Excellencies,
My Friend Boris, Thank You for giving me the opportunity to present my views on the important issue of adaptation!
Adaptation does not get as much importance in the Global climate debate as Mitigation. This is an injustice to developing countries, which are more affected by climate change.
Climate is a major challenge for farmers in most developing countries, including India - the cropping pattern is changing, crops are being destroyed by untimely rains and floods, or frequent storms. From drinking water sources to affordable housing, all of these need to be made resilient against climate change.
Excellencies,
I have three views in this context. First, we have to make adaptation a key part of our development policies and projects. Projects like ‘Nal se Jal’- Tap water for all, ‘Swachh Bharat’- clean India Mission and ‘Ujjwala’- clean cooking fuel for all in India, have not only provided adaptation benefits to our needy citizens but have also improved their quality of life. Secondly, many traditional communities have adequate knowledge of living in harmony with nature.
These traditional practices must be given due importance in our adaptation policies. This flow of knowledge must also be included in the school syllabus so that it is passed on to the new generation. Preservation of lifestyles in compliance with the local conditions can also be an important pillar of adaptation. Third, the methods of adaptation may be local, but backward countries should get global support for them.
With the idea of global support for local adaptation, India had taken the initiative of Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure CDRI. I request all countries to join this initiative.
Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi earlier today chaired the meeting of the 45th edition of PRAGATI, the ICT-based multi-modal platform for Pro-Active Governance and Timely Implementation, involving Centre and State governments.
In the meeting, eight significant projects were reviewed, which included six Metro Projects of Urban Transport and one project each relating to Road connectivity and Thermal power. The combined cost of these projects, spread across different States/UTs, is more than Rs. 1 lakh crore.
Prime Minister stressed that all government officials, both at the Central and State levels, must recognize that project delays not only escalate costs but also hinder the public from receiving the intended benefits.
During the interaction, Prime Minister also reviewed Public Grievances related to the Banking & Insurance Sector. While Prime Minister noted the reduction in the time taken for disposal, he also emphasized on the quality of disposal of the grievances.
Considering more and more cities are coming up with Metro Projects as one of the preferred public transport systems, Prime Minister advised conducting workshops for experience sharing for cities where projects are under implementation or in the pipeline, to capture the best practices and learnings from experiences.
During the review, Prime Minister stressed on the importance of timely Rehabilitation and Resettlement of Project Affected Families during implementation of projects. He further asked to ensure ease of living for such families by providing quality amenities at the new place.
PM also reviewed PM Surya Ghar Muft Bijli Yojana. He directed to enhance the capacity of installations of Rooftops in the States/UTs by developing a quality vendor ecosystem. He further directed to reduce the time required in the process, starting from demand generation to operationalization of rooftop solar. He further directed states to adopt a saturation approach for villages, towns and cities in a phased manner.
Up to the 45th edition of PRAGATI meetings, 363 projects having a total cost of around Rs. 19.12 lakh crore have been reviewed.