NAP on Climate Change to address all problems: PM

New Delhi, Mar 20 (UNI) Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today assured the nation that the National Action Plan on Climate Change will address all the problems, including in agricultural production, arising in the country out of global climate change.

''The National Action Plan on climate change is being formulated to work out an adaptive or technical or any other mechanism to study the impact of climate change. All issues will taken into account and addressed,'' Dr Singh said in the Rajya Sabha while intervening on a question raised by eminent agricultural scientist and nominated member Dr M S Swaminathan.

Dr Swaminathan had raised the question about the impact of global warming on India's food security and national employment and measures taken by the Government to check its adverse effects.

The Prime Minister said the issue of climate change was very significant for India. As the head of the Council on Climate Change, Dr Singh two days ago chaired a meeting of ministries concerned on the issue.

Replying to supplementaries, Minister of State for Environment and Forest Namo Narain Meena informed the House that the National Action plan will be ready by June this year.

About decline of Wheat production in India, he said according to Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), no definite evidence of variation in foodgrain production in the country had been noticed, as climate change was a slow process.

''As per the preliminary assessment of the projected impact on agriculture, undertaken at the time of the preparation of India's First National Communication to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, a mixed projection of yields of various crops across regions has been indicated,'' he added.

The Minister said the Government had set up an expert Committee to study the impact of anthropogenic climate change on India and to identify the measures that may have to be taken to address the issue.

''ICAR has already initiated a Network Project on Impact, Adaptation and Vulnerability of Indian Agriculture to Climate Change at different ICAR institutes,'' he added in reply to Congress member Mohsina Kidwai's query.

Giving details of various schemes for protection, conservation and development of environment and forests, Mr Meena said the aim of the programmes, including National Afforestation Scheme, is to improve energy efficiency and conservation and encouraging mass rapid transport system.

Besides the National Afforestation Programme, the campaigns include Eco Development Scheme, Gram Van Yojana and the Green India Programme.

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