A joint evaluation by the departments of Finance, Science, Technology and Environment has revealed that the introduction of a separate Green Budget in the annual financial statement for 2023- 24 has led to increased allocation for environment-friendly schemes during current fiscal in the Union Territory.
Chief Minister N. Rangasamy, while presenting the annual budget on March 13, had announced a corpus fund of ₹555 crore to provide an institutional mechanism to implement sustainable development programmes in a bid to minimise environmental damage in the Union Territory.
A Green Budget document, released recently by the Chief Minister on the occasion of World Environment Day celebrations, revealed that budgetary support for environment-friendly programmes such as tapping renewable energy sources for power generation, water and waste management and pollution control measures, has gone up this year by 153%.
The document, prepared by the government as a follow-up to the Green Budget with the support of the Energy and Resources Institute, pointed out that allocation for green budgets by various departments has gone up from ₹191 crore in 2022-23 to ₹483 crore in 2023-24. As a share of total expenditure (Revised Estimates for 2022-23 and Budget Estimates for 2023-24), the Green Budget component has gone up from 1.66 % to 4.17 %.
As many as 15 departments have identified green components for implementation during the current financial year. Around 10 departments have identified thematic activities for climate change mitigation, sustainable consumption and production of green/clean energy technology, pollution abatement, climate adaptation, water management, waste management, energy conservation and water quality.
Analysis revealed that the Electricity Department has contributed 32% of its budgetary allocation for environment-friendly components. This was closely followed by the Public Works Department (30%) and Department of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare (20%).
Need for water conservation
The Green Budget document outlines, among other things, the need for water conservation measures as it identifies excessive extraction of groundwater as a significant threat to the UT. Ground water extraction compromises water security of a region and amplifies its bio-physical vulnerability to climate change, the document said. Statistics indicate that around 25% of water blocks in Puducherry fall under the over-exploited category, highlighting the need for measures to address over-exploitation of ground water.
“Puducherry’s water management is a critical concern, given its significant impact on various sectors. The quality and quantity of water resources available in the region have witnessed a significant decline, posing severe consequences. The region is heavily dependent on ground water for agriculture irrigation, with more than 60% of its net area irrigated by tube wells. Consequently the region, grapples with the consequences of excessive ground water exploitation. The region has also seen infiltration of sea water, especially after 2004 tsunami. These factors have led to marked decline in the water quality supplied to urban areas of Puducherry, thus exacerbating the water crisis,” the document says.
According to a senior official, the government would put in place a mechanism to make proper assessment of schemes identified for implementation under the Green Budget. “The allocation for next year’s budget would be based on performance by the departments this fiscal,” he added.
