be pleased to state: (a) the details of the concrete steps taken by the Ministry to address climate change induced challenges such as increasing extreme heat, floods, droughts, cyclones and air pollution in the country, year wise; (b) whether sufficient financial, technical and institutional support is being provided to the States for adaptation and mitigation measures under the National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC), the details thereof; and (c) if so, the number of projects sanctioned along with the quantum of funds allocated and outcomes achieved during the last three years, State-wise and year-wise? ANSWER MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE (SHRI KIRTI VARDHAN SINGH) (a) to (c) The Government of India stands committed to address the challenges related to environment and climate change. India’s climate action is guided by its Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC) and the long-term strategy to reach net-zero by 2070 and it cuts across various sectors of the economy. Further, the Long-Term Low Emission Development Strategy outlines India’s long-term pathways for low-emission development. India’s LT-LEDS involves seven key strategic transitions, namely: (i) Low carbon development of electricity systems consistent with development; (ii) Developing an integrated, efficient, inclusive low-carbon transport system; (iii) Promoting adaptation in urban design, energy and material-efficiency in buildings, and sustainable urbanisation; (iv) Promoting economy-wide decoupling of growth from emissions and development of an efficient, innovative low-emission industrial system; (v) CO2 removal and related engineering solutions; (vi) Enhancing Forest and vegetation cover consistent with socio-economic and ecological considerations; and (vii) Economic and financial aspects of low-carbon development and Long-Term Transition to Net-Zero by 2070. The Government of India recognizes that adaptation is inevitable and imperative for its development process and it has undertaken several efforts to increasingly mainstream adaptation efforts while furthering developmental requirements through a range of schemes/ projects/ programmes to improve adaptive capacities and reducing socioeconomic vulnerabilities of the people. The India’s Initial Adaptation Communication submitted to 1UNFCCC in December 2023 provides an account of country’s adaptation actions across different sectors of the economy. The National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC) provides the overarching framework for all climate actions including mitigation and adaptation and comprises of nine 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 the respective Nodal Ministries/Departments. To support the objectives of NAPCC, 34 States and UTs have prepared their SAPCCs to address State specific actions. MoEFCC provides one-time financial support for the preparation and revision of the State Action Plans on Climate Change (SAPCC). The State Governments are expected to allocate the resources for implementing the SAPCC in their plan outlay for the respective sectors in convergence with relevant schemes and programmes of the respective States, as well as of Government of India. Additionally, MoEFCC has supported projects under the National Adaptation Fund for Climate Change (NAFCC) assisting in combating climate change. Under NAFCC, 30 projects were sanctioned, targeting sectors like forest management, agriculture, water conservation, coastal resource management, etc. These projects have enhanced the resilience of natural resource– dependent communities and vulnerable groups to the adverse impacts of climate change by supporting livelihood diversification and strengthening income sources as key adaptation measures. Additionally, these projects have contributed to the reclamation of degraded landscapes and conservation of biodiversity, thereby restoring essential ecosystem services, while also strengthening awareness and ownership of climate adaptation and risk reduction processes at both community and institutional levels. Details of the funds released in the last three years for the implementation of projects in States/UTs under NAFCC are given in the Appendix. ***** 2Appendix DETAILS OF THE FUNDS RELEASED IN THE LAST THREE YEARS FOR THE IMPLEMENTATION OF PROJECTS IN STATES/UTS UNDER NAFCC For implementation of projects in (Amount in Rupees) Financial the States/UTs Funds Released to NABARD Year Puducherry 34,634,141 Tamil Nadu (SCSP) 29,753,206 Jammu & Kashmir 27,579,085 2022-23 Telangana 73,205,845 Nagaland 13,345,000 Arunachal Pradesh (NER) 30,935,929 Total 209,453,206 2023-24 NIL 0 2024-25 Chhattisgarh 1,93,00,000 Assam 1,93,00,000 Assam 14,70,18,183 Rajasthan Regional Project 2,88,64,056 Rajasthan Regional Project 8,65,92,169 Arunachal Pradesh 5,87,13,960 Jharkhand 4,40,00,000 Nagaland 1,49,86,894 2025-26 Telangana 71,701,457 Maharashtra Regional Project 9,50,32,840 Bihar 1,27,18,489 Maharashtra 5,59,64,714 Tamil Nadu 12,61,29,677 Jammu and Kashmir 2,10,82,583 Telangana Regional Project 10,13,86,999 Total 88,34,92,021 Grand Total 111,22,45,227 **** 3