This is not the final word on India's contribution to the global effort to tackle climate change. In its climate action plan submitted late night on Thursday to the UN climate secretariat, ahead of the Paris climate summit in December, New Delhi has explicitly said that it can in the future make additional submissions.

New Delhi's contribution to the global effort to reduce carbon dioxide pollution and slow down temperature rise has been for the most part been hailed as ambitious. Some experts and civil society organisations are of the view that India could have done more.

India's climate action plan, or intended nationally determined contributions (INDCs) as these are referred to in the UN negotiations, shaped by two important factors: First, its development imperatives, and second, the continued lack of clarity in the negotiations on key issues, particularly on financial flows and technological support.

In its 38-page submission to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change ( UNFCCC), India has assiduously made the case that while it is an emerging economy, and is counted among the major economies, it is also a country facing huge developmental deficits.

"It is true that we are an emerging economy, we are also a poor country. This is a fact. We can't change facts," said Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar.

With a human development index of 0.586, India ranks 135th in the global human development index. The targets set by India in its climate action plan are informed by the overriding goal of providing access to electricity, housing, livelihoods to its people—some 30% of the population lives in poverty, 20% do not have access to proper housing, and 25% are without access to electricity. The overriding goal of meeting these needs informs the choices India has made in devising its climate action plan.

India's emission intensity reduction target of 33% to 35% assumes that the economy would grow at an average rate of 8% every year till 2030. This is a percentage point lower than the annual growth rate of 9% that was assumed in the Copenhagen-Cancun pledge of 2009/2010. Given that India has put forward a relative target, a lower growth rate assumption would have an impact on the rate of reduction of emission.

Unlike more mature economies, India's growth is yet to stabilise, and the INDC factors in possibilities of lower growth on account of political or global economic forces. Therefore, assuming a lower average economic growth rate for an emerging economy like India is not off the mark.

If India continues to maintain its current rate of emission intensity reduction, roughly 1.5% per year, it will be able to ensure a reduction of 34% to 35% by 2030. "We are sure we will achieve at least 35% reduction by 2030," said Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar.

The other pillar of the climate plan is increasing the share of non-fossil fuel-based power generating capacities in the total installed capacity. It has set a target of ensuring that 40% of the total installed capacity is based on non-fossil fuels. This includes nuclear and large hydro capacities. In 2030, the total installed power generating capacity is expected to be between 820 and 870 GW.

At present, India's total installed capacity is about 276GW, of which non-fossil fuels account for 30%. This implies a 10% increase in the share of non-fossil fuel capacity.

"The domestic 2022 renewable energy target of 175GW is far more ambitious. If the challenging domestic 2022 renewable target is met, the 2030 fossil fuel free target is likely to be exceeded," said Radhika Khosla, Fellow at the New Delhi-based think tank, Centre for Policy Research.

The other factor that informs India's climate action plan is the current state of the global climate negotiations. Lack of clarity on critical issues particularly finance and technology doesn't inspire confidence in emerging economies like India to put forward more ambitious plans.

Preliminary estimates put the cost of India's climate actions, for both adaptation and mitigation, at $2.5 trillion. While it is not seeking international climate finance, it has fashioned its plan on the presumption of international financial flows.

"Both national and international mobilisations have been mentioned. Very simply, our programme is based mainly on our resources, but when the world, those historically responsible for emissions have committed, they must walk the talk. If they don't do it we will address at that time," said Javadekar.

As an emerging economy, India would depend on international financial flows and more importantly technological cooperation to meet its targets and ramp up its efforts. "What is absolutely needed is technology co-operation. Because they make the programme affordable with less cost and more energy efficiency, and that is the game changer," Javadekar said.

New Delhi is not focused just on obligatory climate finance, but on ensuring international financial flows. The minister makes a case for India as an investment option. "The ratio of emissions avoided per dollar invested and economic growth attained would be relatively more favourable in case of investments made in India. That is sustainable investment," argues Javadekar.

Though the minister makes the business case, the INDC document is silent on plans for establishing manufacturing capacity particularly in the clean energy segment and research and development in the sector. Such details could serve as hooks for investment flows.

India's pledge has had to factor in the lack of clarity in the negotiations on these key issues. A senior official involved in the negotiations explained, "Our emission intensity target is also determined by the ability to generate resources to implement. We have to keep other needs and priorities while making our climate plan."

Sanjay Vashist, director of Climate Action Network South Asia, an international platform of civil society organisations, makes a similar argument. "India, through its announced INDC, demonstrates its willingness to play an important role on the international stage ahead of the climate talks in December in Paris.

India's signal could no doubt be much stronger - going even further to help the international community avoid unmanageable climate impacts - should the rich and developed countries step up and provide adequate finance and technology support," said Vashist.

Vashist's argument is borne out by India's INDC. New Delhi has made it clear that the successful implementation of the climate plan is "contingent upon an ambitious global agreement including additional means of implementation to be provided by developed country parties, technology transfer, and capacity building."

While India does not intend to backslide on its contributions, clearly more ambitious efforts would require greater clarity from the negotiations. Therefore, India has explicitly mentions that it reserves the right to make additional submissions on its INDC. This leaves the door open for India to upgrade its INDC depending on the outcome in Paris.

There is broad political consensus on putting in place a system of periodic collective review of efforts. Though the details are still being negotiated, such a review is likely just ahead of 2020, when the Paris Agreement will come into force.

A review closer to 2020, would take into account the outcomes of the actions taken by countries in the pre-2020 period. "We can't have an action holiday between now and 2020," Javadekar said. India's climate actions in the pre-2020 period are robust and anchored in policy efforts, and this would give it room to improve its INDC.

India had consistently maintained that it would put forward a "comprehensive" INDC. New Delhi has put forward plans on adaptation—setting up a National Adaptation Fund and a National Disaster Relief Fund.

However, on capacity building there is a lack of clarity, particularly of building a mechanism or institution for regular reporting and verification of the implementation of climate actions and its impacts.

Nitin Pandit, CEO of WRI India says that New Delhi's climate plan recognises that as one of the most vulnerable countries to climate change, there are domestic benefits of confronting this issue.

"Its climate plan does a good job combining opportunities to reduce emissions in the near term, and it includes clear goals to restore landscapes that will bring long-term benefits. These efforts will be critical to build India's resilience to severe droughts, deadly heat waves and other climate impacts," the head of the India office of the Washington-based think tank said.