Question : NATIONAL ACTION PLAN ON CLIMATE CHANGE

(a) whether the Union Government has finalized a National Action Plan on the issues arising out of climate change to deal with its impact on environment and specific crops as reported in the Times of India, dated 21.03.2008;

(b) if so, the details of the matter reported therein;

(c) whether the expert Committee working under the guidance of the PM’s Council on Climate Change has submitted its report;

(d) if so, the details thereof; and

(e) if not, the time by which it is likely to submit its report to the Government?

THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT AND FORESTS(SHRI NAMO NARAIN MEENA)

(a)to (b): The Prime Minister’s Council on Climate Change, in its first meeting held on 13th July, 2007, had decided that a National Document compiling action taken by India for addressing the challenges of climate change and the action that it proposes to take, be prepared as India’s National Report on Climate Change. Accordingly, the draft of India’s Climate Change Action Programme is being finalized shortly.

(c) to (e): The Expert Committee on Impacts of Climate Change was set up by the Government of India in May 2007, under the Chairmanship of Dr. R. Chidambaram, Principal Scientific Advisor to Government of India with a tenure of three years and entrusted with the task of studying the impacts of anthropogenic climate change on India and identifying the measures needed to address the issues relating to vulnerability to anthropogenic climate change impacts.The Report of the Expert Committee is under preparation and an interim report is likely to be available soon.