Parliament Question: Impacts of climate change in Bihar

OIH GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE RAJYA SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 4377 TO BE ANSWERED ON 02.04.2026 Impacts of climate change in Bihar 4377. DR. BHIM SINGH: Will the Minister of ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE be pleased to state: (a) the details of studies conducted/action plans formulated to assess the impact of climate change, such as floods, droughts, heatwaves, unpredictable rainfall and crop losses in Bihar during the last five years and the details of projects sanctioned and expenditure incurred under the State Action Plans on Climate Change (SAPCC); and (b) the details of concrete outcomes achieved through these initiatives in strengthening the adaptive capacity of farmers, urban populations and disaster-prone districts in the State and the reasons for not achieving expected progress along with a time-bound future roadmap in this regard? ANSWER MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE (SHRI KIRTI VARDHAN SINGH) (a) and (b) According to the Third National Communication submitted to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), an assessment of the vulnerability of India’s districts was carried out in 2020 as “Climate Vulnerability Assessment for Adaptation Planning in India Using a Common Framework” under the aegis of the Department of Science and Technology (DST). The Ministry of Science and Technology, Govt. of India, has established the State Climate Change Cell (SCCC) in Bihar under one of the missions of the National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC) - National Mission on Strategic Knowledge on Climate Change (NMSKCC). The SCCC, Bihar assists the state in carrying out vulnerability and risk assessments, conducting human capacity-building programmes, public awareness programmes, and institutional capacity-building, and implementing actions selected for sustainable development by the state as part of their State Action Plans. Aligned with the National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC), the Government of Bihar has prepared the State Action Plan on Climate Change (SAPCC). The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Govt. of India, has provided financial assistance for the preparation 1of SAPCC for the State of Bihar. The state governments are expected to allocate resources for implementing the SAPCC within their plan outlay for the respective sectors, in convergence with relevant schemes and programmes of the respective states, as well as of the Government of India. Under one of the missions of NAPCC, i.e., the National Mission for Sustainable Agriculture (NMSA), several schemes including Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana, National Innovations in Climate Resilient Agriculture (NICRA), etc have been initiated to promote sustainable agricultural practices. Under National Adaptation Fund for Climate Change, the Government of Bihar is implementing a project titled “Scaling up Climate Smart Agriculture (CSA) through Mainstreaming Climate Smart Villages (CSVs) in Bihar” in eight districts of the State, namely, Bhagalpur, Darbhanga, Katihar, Munger, Nalanda, Patna, Purnea, and Samastipur. The objective of the project is to improve the adaptive capacity of rural communities to climate change through enhancing the portfolios of climate-resilient agriculture interventions in the targeted villages of Bihar. Outcomes of the climate-resilient initiatives include increase in wheat yields by 14–21%; reduction in irrigation water use by 25% and increase in tomato yield by 21%; increase in bajra yield by 28%; increase in paddy yield by 23% (flood-tolerant) and 25% (drought-tolerant); and increase in yield by 17–22% through direct seeded rice; increase in potato yield by 25%; and increase in net returns by 16% through improved makhana variety. Further, as per the Government of Bihar, 43 projects with central assistance of Rs. 924.40 Crore have been completed under the Flood Management Programme (FMP) component of the Flood Management and Border Areas Programme (FMBAP) Scheme, which have provided protection to 28.84 Lakh Ha of land & benefited a population of 226.45 Lakh. Under the River Management Activities and Works related to Border Areas (RMBA) component of the FMBAP Scheme, 100% central assistance of Rs. 812.41 Crore has been released to the Government of Bihar. The Ministry of Jal Shakti, the Central Water Commission (CWC) monitors riverine floods at hydrological stations and issues forecasts to the concerned state Government at identified locations & Dams/Barrages respectively. The CWC maintains 43 Flood Forecasting stations in Bihar. The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) has developed national guidelines on heatwave management, which laid the foundation for decentralized Heat Action Plans (HAPs). Heat Action Plans (HAPs) in 23 States, including Bihar, that are prone to heatwave conditions, were jointly implemented by the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) in collaboration with State Governments. Bihar Mausam Seva Kendra (BMSK) Society has been established under Planning and Development Department, Govt. of Bihar. BMSK provides localised weather forecasts, climate information, and disaster warnings for Bihar, using advanced GIS technology and a monitoring network to help farmers, disaster management, and the public to make informed decisions, ensuring safety and promoting climate resilience through timely, sector-specific advisories via mobile apps like "Mausam Bihar". *** 2