The Odisha Government is mulling to spend over Rs 20,000 crore on climate change adoption and mitigation in five years.
Disaster-prone Odisha is the first State in the country to adopt a Climate Change Action Plan and implement the same for adoption and mitigation as it has been a constant victim of climatic vagaries and realized the need to have a strategy to face the threat due to climate change. During last 105 years, Odisha has faced several disasters in 95 years and incurred huge losses.
All the departments are closely working in this regard and it has been worked out that 11 sectors will be prioritized for taking up various activities on climate change.
Sectors like Water Resources, Agriculture, Fisheries and Animal Resources Development (ARD), Energy, Urban Development, Mining, Industry, Forest and Transport will prioritize their action plan.
Spending on Climate Change Programmes from 2011-12 to 2014-15 has gone up and over Rs 5,845 crore has already been spent, which have yielded positive results. Keeping this in view, climate budgeting is taken up and it is expected that over Rs 20,000 crore will be spent in the five years.
Water Resources Sector will be taking the lion’s share in the programme as more thrust is given for this sector. With a long coastline of 480 km, coastal dynamics plays a major role in Odisha, minimizing risks in these zones, requires more attention.
After water sector, agriculture and allied sector needs attention as socio-economic structure of the State mostly depend on the primary sector. Both long and short term planning is required in this regard, said the official.
Mobilization of finance for Climate Change Actions only from the State Budget is a problem; so policy makers advise the State Government to arrange at least 60 per cent from the State kitty.
With the Union Government slashing funds from various Centrally-sponsored programmes, the State Government is finding it difficult to fund several important developmental programmes, including social sector schemes, which need most attention, admitted a senior officer in Department of Finance.
However, a move is on to locate funds for Climate Change Action financing and stakeholders are working at tandem for a roadmap, said sources.