Lok Sabha Question No. 32 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2025-02-03
Subject: Green House Gas Emission
Ministry: ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE
Asked by: Shri Murari Lal Meena

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

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.  32

TO BE ANSWERED ON 03.02.2025

## Green House Gas Emission

## 32. SHRI MURARI LAL MEENA:

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

- (a) the steps taken by the Government so far to reduce Green House Gas Emission in the urban areas of the country, particularly in the cities selected under Smart City Mission;
- (b) whether  major  urban  areas  of  Rajasthan,  particularly  Jaipur  and  Dausa,  are  being affected by rising temperatures and urban heat island effect due to global warming and if so, the details thereof;
- (c) whether  the  Government  proposes  to  implement  special  schemes  for  green  energy, electrification  of  public  transport and increasing  urban  green cover  in  various other urban areas including Dausa and if so, the details thereof; and
- (d) the amount spent by the Government to deal with climate change in urban areas of Rajasthan and impact thereof?

## ANSWER

MINISTER  OF  STATE  IN  THE  MINISTRY  OF  ENVIRONMENT,  FOREST  AND CLIMATE CHANGE

(SHRI KIRTI VARDHAN SINGH)

(a) to (d) Climate change is a global collective action problem mainly precipitated by excessive historical  and  current  emissions  of  the  developed  countries.  India's  share  of  historical cumulative emissions from 1850 to 2019 amount to less than 4 percent of global cumulative carbon dioxide emissions despite being home to more than 17% of the world's population. India is an emerging economy where Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions are set to increase, albeit from a low base, in pursuit of its development and poverty eradication goals. India's responsibility  for  global  warming  thus  has  been  minimal; even  today,  its  annual per capita emissions are only about one-third of the global average. Despite this, India has taken several steps to combat climate change.

The government is combating  climate change through several programs and schemes. This includes the implementation of the National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC), which comprises missions in specific areas of solar energy, energy efficiency, water, agriculture, the Himalayan ecosystem, sustainable habitat, green India, strategic knowledge on climate change, and human health. The NAPCC provides an overarching framework for all climate actions. Thirty-four States/Union Territories (UTs) have prepared their State Action Plan on Climate Change (SAPCC) in line with NAPCC, considering the state-specific issues relating to climate change. These SAPCCs outline sector-specific and cross-sectoral priority actions. The  Government is  also  implementing  the  scheme,  'National Adaptation  Fund for

Climate  Change  (NAFCC)',  to  support  adaptation  measures  of  States/UTs,  including Rajasthan, in areas particularly vulnerable to climate change's adverse impacts. A project titled 'Mukhya  Mantri  Jal  Swavlamban  Abhiyaan  for  climate  change  adaptation  and  water harvesting in Arthuna, Anandpuri and Sajjangarh blocks of district Banswara' under NAFCC has been sanctioned for Rajasthan at a total cost of Rs. 24.97 crore .

National  Mission  on  Sustainable  Habitat  (NMSH)  was  launched  in  2010  under NAPCC,  which  highlights  strategies  and  guidelines  to  mitigate  Greenhouse  Gas  (GHG) emissions and adapt to climate change impacts by building resilience in infrastructure assets and  communities,  measures  for  improving  disaster  risk  management,  and  early  warning systems  for  extreme  weather  events.  The  NMSH  aims  at  (i)  Promoting  low-carbon  urban growth towards reducing GHG  emissions intensity for achieving India's Nationally Determined  Contributions  (NDCs)  and  (ii)  Building  resilience  of  cities  to  climate  change impacts and strengthening their capacities to 'bounce back better' from climate-related extreme events and disaster risks.

Aligning  with  the  NMSH,  the  Ministry  of  Housing  and  Urban  Affairs  (MoHUA) launched the "Climate Smart Cities Assessment Framework" (CSCAF) in February 2019 as a tool for cities to assess their present situation and provides a roadmap for cities to adopt and implement relevant climate actions. Under the CSCAF 3.0 cycle, Jaipur has received a 3-star rating in mobility and air quality.

Further,  the  Government  has  adopted  various  strategies  to  mainstream  sustainable development and climate actions in all urban investments and development activities as part of its various urban missions and programs. These include the Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban  Transformation  (AMRUT),  Pradhan  Mantri  Awas  Yojana  -  Urban  (PMAY-U), Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana - National Urban Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NULM), Swachh Bharat Mission - Urban (SBM-U), and the Smart Cities Mission (SCM).

The state  government  of  Rajasthan has  implemented  a number  of projects  to  reduce greenhouse gas emissions in smart cities. A few of the initiatives in the cities of Jaipur and Udaipur inter-alia include Smart Street Lighting Systems, Rooftop Solar Projects, Conservation  of  Buildings  using  Traditional  methods,  Public  Bicycle  Sharing  Mobility services, and remediation of legacy waste. Further, Ajmer city initiatives include installing two  solar  plants  with  capacities  of  350  KW  and  300  KW,  developing  green  parks,  and installing rooftop solar heaters. In Kota city, works related to the reduction of GHG emissions include the construction of Oxyzone city park, the renovation of CV garden in Nayapura, and roads developed (16 km) with planters on dividers and footpaths.

The amount spent by the cities under SCM to deal with climate change in the cities of Jaipur, Udaipur, Kota, and Ajmer is Rs. 289 Cr, Rs. 304 Cr, Rs. 201 Cr, and Rs. 29.56 Cr, respectively. As of 20.01.2025, under SCM, for the environment sector, 6 projects amounting to Rs. 174 Cr. have been taken up in the State of Rajasthan.

A study conducted by the Ministry of Earth Sciences to analyse the mean daytime and nighttime surface urban heat island (UHI) intensity during summer found no UHI effect in Kota city, whereas Jodhpur city during the daytime and Jaipur city during the nighttime show a UHI effect with an intensity of 0.093 °C/decade and 0.015 °C/decade, respectively.

As  a  party  to  the  United  Nations  Framework  Convention  on  Climate  Change (UNFCCC) and its Paris Agreement, India has submitted its updated NDCs to UNFCCC in 2022,  which  includes  inter-alia,  achieving  about  50%  cumulative  electric  power  installed capacity from  non-fossil  fuel-based energy  resources by  2030. As of  31st December 2024, 47.1% of India's total electric power installed capacity (or 217.62 GW) was based on non-fossil fuel-based  energy  resources.  In  Rajasthan, the  total  installed capacity  from  non-fossil  fuelbased resources has reached 34.33 GW.

The Government has introduced  several initiatives to  promote  green  energy  in  urban areas. In February 2024, PM Surya Ghar- Muft Bijli Yojana was launched to transform the country's energy landscape through harnessing of solar energy. Further, the Waste to Energy Programme in India seeks to support the establishment of waste-to-energy projects  for the generation of biogas/bioCNG/power/producer or syngas from urban, industrial, and agricultural wastes/residues .

To promote the electrification of public transport, the Government launched the 'PMeBus Sewa Scheme' on 16th August  2023 with the aim to augment bus operations by the deployment of 10,000 electric buses on the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model and the development of associated infrastructure in urban areas with central assistance of ₹ 20,000 crores. As per the 2011 census, 169 cities falling in the range of 3 lakh to 40 lakh population size are eligible to participate in this scheme. Under this Scheme, all eight eligible cities of Rajasthan, namely Ajmer, Alwar, Bikaner, Bhilwara, Udaipur, Jaipur, Kota, and Jodhpur, have participated. A total of 675 e-buses have been sanctioned for these eight cities.

The  Ministry  of  Environment,  Forest  and  Climate  Change  (MoEFCC)  has  been implementing  various  afforestation  schemes.  Ministry  is  implementing  Nagar  Van  Yojana (NVY) with the primary objective of creating forest/green spaces in urban areas by developing Nagar Van/Vatikas, with a view to protecting forest land within cities/towns or its fringes from degradation and encroachment. The scheme is designed to actively engage local residents and different agencies in developing bio-diverse forests for social and environmental benefits in an urban landscape. Under Nagar Van Yojana, the MoEFCC has sanctioned a total of 544 projects in  31  States/  UTs  under  NVY .  Of  these,  23  projects  have  been  sanctioned  to  the  State  of Rajasthan with a total approved amount of Rs. 32.5 Cr, out of which Rs. 22.8 Cr has been released.

On the occasion of World Environment Day 5th June, 2024, the Hon'ble Prime Minister has launch 'Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam' ( एक पेड़ माँ क े नाम ) campaign and urged all citizens to contribute to making our planet better and to plant a tree in the coming days as a tribute to our mothers. In Dausa, a total of 18,500 plants have been planted in urban areas, and separate 'Krishna Murari' Vatika on 100 bigha land has been developed under this initiative.