GANDHINAGAR: Chief Minister Narendra Modi's interest in addressing the climate change issues facing the state appear to be on the wane as Gujarat has failed to meet the four yearly deadline for submitting state's climate change action plan. It was to be submitted for prime minister's national climate change action plan. While 24 states have submitted their plans and ten have received a go ahead sanction from the centre, Gujarat is yet to file even a primary action plan. Ironically, it was the state that claimed to have set up Asia's first climate change department in February 2009.

Sources in the state government said, "The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) submitted a state climate change action plan more than eight months back but it is yet to be approved by the chief minister and the cabinet.''

A senior official of the climate change department said, "The department has failed to start any of its new projects like climate change trust fund, climate change impact assessment and project trust fund along with state climate change institute despite huge funds being allocated to it. Climate change trust fund has been allocated around Rs.100 crores in the last few years but its actual usage has yet not even begun. Of the funds granted in 2010-11 budget, 23.65 per cent remained unused. In 2012-13 budget, the state government had allocated Rs110.26 crores out of which 30 per cent funds remained unutilized.'' For 2013-14 also, the state government has made provision of Rs110.42 crore for this department.

The state government has transferred some agencies like Gujarat Energy Development Agency and other projects being run by energy and petrochemical department along with forest and environment department under the climate change department. Technically the department has not started any programme of its own. The department is yet to start its own web portal despite having been in existence for four years.