Mainstreaming Climate Change

Abstract

For mainstreaming adaptation planning, the on-going development programmes were classified into six broad themes; Productivity Enhancement and Production Augmentation, Rural Livelihood Security, Natural Resource Management, Risk Financing, Foodgrain Management and Research & Extension. These broad groups accounted for a total budgetary allocation of Rs. 4,74,197 crore or about 24 per cent of the total budgetary outlay of the Government during the year 2016-17. Further, 161 development programmes under these broad themes were analysed in detail for exploring the possibilities of integrating climate change adaptation planning with them. The major ministries, wherein the climate adaptation strategies could be incorporated with the on-going development plans, were Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers’ Welfare, Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Ministry of Science and Technology, Ministry of Earth Sciences, Ministry of Water Resources, River Development & Ganga Rejuvenation, Ministry of Rural Development, Ministry of Panchayati Raj, Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution and the Ministry of Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises. Moreover, the promotion of the adaptation related activities are within the ambit of the following major agricultural centric on-going programmes; Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana, National Mission on Agricultural Extension and Technology, National Mission on Sustainable Agriculture (Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana, Soil Health Card Scheme), Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana, Integrated Scheme on Agricultural Marketing, Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme and Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana. Further, on the basis of the grass-root elicitation and identification of relevant developmental programmes, a ‘Need-Based Adaptation’ planning incorporating farmers’ perceptions on climate change impacts, constraints in the adoption of adaptation strategies and plausible adaptation options were linked with the most suitable on-going programmatic interventions of the Government.