India under the visionary leadership of PM Shri Narendra Modiji has taken numerous steps to tackle the global problem of climate change and is well on the path of decoupling its emissions from economic growth. On Tuesday, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced the expenditure budget for all the ministries under the Government of India for the financial year 2022-23. The budget for the fiscal year will commence from April 1, 2022. The government kept climate action and energy transition as two of the seven major priorities this year.
Here’s how the government plans to put its money where its mouth is by allocating it to agencies working on the environmental and sustainability goals of the country.
Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change
India is a land of diversity with rich flora and fauna, and hence, a large sum of money is required for conservation and protection activities. Through the Budget, the government allocates some expenditures to address various environmental challenges, protect natural habitats, study oceans, monitor weather, and much more every year.
This year, the union government has allocated a “green budget” of ₹3,030 crores to the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change (MoEFCC). This is a marginal increase—a spike of ₹160 crores—from last year (2021-22), when the amount stood around ₹2,870 crores.
This budget has been distributed for various environmental efforts, including climate change action plan, control of pollution, integrated development of wildlife habitats and conservation of natural resources and ecosystems.
Over the last few years, India has made significant progress in environmental conservation, says the government. The Economic Survey 2021-22 revealed that India’s total forest cover was 7,13,789 sq km in 2021, reflecting an increase of 3.14% over 2011.
However, a lot still needs to be done in terms of climate action, which the FM termed as one of the fourth pillars of development. Rs 30 crore have been allocated for the climate change action plan, which will help India draw a roadmap for achieving the commitments made in the COP26 meet.
Some of the government’s top priorities must be long-term climate resilience and adaptation pathways to mitigate the risk of climate change-induced disasters, say experts.
Ministry of Jal Shakti
The water demand is likely to increase drastically by the end of this decade. Therefore, water conservation continues to be an area of concern. Under the Ministry of Jal Shakti, the Department of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation has received expenditure worth ₹18,967.88 crores this year.
Meanwhile, the Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation share of the budget is a whopping ₹67,221.12 crores. While presenting the budget, the FM also announced an allocation of about Rs 60,000 crores to provide tap water to about 3.8 crore Indian households under Har Ghar Jal scheme.
In order to tackle the water problems of the country, India has dedicated flagship schemes like Namami Gange, Jal Jeevan Mission, Atal Bhujal Mission, and more. But still, there is a long way to go! A majority of India remains water-stressed, and therefore, the overburdened water sector needs immediate attention to make it sustainable and resilient in the long run.
Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare
Early estimates show that agriculture was one of the few sectors that witnessed continuous growth throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. Agriculture supports almost half of India’s working population. Reportedly, the fund allocations under the agriculture sector have increased at a 25% compound annual growth rate (CAGR) between fiscals 2017 and 2022.
This year, the Finance Minister said that the Budget (2022-23) would benefit farmers primarily. The Department of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare has received a whopping ₹1,24,000 crore expenditure. The research arm of the ministry (department of Agricultural Research and Education) has received funding of ₹8513.62 crores.
The two prime agendas that need urgent attention in this realm are farmers’ incomes and food processing via relevant storage and logistics infrastructure. Among the key highlights, the FM said that the government would financially support farmers from the marginalised sections, taking up Agro-Forestry.
Ministry of Earth Sciences
The ministry looks into services like weather, climate, ocean and coastal state, hydrology, seismology and natural hazard, to name a few. The ministry received ₹1897.13 crores in 2021-22, and this amount has jumped sharply to ₹2653.51 crores for the next year—an increase of ₹756.38 crores.
The recently approved Deep Ocean Mission has received a substantial budget of ₹650 crores. It is a mission dedicated to studying the deep ocean for resources and developing deep-sea technologies for sustainable use of ocean resources. According to a media statement, the mission’s estimated cost is likely to be around ₹4,077 crores over five years, executed in a phase-wise manner.
Another flagship project named Polar Science and Cryosphere (PACER), which aims to study the planet’s polar regions has received ₹140.24 crores in this budget
