India to collaborate with Japan, UNDP for netzero emissions

India Meteorological Department (IMD), Government of Japan, and United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) have announced a new initiative to accelerate climate action in ten states and union territories across the country.

A statement issued from UNDP said that in partnership with the IMD at the Ministry of Earth Sciences and the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE), the initiative will support Nationally Determined Contribution (NDCs) to achieve net-zero emissions and ensure climate-resilient development.

The launch comes within a week of the cabinet approval of India’s updated Nationally Determined Contribution (NDCs) to be communicated to the United Nations Framework Convention on climate change.

The issues they will be working on include deploying clean energy infrastructure and low-emission technologies in key sectors including Transport, Health, Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs), and Agriculture.

This includes solarizing 150 healthcare facilities, 20 micro-enterprises, and installing 85 Electric Vehicle (EV) charging stations and 30 solar cold storage systems across the 10 states.

The project will be rolled out in the states and Union Territories of Bihar, Delhi-NCR, Gujarat, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha, Sikkim, Uttarakhand, and Uttar Pradesh between 2022-23.

Japan has extended USD 5.16 million in climate grant to UNDP India for the project. This is part of Japan’s global support to 23 countries through UNDP’s ‘Climate Promise – From Pledge to Impact’ programme for scaling up its support to turn NDCs into concrete action.