PM's Climate Change Council to submit draft report soon

New Delhi, Feb 18 (UNI) The high-powered panel on climate change appointed by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will submit its draft report by the end of the month.

The Prime Minister had this month announced at the Delhi Sustainable Development Summit that the National Climate Change Action Plan would be ready by June.

''We are giving finishing touches to the draft report and hope to submit it by the end of the month,'' Mr Pradipto Ghosh, former secretary in the Ministry of Environment and a member of the sub-commitee, which is preparing the report, told UNI.

''The work has to progress fast as the National Action Plan on Climate Change is going to be in place by June as announced by the Prime Minister,'' Mr Ghosh added.

The Prime Minister had appointed the commitee last year in the wake of the UN climate change body IPCC's report on climate change that established it beyond doubt that the global temperatures were increasing due to emission of green house gases by human activities, leading to climate change.

India is among those countries, which will have more adverse impact of climate change, with devastating effect on water availablity and agricultural productivity.

The country is also under international pressure to reduce its carbon emission. Shifting to a low carbon economy while maintaing growth will be of main concern for the National Action Plan on Climate Change.

UNI NAZ HS BD1517