BENGALURU: In a first of its kind in India, scientists from Environmental Management & Policy Research Institute (EMPRI) have created a green index portal to assess the green performance of works by all government departments. It aims at evaluating the environmental sustainability of public expenditure and promoting “green” practices within government functioning.
EMPRI Director General, Srinivasulu, said it is aimed at creating a green path for all government departments to follow. With this, short, medium and long term goals will also be set for all departments, which will be reviewed.
It is expected to help enhance environmental compatibility of developmental activities through improved programme design. Widespread awareness about the demand for greenness among citizens and government bodies is being targeted. The aim is to encourage adoption of green practices and improve environmental compatibility in newly established and ongoing projects, he said.
The EMPRI teams have created a model portal which will soon be released for people and all government departments. Initially, government departments in Karnataka will be evaluated and ranked and gradually it will be extended to Union government departments and to the other states. All state- and Central-funded, ongoing and proposed schemes, besides each panchayat, taluk and district in Karnataka, too, are being considered for this phase-wise green evaluation.
“We have prepared an evaluation model, under which government departments will be evaluated based on a series of parameters. They will be ranked based on the scores they get on a scale of 1-10 - ‘1’ being the lowest, and ‘10’ being the highest. These days, green scores are essential for getting World Bank loans. This ranking will help them improve to avail easy finances,” said an EMPRI official.
The projects will be evaluated by providing an index value for each of the indicators and sub-indicators in the colour code of green (4), light green (3), orange (2), and red (1).
The parameters to be analysed include, energy efficiency and renewable energy; water conservation and recycling; waste treatment, recycling and pollution control; carbon emission reduction and carbon sequestration; biodiversity conservation; adaptation to disaster and climate change; and environmental compatibility of public spending.
The web-based portal is designed in such a manner that departments can check the green scores of their proposed or ongoing projects/programmes. They will get a green index score and colour code indicating its environmental compatibility, explained an EMPRI official, involved in designing the portal.
The officials added that the demand for greenness in projects and programmes will also motivate various sectors and individuals to identify opportunities and technologies in the field of environmental sustainability which will help in job creation.