National action plan on climate change is in place: President Patil

New Delhi, June 5 (ANI): President Pratibha Patil on Friday said that India is committed to contributing to the global endeavour to deal with climate change.

Speaking at a function to mark the World Environment Day here, Patil said: "We have in place the National Action Plan on Climate Change, which incorporates the vision of sustainable development and has identified eight National Missions that will promote the development of the country while also yielding benefits for addressing climate change."

"Amongst these missions, those relating to solar energy, energy efficiency, water, sustainable agriculture and sustainable habitat will be launched this year." she added.

The president said that climate change is a global challenge and the responsibility lies on every citizen across the world to contribute to efforts to protect and conserve its resources for future generations.

"No country can afford to ignore the issues of climate change but the developing countries at the same time need the aspirations of the people for better standards of living," she added.

The President further said that India needs an international environment supportive of its endeavour for ecological sustainable development. The international community should ollectively extend support to the efforts of developing countries through financial resources and technology transfer.

"It should be possible for existing climate friendly technologies to be disseminated at affordable cost. Similarly, there should be research partnerships between developed and developing countries to work towards cost effective technological innovations. All these essential issues must be included for a meaningful discussion and effective outcome of the discourse on sustainable development and climate change," she added.

World Environment Day was declared by the United Nations General Assembly in 1972, to stimulate awareness about the environment, and enhance political attention and public action.

The World Bank has expressed alarm at the pollution levels in India, saying air pollution in the country was already "of great concern". (ANI)