Lok Sabha Question No. 2821 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2021-03-12
Subject: National Mission on Himalayan Studies
Ministry: ENVIRONMENT,  FORESTS AND CLIMATE CHANGE
Asked by: Behanan Benny

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2821

TO BE ANSWERED ON 12.03.2021

## National Mission on Himalayan Studies

## 2821. SHRI BENNY BEHANAN:

Will  the  Minister  of  ENVIRONMENT,  FOREST  AND  CLIMATE  CHANGE  be  pleased  to state:

- (a) whether  the  budgetary  allocation  to  the  National  Mission  on  Himalayan  Studies  has  been reduced by twenty percent compared to the previous year allocation;
- (b) if so, the details therefore along with the reasons therefor;
- (c) the  progress  made  on  the  Research  and  Development  programmes  under  the  aforesaid mission over this past year;
- (d) whether the Government is aware that India tops the list of most fatalities (2267) and the biggest economic loss ($68.812 billion) in the Climate Risk Index 2021, with an overall rank of 7th and if so, the details thereof; and
- (e) the  steps  taken  by  the  Government  to  safeguard  people  against  the  impact  of  climate change?

## ANSWER

MINISTER  OF  STATE  IN  THE  MINISTRY  OF  ENVIRONMENT,  FOREST  AND

CLIMATE CHANGE

(SHRI BABUL SUPRIYO)

- (a) and (b) Adequate  funds  have  been  allocated  for  the  Central  Sector  Scheme  -  National Mission  on  Himalayan  Studies  (NMHS).  The  final  budgetary  allocation  for NMHS  for  previous  year  (2019-2020)  was  Rs.  47  Crore.  The  initial  budget allocation for NMHS for current financial year (2020-21) was Rs. 50 Crore which has been reduced to Rs. 30 Crore at RE stage. The budgetary allocation is reduced after  taking  in  account  less  expenditure  on  the  account  challenges  posed  by COVID-19  due  to  which  field  activities  could  not  be  taken  up.  Further,  there exists an option to seek more funds at the time of RE/ supplementary demand for grant.
- (c) Since the inception of the Scheme, a total of 171 demand driven action research projects  have  been  sanctioned.  Out  of  these  171  research  projects,  42  projects have been completed while 114 are on-going and 15 new projects were sanctioned over this past year.
- (d) According to the Global Climate Risk Index (GCRI) 2021 by Germanwatch, India is  ranked  as  the  7 th most  vulnerable  country  globally.  Mozambique,  Zimbabwe and  The  Bahamas  are  reported  to  be  the  most  affected  countries,  followed  by Japan, Malawi, Afghanistan and India. Earlier, in GCRI 2020, India was ranked at 5 th most vulnerable country globally.
- (e) The Government of India stands committed to combating climate change through its  several programs and schemes. This includes implementation of the National Action  Plan  on  Climate  Change  (NAPCC),  which  comprises  of  missions  in specific  areas  of  solar  energy,  energy  efficiency,  water,  agriculture,  Himalayan eco-system, sustainable habitat, green India and strategic knowledge on climate change. The NAPCC provides the overarching framework for all climate actions. Thirty-three  States  /Union  Territories  have  prepared  their  State  Action  Plan  on Climate  Change  (SAPCC)  in  lines  with  NAPCC  taking  into  account  State's specific issues relating to climate change. These SAPCCs inter-alia outline sector specific and cross sectoral priority actions including adaptation.

The Government is also implementing the scheme, 'National Adaptation Fund for Climate Change' to support adaptation measures of States/UTs in areas that are particularly  vulnerable  to  the  adverse  impacts  of  climate  Change.  The  National Disaster  Management  Authority  (NDMA)  has  issued  several  disaster  specific guidelines  for  managing  extreme  weather-related  disasters  such  as  cyclones, floods  and  heat  wave.  National  Disaster  Management  Plan  (NDMP)  has  been formulated to  assist all stakeholders including State Governments in disaster risk management of various hazards including hazards related to climate change.

Further,  Indian  Meteorological  Department  is  implementing  advance  and  early warning systems to facilitate timely evacuation in the event of floods/ cyclones and  to  prevent  the  loss  of  lives.  At  the  United  Nations  Secretary  General's Summit  in  2019,  India  also  launched  the  Coalition  for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure,  a  platform  for  generating  and  exchanging  knowledge  to  promote the resilience of new and existing infrastructure systems to climate and disaster risks, thereby ensuring sustainable development.

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