India CSR News Network
GUWAHATI: Realizing the impact of the immense Climate Change and to avoid its disastrous consequences in the South Asia, the Ministry of Environment and Forests & Climate Change, Government of India, Government of Assam, the UK Department for International Development (DFID) and Oxford Project Management Limited have come together to create Sustainable development by the means of different policies, programmes and promoting investments for climate compatible development. The CCIP Technical Assistance Workshop for Assam SAPCC which was held today at the Assam Administrative Staff College in Guwahati, Assam witnessed dignitaries from different walks of life participating and contributing with their own effort.
It is an effort to support the developing climate resilience in South Asia by focusing on Climate Proofing Growth and Development (CPGD) Programme – Climate Change Innovation Programme (CCIP) in five countries including India, Nepal, Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh for the period of 2014-2019. According to DFID, in the upcoming five years, these initiatives will help the South Asian countries to integrate climate change into policies, plans and budgets thus providing for funds and strong support from the governments, both the state and center. Actions like development and execution of regional, state and country specific programme, building sustainable, collaborative policy reform and promotion of investment based on climate compatible development was targeted at in the event of CCIP – Technical Assistance Workshop for Assam SAPCC.
The Assam State Action Plan on Climate Change (ASAPCC) which is all set to be endorsed by the National Steering Committee of MoEF &CC, Government of India in the workshop aimed to fulfill the gaps in ASAPCC, introduce the objectives and targets of the CCIP programme, financing ASAPCC and validate the work plans for the year 2015 that includes key activities such as policy review, assessment studies, training needs analysis etc.
Shri Atuwa Munda, Honorable Minister for Environment, Forests and Tea Garden, Government of Assam extends all support to CCIP Program and its team and expect CCIP also shall provide technical assistance to leverage external finance for projects to safeguard Assam`s Climatic Vulnerable Population. Develop good models,transfer knowledge about global best practices on climate change.
Under the bilateral technical cooperation between the Government of India and Government of United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland; the Climate Change Innovation Programme has been approved and is being implemented by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC), Government of India in collaboration with DFID in 6 states of India; Assam, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Kerala, Maharashtra and Odisha. Through this programme the State Governments will be supported for the formulation and implementation of State Action Plans on Climate Change (SAPCC). DFID has further engaged the Oxford Policy Management Limited (OPML), UK as Management Agency for implementing activities in the Six states.
Mr Davinder Kumar, Additional Chief Secretary, Government of Assam said “Climate Change leading to natural disasters, particularly flood and erosion,will likely affect and reduce the annual GDP growth impacting livelihood options of thousands of people across Assam.As Assam become warmer, the change in weather pattern will have an obvious effect to the state’s flora and fauna, where species that have lesser habitats and are less adaptable, may perish. Such a huge scale loss in biodiversity will affect the state’s overall environment wealth database. Moreover, communities who depend on certain species will also be affected, as they will need to change their traditional patterns of living. Hence Assam needs development Policy and plans rescaled, dedicated and climate proofed as an Adaptation tool to meet the Climate Change challenge to protect most vulnerable Assamese poor population”
Mr Abhay K Johari, Additional PCCF, Assam feels that For a biodiversity rich area like Assam, it is extremely important to gear up with mitigate and adaptive measures to combat any climatic change that may adversely effect the ecological stability or economic progress impacting of livelihood of local people. There is a need to spread awareness and build capacities of stakeholders on a very large scale. At the same time, we need to do vulnerability assessment and then design programmes for developing climate resilience.
Ms Pamposh Bhat,Programme Manager expressed that Climate Change Innovation Programme Indo-British bilateral Climate Change Innovation program shall provide technical assistance to strengthen the resilience of Assam`s development, protection of its natural resources, biodiversity, population from the impacts of climate change. CCIP programme will build capacity of the State Government and local government bodies to address Climate issues and to integrate climate change and development imperative in policy, plans and programs in various sectors.
