CSRBOX Weekly Newsletter
In a bid to promote environment-friendly initiatives and incentivize positive environmental actions, the Ministry of Environment, Forests, and Climate Change (MoEFCC)?of the Government of India has unveiled the proposed regulations for the Green Credit Programme (GCP) to realise the vision of Mission 'LIFE' (Lifestyle for Environment).The draft was released on June 27, 2023 and will be available for public review and comment for 60 days henceforth.?
The draft programme comes at a time when India is hosting the G20 Presidency and will be expected to live up to its international climate goals, which include achieving net-zero emissions by 2070. In its Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), India has also committed to developing a carbon sink capable of absorbing 2.5 to 3 billion tonnes of CO2 through increased forest and tree cover.
Before jumping into the nitty-gritties of what might emerge as the next big thing in the development and sustainability space in India. It is important to acquaint oneself with the key terminologies which are being used in this context.
The recent development can be seen in the light of annual budget speech by Nirmala Sitharaman, Finance Minister of India where she announced the “Green Credit Programme” allocating Rs 35,000 crore to achieve energy transition and net zero emissions. She had contended?that the decision?will assist in bringing in additional resources?for such activities and would further aid in utilising a competitive market-based strategy to encourage voluntary environmental actions by various stakeholders.
According to the draft,?a variety of stakeholders?including businesses, farmer producer organizations (FPOs), urban city, gram?panchayats (GP), and the private sector, would be able to receive green credit for taking environmental-friendly measures. The Green Credit Programme is poised to supplement not only the domestic Carbon Market which primarily focuses on Carbon Dioxide emission reductions but would also promote sustainable activities by businesses, individuals, and local bodies. Moreover, rules also state that If the green credits additionally contribute to the elimination or reduction of carbon emissions, then they can also be traded on the carbon market, provided that they are validated and certified by the designation committee set up under the program.
Methodology of generating Green Credits
The concept of a green credit isn’t very new. In the past many countries have implemented similar schemes to tap in the potential of making sustainability both preferable and profitable. Present rules also take into account many of these models implemented in the various countries across the world. Let’s take a look at Green Credit Model in some of these countries:
Japan
For green credit firms or environmental technology projects, the Japanese government and allied ministries have developed a variety of incentive measures such as financial subsidies, tax exemptions, and preferential lending rates (government discount interest rate). For example, under policy assistance, private firms involved in research and development, equipment investment, and process improvement of 3R (recycling, recycling, and emission reduction) projects might benefit from a specified preferred interest rate.? Circular economy enterprises or initiatives can benefit from a variety of tax breaks.
United Kingdom
The UK government has devised a systematic approach to encourage environmentally friendly conduct. For example, the government's credit guarantee programme is primarily intended to ensure environmentally friendly firms, a model of development of clean production, and environmental protection enterprises. Under the guarantee scheme, even small-scale businesses with limited borrowing capacity can secure loans of up to 75,000 pounds from financial institutions, with the government promising to guarantee up to 80% of the loans.
USA
The US government's incentive policy is a crucial assurance for the long-term development of green credit in the US. For example, the Energy Tax Act of 1978, which deducts 30% of the first $2, 000 and 20% of the next $8, 000 for the purchase of renewable energy equipment such as solar and wind power.
Key sectors identified for the Programme
The draft has identified 8 key sectors for green credit generation. These are:
Administration of the Program
The Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education (ICFRE), a research and capacity-building organisation, will be in charge of granting credits and maintaining a registry of green credits, among other responsibilities.?
A Steering Committee will guide the ICFRE, formulate rules for implementation and verification, recommending which sectors should be included in the programme, and reviewing and monitoring it. The central government may appoint auditors to audit the entire system on a regular basis.?
The rule also suggests that thresholds and benchmarks for each Green Credit activity will be developed as part of the plan.
This welcoming green initiative by the Government is a first-of-its-kind instrument that tries to evaluate and reward numerous ecosystem services. The guidelines bring together mechanisms to quantify and support ecosystem services together. However, the initiative also raises a series of questions including? the rigorous monitoring system, fraud prevention, biodiversity prevention, etc that need to be addressed first in order to successfully implement the move. It would be crucial for the programme to sustain itself as an effective force in the business ecosystem. It is to be seen how the program would prevent itself from becoming another buzz word in the sustainability space and not being reduced to another scale used by the corporate behemoths to deflect their responsibility towards the environment and its conservation. Following are the few caveats that would help in ensuring the same:
领英推荐
About the Author:
Devpriy . , hailing from Meerut, Uttar Pradesh, holds a Post Graduate Diploma in Forestry Management (PGDFM) from the prestigious Indian Institute of Forest Management (IIFM) in Bhopal. Prior to joining CSRBOX as an Associate Consultant, Devpriy gained valuable experience as a summer intern at ICICI Foundation for Inclusive Growth. During this tenure, he actively contributed to a CSR project focused on Goatry, which aimed to empower community women by promoting gender equality (SDG 5), reducing inequalities (SDG 10), and providing sustainable livelihood opportunities to tribal women through goat rearing in Udaipur, Rajasthan.
Devpriy's passion for nature and forest conservation is evident in his continuous efforts to implement sustainable development solutions that positively impact lives. He strongly believes in empowering communities, fostering growth, and working collaboratively towards a brighter and more equitable future.
CSRBOX's Impact Talks is a platform where we Invite experts and leaders from various fields to share their thoughts on topics related to the social development sector. This week, we were honoured to host Ms. Ruchi Khemka , Head CSR at 德意志银行 . Listen to her thought-provoking insights on balancing profit with purpose.
According to the second edition of the National Multidimensional Poverty Index? 2023, The Intensity of Poverty, which reflects the average level of deprivation among those living in multidimensional poverty, dropped from 47.14% in 2015-16 to 44.39% in 2019-21. To learn more, refer to the report’s? link below.
Source: file:///C:/Users/csrbo/Downloads/National-Multidimensional-Poverty-Index-2023-Final-17th-July.pdf
Transport and Highways Minister of India, Nitin Gadkari highlighted the work towards the development of roads and highways. He emphasized that India's road network has grown by 59% since the year 2014, making it the second largest only after the USA. The Union Minister also noted the increase in the nation's road network to 1,45,240 km from 91,287 km since 2013–14 with special reference to connectivity to remote areas in the North-East and green initiatives taken by his department. It is a welcome news as Road connectivity not only enhances the accessibility to essential services and urban centers but is also a predominant indicator of overall socio-economic development of a region.?
India at 100 RBI July bulletin article explains how India could become a developed country by 2047 with an average annual real GDP growth of 7.6 per cent sustained over the next 25 years by focusing on sectoral policy initiatives that cover education, health , upskilling the service sector, investments, logistics and digitalisation of the economy.
According to the Compendium on Responsible Artificial Intelligence 2023 report, AI is enhancing and advancing as we speak. Many countries have started using AI to deliver public services because of its immense potential to provide efficient and cost-effective solutions. For example, NITI Aayog has prepared a National Strategy for Artificial Intelligence – AI for all in India. This compendium of case studies explores the strategies and outcomes of using Artificial Intelligence in Audits by various SAIs and the implementation of Artificial Intelligence by the Government across multiple countries. Click on the link below to read the detailed report.
Source: ?AI CAG India.pdf