India
Environment plans Chief minister is likely to announce climate change action plan in upcoming Assembly session.
Updated : Feb 15, 2010, 05:38 PM IST
Exactly a year after the announcement of formation of the state climate change (control) department in February last year during the budget session, chief minister Narendra Modi is likely to announce the state's climate change action plan in the upcoming budget session.
Sources in the state government said Gujarat climate change (control) action plan is in the final stages of preparation and is likely to be announced in the upcoming budget session by the chief minister himself.
The functional structure at the state and district level will also be announced. A total state action plan is almost ready. A separate plan has been prepared for each district considering the regional environmental issues. The new climate change department will work in four different zones and each zone will have separate plans. Focus of the total plan will be considerable cut in carbon emission and earning more carbon credit.
Sources further said initially the action plan will be implemented in seven municipal corporations of the state, namely Ahmedabad, Surat, Vadodara, Rajkot, Bhavnagar, Jamnagar and Junagadh. The separate rules and regulations on the usage of old vehicles in corporation area, new permissible limit of carbon emission by the industry etc. will also be announced. Besides, in a tree planting drive, 5.5 crore trees will be planted in seven municipal corporation areas
The state government has planned to invest Rs3,600 crore in the next few years for its climate change initiatives. A proposal for demanding assistance of Rs 3,600 crore for this from the central government has already been forwarded. The state has planned to give assistance of Rs3,000 crore to private companies which are setting up power plants in renewable energy sector. The state government will also set up, in collaboration with private firms, solar and wind power plants to generate 1500MW, and this will require an investment of Rs3,000 crore.
Sources also said various scientific surveys will be carried out on impact of climate change on Gujarat sea coast, agriculture productivity and on people's health at large.
Setting up of probably India's first "Gujarat climate change university'' and "R&D revolving fund for new green technology" will also be carried out in the next few years. New courses and teachers training module will be introduced on climate change. Actions will be taken for reduction in GHG (green house gases) emission in industries likes cement, alkalis, chemical, fertilisers, textile and chemicals etc., by development of new technologies along with creation of appropriate regulatory and financial mechanism, said the sources.
Sources said that, "Rs100 crore will be spent for multi-dimensional climate change initiatives for capacity buildings for taking up climate change issues. An MoU (memorandum of understanding) has also been signed with TERI headed by RK Pachauri for wide gamut of activities related to capacity building in the state.''