The Prime Minister, who chaired the first meeting of the National Council on Climate Change, said the government would launch a major afforestation programme called Green India to convert six million hectares of degraded forest land into green areas. Dr Singh also called for a long-term strategy to deal with glacial melting of the Himalayas.

“From the First Plan itself, we laid stress on hydro and nuclear energy and decades ago promoted solar, bio-mass and other non-conventional and renewable energy sources which has put us on the pathway to reduction in carbon emissions,” Dr Singh said.

“We must at the same time explore ways of new and greener ways of development. I suggest that we deliberate on how we can put together a National Programme Document by November 2007 capturing both the efforts that we have made so far and our plans for the future.”

The meeting decided that a national strategy paper on climate change would be prepared before the end of the year. Participants emphasised the need for funding research on impact of climate change, including research on management of impact of droughts and floods on crop production and urban planning.

The Prime Minister urged the national Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) authority to work more closely with chambers of commerce and industry, develop competent bundling agencies in the country, as well as work with the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and financial institutions to increase participation of the financial sector

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