Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai on Wednesday held a round table conference to address the issue of climate change in the national Capital and said that the AAP government has launched an aggressive initiative to combat the escalating climate crisis in Delhi, focusing on seven critical sectors including electricity, water, waste, green cover, transport, health, and agriculture.

At a round table conference chaired by Rai, over 40 departments, experts and officials convened to overhaul the existing climate policy of 2019. The senior AAP leader stated that a comprehensive policy will be crafted and sent to the central government for approval.

“In Delhi too, a policy on climate change was formulated in 2019. But seeing the pace with which the climate is changing after 2019, the Delhi government started the process of revising the policy of climate change two years ago. A core group was formed among different departments and stakeholders for this, under which several meetings were held. A steering committee was formed under the chairmanship of the Chief Secretary to finalize the proposal of the core group. That committee proposed a draft policy for climate change in Delhi,” he said.

He added that the environmental conference was organised with different departments, institutions and experts on that draft policy. “About 40 different departments, institutions and experts participated in it. The Government of India is working on making this policy in the entire country in collaboration with the German Technical Cooperation Group. This group helped us in preparing this draft for Delhi. These 40 institutions including IIT Delhi, GGIPU, Technical Energy and Research (TERI) along with various departments of Delhi Government and Central Government participated in the conference,” said the Minister.

Rai shared that a proposal has come to identify the sources of climate change happening in different sectors and for a comprehensive policy. “The Delhi government is sending this to the central government. A detailed action plan of the policy will be prepared according to whatever suggestion the central government receives.”

 “A detailed action plan will be prepared after receiving suggestions from the central government on this,” he added.