To keep pace with the National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC), formulated by the Union Ministry of Forests and Environment last year, Jharkhand State Pollution Control Board (JSPCB) has been appointed nodal agency for the action plan. The agency in coordination with several other Departments would submit a report to the Government, which would be finally submitted to the Centre as ‘State Action Plan on Climate Change’ by March next year.

Besides the JSPCB, Departments such as Forest and Environment, Social Welfare, Science and Technology, Agriculture, Rural Development, Travel and Tourism, Finance etc are involved in preparing the action plan. It is intended to make comprehensive set of decision making body, which acts in a collective manner. Earlier, it was expected that Department of Forest and Environment would be given the charge of preparing the strategy.

Apart from these Departments a Steering Committee would be formed comprising 26 environment, climate, agriculture, economics experts. The Committee would draft policies aimed to mitigating the adverse effects of global warming-led climate change on livelihood, health, agricultural activities and forest.

“The Committee would do vulnerability assessment and put its suggestions before a nodal agency. The nodal agency is expected to be headed by the Chief Secretary. We have finalised our action plan,” said an official of Department of Forest and Environment associated with the initiative.

The National Action Plan on climate change identifies measures that promote our development objectives while also yielding co-benefits for addressing climate change effectively. It outlines a number of steps to simultaneously advance India’s development and climate change-related objectives of adaptation and mitigation. Assessments in this regard would be based on scientific studies and the State Government would finalise it before being endorsed by the MEoF. Final actions in this regard would be based on the suggestions made by the Steering Committee.

Decision to appoint the Board as nodal agency is reportedly taken keeping in mind the wider mandate given to it. State of Jharkhand has enormous environmental challenges. The Board has been basically constituted for implementation of environmental and pollution control legislations, rules and notifications pertaining to the State. In discharging the duties entrusted, the Board investigates collects and disseminates data relating to water, air and land pollution, and lays down standards for discharging of liquid effluents and gaseous emissions. The measures are extremely vital for preparing action plan to mitigate global warming.

Contribution of Jharkhand in making the National Action Plan successful is also vital due to its huge mineral wealth. 66 per cent of coal of the country resides in this state and most them fall in densely forested areas.

The richness also invited numerous fly ash generating thermal power plants, sponge iron plants. Jharkhand has 32 per cent of iron ore reserve of the country. By 2015, it is expected that number of industries shall double in the State.