A parliamentary panel has asked the Centre to launch a web-portal that displays updated data on mandate, targets and achievements of the eight missions running under of the National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC) to enable stakeholders to track developments in each area.
It has also recommend to the Centre to set up of an inter-ministerial entity to review quarterly the performance of implementing agencies and coordination between ministries.
The government is implementing the NAPCC, which includes eight missions covering solar energy, enhanced energy efficiency, agriculture,water, sustainable habitat, Green India, Himalayan ecosystems and strategic knowledge on climate change.
Each mission is administered by a ministry or department responsible for its implementation and lays down budget provisions and actionable priorities for it.
The Committee of Estimates (2018-19) in its 30th report on performance of NAPCC said some experts who deposed before it raised the issue of “fragmented approach” and “lack of coordination” among ministries.
The committee, in its report, said that it found activities covered by various missions are inter-related and the developments in a mission in an area has bearing on other missions.
NAPCC being a multi-tiered structure with various ministries administering various missions supplemented by actions at the state and Union territory levels, the objectives of the action plan for climate change can only be achieved through collective action and partnerships for which integrated approach and coordination among various ministries, state governments and all other implementing is “utmost” necessary, the committee said.
“The Environment Ministry being the main coordinating ministry has to take desired initiatives. For inter-ministerial coordination, the committee recommend for setting up of an inter-ministerial entity to quarterly review the performance of each implementing agency.
“Besides, the environment ministry should have a public information portal displaying up-to-date data, information about mandate targets as well as achievements of each of the missions under specific heads so as to enable the stakeholders to track what is happening in different areas of climate change,” the committee chaired by BJP leader Murli Manohar Joshi said.
It said the information about adverse effects of climate change should be displayed on the portal to sensitise and involve the public at large on this issue.
“The committee would also like to recommend that six monthly report of each ministry administering the specific mission giving the status of implementation on various parameters should be laid in the Parliament,” it added.