National Action Plan on Climate Change

The National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC) is a government document that includes eight ambitious goals set for the country to achieve. It was launched in 2008.

The 8 missions forms the core of the plan, representing multi-pronged, long termed and integrated strategies for achieving goals in the context of climate change. The 8 missions are:

1. National Solar Mission (NSM): Great importance has been given to the National Solar Mission in the NAPCC. The objective of the mission is to increase the share of solar energy in the total energy mix of the country, while also expanding the scope of other renewable sources.
2. National Mission for Enhanced Energy Efficiency (NMEEE): Here the government aims at promoting initiatives to promote energy efficiency via promoting innovation, mandating specific energy consumption, giving tax incentives, etc.
3. National Mission on Sustainable Habitat (NMSH): The aim of the Mission is to make habitats more sustainable through a threefold approach that includes: Improvements in energy efficiency of buildings in residential and commercial sector, Management of Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) and Promoting urban public transport.
4. National Water Mission (NWM): The National Water Mission aims at conserving water, minimizing wastage and ensuring more equitable distribution through integrated water resource management.
5. National Mission for Sustaining the Himalayan Ecosystem (NMSHE): The Plan calls for empowering local communities especially Panchayats to play a greater role in managing ecological resources.
6. National Mission for a Green India (NMGI): This Mission aims at enhancing ecosystem services such as carbon sink. It builds on the Prime Minister’s Green India campaign for afforestation of 6 million hectares and the national target of increasing land area under forest cover from 23% to 33%.
7. National Mission for Sustainable Agriculture (NMSA): The aim is to make Indian agriculture more resilient to climate change by identifying new varieties of crops, especially thermal resistant ones and alternative cropping patterns.
8. National Mission on Strategic Knowledge for Climate Change (NMSKCC): This Mission strives to work with the global community in research and technology development and collaboration through a variety of mechanisms and, in addition, will also have its own research agenda supported by a network of dedicated climate change related institutions and universities and a Climate Research Fund.

Performance Analysis of NAPCC

The Committee on Estimates chaired by Dr. Murli Manohar Joshi submitted its report on the performance of the National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC) on December 10, 2018.

The Committee noted that the National Solar Mission is expected to generate 1, 00,000 MW by 2021-22, at an expected cost of Rs 6, 00,000 crore. It noted that the funding requirement for the targeted solar power generation will be met from budgetary support, internal, and international financing. However, it expressed concerns about the lack of funds in relation to the targets under the Mission.

• For National Mission on Sustainable Habitat (NMSH), the Committee observed that the emphasis is limited to urban habitats only and does not take into account the requirements of the rural habitats. It recommended that the Mission introduce a comprehensive and integrated plan encompassing the needs of both rural as well as urban habitats.
• For NMSA, the Committee noted that although the Mission focuses on different aspects of agriculture, it does not include income security of farmers.
• The government must work on the recommendations of the committee and overcome the deformities to ensure success of the umbrella mission.