Union Minister of State Shri Kirti Vardhan Singh launches India’s Net Zero Portal and NAPCC Dashboard on World Ozone Day 2026
The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change launched India's Net Zero Portal and the National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC) Dashboard in Mumbai, on the occasion of World Ozone Day 2026 (16 September)
The Net Zero Portal is a centralised digital platform for voluntary registration and disclosure of Net Zero commitments by Indian entities across sectors, with mandatory reporting of Scope 1 and Scope 2 greenhouse gas emissions and optional Scope 3 reporting
Entities submitting credible Net Zero pathways receive acknowledgment from the Ministry, and all declarations are made publicly accessible, creating a consolidated repository of voluntary climate action
The NAPCC Dashboard consolidates implementation data and progress indicators for the National Missions under the NAPCC on a single platform, intended to support inter-ministerial coordination and identify implementation gaps
National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC) — 8 Missions
The NAPCC is India's overarching domestic climate strategy, launched in 2008, structured around eight National Missions spanning energy, water, agriculture, forestry and knowledge generation. It operationalises India's climate response at the sectoral level, distinct from India's international commitments (NDCs) submitted under the UNFCCC.
Key Details
- Launched: 2008, under the Prime Minister's Council on Climate Change
- Eight missions: National Solar Mission; National Mission for Enhanced Energy Efficiency; National Mission on Sustainable Habitat; National Water Mission; National Mission for Sustaining the Himalayan Ecosystem; National Mission for a Green India; National Mission for Sustainable Agriculture; National Mission on Strategic Knowledge for Climate Change
- Implementation is coordinated across multiple central ministries, with individual missions nodally housed in the relevant ministry (e.g., National Solar Mission under Ministry of New and Renewable Energy)
- States prepare complementary State Action Plans on Climate Change (SAPCCs) aligned with NAPCC missions
The new NAPCC Dashboard is a monitoring layer over this 2008-era framework — it digitises tracking of mission-wise progress that was previously reported through periodic ministry updates, aiming to close implementation-gap blind spots across the eight missions.
India's Net Zero 2070 Target and Panchamrit
India's Net Zero Portal operationalises voluntary corporate/entity-level tracking toward the national net-zero goal announced at COP26 (Glasgow, 2021), packaged as five commitments referred to as "Panchamrit" (five nectar elements).
Key Details
- Panchamrit commitments announced at COP26 (2021): (i) 500 GW non-fossil energy capacity by 2030; (ii) 50% of energy requirements from renewables by 2030; (iii) reduction of projected carbon emissions by 1 billion tonnes by 2030; (iv) reduction of carbon intensity of GDP by 45% by 2030 (over 2005 levels); (v) achieving net-zero emissions by 2070
- These were formally incorporated into India's Updated Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC), approved by the Union Cabinet in August 2022 and communicated to the UNFCCC
- Net-zero 2070 target is significantly later than developed-country targets (EU, UK, US: 2050) and China's 2060 target, reflecting India's position on CBDR-RC (Common but Differentiated Responsibilities) and its lower historical/per-capita emissions
The Net Zero Portal gives Indian companies and institutions a formal government-recognised channel to publicly commit to and report progress against net-zero targets, aligned with — but distinct from — the country-level 2070 target and the 2022 updated NDC.
GHG Accounting: Scope 1, 2 and 3 Emissions
Greenhouse gas accounting under the internationally recognised GHG Protocol classifies emissions into three "scopes," a framework the Net Zero Portal adopts by making Scope 1 and 2 disclosure mandatory while keeping Scope 3 voluntary.
Key Details
- Scope 1: direct emissions from sources owned/controlled by the entity (e.g., fuel combustion on-site)
- Scope 2: indirect emissions from purchased electricity, steam, heating or cooling
- Scope 3: all other indirect emissions in an entity's value chain (suppliers, product use, business travel) — typically the largest and hardest to measure category
- The GHG Protocol Corporate Standard, developed by the World Resources Institute (WRI) and World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD), is the global reference standard for this classification
By mandating only Scope 1 and 2 reporting, the portal sets an accessible entry bar for Indian entities while leaving room for more rigorous Scope 3 disclosure to develop voluntarily over time — consistent with the phased approach seen in other jurisdictions' corporate climate disclosure regimes.
World Ozone Day and the Montreal Protocol
World Ozone Day (16 September) commemorates the 1987 signing of the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer, widely regarded as the most successful multilateral environmental agreement to date.
Key Details
- Montreal Protocol signed: 16 September 1987, under the Vienna Convention for the Protection of the Ozone Layer (1985)
- UN General Assembly proclaimed 16 September as the International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer in 1994
- The Protocol's Kigali Amendment (2016) extended its scope to phase down hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) — potent greenhouse gases used as CFC replacements — linking ozone protection directly to climate mitigation
- India ratified the Kigali Amendment in 2021 and follows the India Cooling Action Plan (ICAP, 2019) for sustainable cooling
Choosing World Ozone Day to launch climate-tracking digital tools underscores the policy linkage between ozone-layer protection and broader climate governance — both the Montreal Protocol (via Kigali) and the new Net Zero Portal/NAPCC Dashboard sit within India's wider climate-accountability architecture.
- Launch date: 16 September 2026 (World Ozone Day), in Mumbai
- NAPCC launched: 2008; comprises 8 National Missions
- India's net-zero target year: 2070 (announced COP26, 2021)
- Updated NDC approved by Union Cabinet: August 2022
- Panchamrit non-fossil capacity target: 500 GW by 2030
- Panchamrit carbon intensity reduction target: 45% by 2030 (from 2005 levels)
- Montreal Protocol signed: 16 September 1987
- Kigali Amendment (HFC phase-down) ratified by India: 2021
- Net Zero Portal mandatory disclosure: Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions (Scope 3 voluntary)