The Minister of State (Independent Charge) of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Anil Madhav Dave has emphasised that Indian agricultural scientists are perfectly capable of meeting the demands of our farmers. Speaking at the inauguration of the workshop on Private Sector Facility under Green Climate Fund here today, the Environment Minister said that Climate Change cannot be rectified merely through economics. The Minister laid emphasis on the mobilization of financial resources for clean & green investment and sought greater involvement of stakeholders in the planning process. He also underlined the need to evolve a framework for impact assessment after completion of project and building of sustainability through our traditional knowledge.The workshop provides an opportunity to the private sector to understand and explore funding opportunities the Green Climate Fund offers to the private players, for moving towards low emission and climate-resilient development pathways. A first of its kind in India, the workshop aims at access of funds under Private Sector facility of Green Climate Fund (GCF). Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change and National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) jointly organized the workshop.
The presentations made at the Workshop related to Green Climate Fund, submission of proposals under private sector facility of Green Climate Fund. The Private Sector facility under GCF can be explored for implementing projects in several areas such as renewable energy, transportation, energy efficiency, agriculture and water efficiency, forestry and land use, waste management and urban planning etc. GCF will play a key role in channelizing new, additional, adequate and predictable financial resources to developing countries and will catalyze both public and private climate finance, at the international and national levels. NABARD is India’s Direct Access Entity accredited by the GCF Board in its 10th Board meeting held on 9th July 2015 and is the only DAE in India for Green Climate Fund so far.Speaking on the occasion, Joint Secretary, MoEF&CC, Shri Ravi Shankar Prasad explained the national priorities under climate finance and emphasized on importance of GCF mechanism. He reiterated the need for submission of quality proposals under GCF in line with national priorities. He explained, in detail, the accessing of fund under GCF to the participants.
In his welcome remarks, Deputy Managing Director, NABARD, Shri. H R Dave, elaborated the role played by NABARD in channelizing national and international climate finance resources. NABARD is the National Implementation Entity (NIE) for Adaptation Fund under UNFCCC, as well as for National Adaptation Fund for Climate Change (NAFCC). He expressed the need for generation of transformational and high impact projects under GCF and indicated that NABARD will provide all the necessary support in the process.Secretary, Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, Shri Upendra Tripathy, Director General, Environment Protection Training and Research Institute (EPTRI) Hyderabad, Shri Kalyan Chakravarthy, and various senior officials from nodal departments, State Governments, corporate sector and various officials from concerned ministries of Central Government were among those who attended the workshop.