BHUBANESWAR: The State government has renamed Forest and Environment department to Forest, Environment and Climate Change department.
This amendment has been notified by General Administration department and published in the Odisha Gazette. The State Cabinet chaired by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik had approved the proposal of the department on May 10.
Now the department will be the nodal agency of State for climate change actions.
Development of State Action Plan on Climate Change (SAPCC) along with other plans, policy, programme, projects on climate actions and implementation plan in line with the National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC) and Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC), 2015 as per the State perspective in close co-ordination with the line departments will be its responsibility.
Identifying key vulnerabilities of the State to climate change, assessing the need for adaptation to future climate change and the scope for incorporating these in relevant programmes, including watershed management, coastal zone planning and regulation, fisheries and animal resources development, forestry management, agricultural technologies and practices, transport and health programmes will be key concerns of the department.
The department will focus on formulation of policies for promotion of non-conventional alternative sources of energy like solar energy and wind energy and encourage the use of such resources.
Mobilisation of finance from various national, international, multilateral, bilateral and other sources including private partners will be its lookout.