By Bizodisha Bureau, Bhubaneswar, June 10, 2018: Odisha continues to be one of the greenest States of the country, additional chief secretary Suresh Chandra Mohapatra said.

Reminding the commitment laid down in Paris Accord of Climate Change, he urged the industrial houses to be more responsible and also very careful when they use the soil, water and river of the State.

In a conference on ‘Climate Change Initiatives,’ organised by the Indian Chamber of Commerce (ICC) in association with Odisha State Pollution Control Board, Mohapatra told the industrial houses to be more responsible towards environment and bio-diversity of the State.

Odisha has a special climate change action plan and every department allots some percentage of budget to mitigate the adverse effect of climate change.

He also said that, “International Solar Alliance set a target that 40 per cent of power used will be from renewable energy sources.

Initiatives have been taken to achieve this target. The State Government will provide subsidy for solar and renewable energy project. Coal Cess fund will be used for this kind subsidy. Every year the Government collects on an average of Rs 10,000- Rs 15,000 crore as Coal Cess, he informed.

Inaugurating the conference, steel and mines minister Praffula Kumar Mallick said that many afforestation schemes have been implemented to increase the forest cover in the State. Recently the Mahanadi Mission also has been launched for massive plantation programme.

He urged the industry leaders and scientists to come up with innovative and environment- friendly ideas to tackle the adverse impact of climate change

Director General, Indian Chamber of Commerce (ICC) Rajiv Singh said, “The Indian Government has portrayed its seriousness to ensure a de-carbonised economy by 2030. The primary strategy is to reduce fossil fuel dependency of the economy. By 2030, the country aims to increase renewable energy (RE)-based electricity contribution to 40 per cent, an ambitious target.

The other action plan includes a steep increase in energy efficiency for the economy in the next two decades. This would require US$ 2.5 trillion by 2030, to be sourced from myriad stakeholders, with India Inc. believed to be playing a major role.”