Rs 100 crore 'National Adaptation Fund' for climate change

New Delhi: The government allocated Rs 100 crore for the establishment of a "National Adaptation Fund" for climate change. "Climate changes is a reality which all of us have to face together," Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said while presenting his maiden budget for 2014-15. He said that as an initial sum, an amount of Rs 100 crore will be transferred to the fund adding that agriculture as an activity is most prone to the vagaries of climate change.

The Budgetary allocation for the Environment ministry for 2014-15 is Rs 2,043 crore against last year's allocation of Rs 2,430 crore. Laying thrust on increasing the country's capacity for Himalayan studies, the government also allocated Rs 100 crore for setting up of a National Centre for Himalayan Studies in Uttarakhand. "There is a great need to increase the capacity in the country for Himalayan Studies. I propose to set up a National Centre for Himalayan Studies in Uttarakhand with an initial outlay of Rs 100 crore," Jaitley said.

Reiterating Prime Minister Narendra Modi's committment towards environment, Environment minister Prakash Javadekar said that all the programmes and schemes suggested by his ministry has been approved and shows that the government "cares more for nature along with development." "What we had suggested, all the programmes and schemes have been sanctioned. We flagged schemes in environment - Himalayan initiative, Ganga Initiative, river development, climate adaptation fund and afforestation. "All the five things have been granted and provided for in the budget. So I think this is the message that this government cares more for nature along with development," Javadekar said.