New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday chaired the first meeting of the reconstituted high-level climate panel to review the national action plan on climate change.
Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar, environment secretary Ashok Lavasa, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley and Water Resources Minister Uma Bharati were among those present at the meeting, which went on for nearly two hours at the official residence of the Prime Minister.
A senior ministry official had on Sunday said that the agenda of the meeting was to review all existing programmes and missions and explore steps for tackling the challenge of climate change.
The 'Prime Minister's Council on Climate Change', set up by the previous UPA government in 2007, was reconstituted by the NDA which dropped well-known environmentalist Sunita Narain and top industry leader Ratan Tata from the body.
The panel is tasked with evolving a coordinated action plan for assessment, adaptation and mitigation of climate change at the national level.
Modi asked the ministries to ensure the existing eight missions run in a more focussed manner and deliver the results.
These include missions on solar energy, enhanced energy efficiency, sustainable habitat, water, sustaining the Himalayan ecosystem, green India, sustainable agriculture, Strategic Knowledge for climate change.
"The meeting was told that the missions are running on track at present since the financial allocation from 2013-14 fiscal. Although funds are not fully released, there is a hope that more funds would come in the next Budget," the source added.
"I think this was a good start. I hope further interactions will happen. ...We discussed on wide range of subjects. ...Members also gave suggestions," Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar told reporters after the meeting.
The Prime Minister guided the deliberations and said India should look to this problem as an opportunity to act more vigorously and at the same time project the country's contribution effectively to the world, he added.
Modi asked the ministries to evaluate initiatives taken in the areas such as solar energy, wind energy, biomass energy, and transportation projects that have reduced distances or travel times, the statement said.
He also called for a review of curricula in architecture and civil engineering colleges, to include energy efficient design in a big way.
Emphasizing that India's "sanskar" (traditions) and "soch" (thinking), where "prakriti prem" (love of nature) was imbibed among people from childhood, "the Prime Minister recalled his meeting with leaders of Pacific island nations in Fiji in November 2014, and the apprehension they had over the issue of climate change.
The 18-member panel meeting was attended by External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, Urban Development Minister Venkaiah Naidu, Water Resources Minister Uma Bharti, Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh, and Power Minister Piyush Goyal.
The meeting was also attended by TERI chief R K Pachauri, economist Nitin Desai and retired diplomat Chandrasekhar Dasgupta and other members of the Council.
