Javadekar reaffirms India's want to grow 'sustainably'

United Nations: India will grow sustainably and at the same time ensure its citizens get the benefits of development, Indian Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change Prakash Javadekar told a United Nations forum here.

Speaking at the 'setting the context for the industry transition' programme at the Climate Action Summit here on Saturday, Javadekar underscored Prime Minister Narendra Modi's 'Zero Defect Zero Effect' model where no products have defects and their production has no adverse effects on the environment.

"My country is on (a) growth trajectory. I can't deny justice to my people (of wanting to develop). We want to grow sustainably," Javadekar said. The Climate Action Summit here, hosted by UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, aims to boost action to implement the 2016 Paris Agreement. It will focus on nine interdependent tracks, which will be led by 19 countries and aided by international organisations. The coalition on transforming industry is being led by India and Sweden.

Javadekar said the nine tracks will help nations in efforts to achieve the goals set under the Paris Agreement.

The minister told the forum that carbon capture and storing has been discussed for years, but it has not fructified to the extent it should have.

He said in a first a campus is coming up in India which will capture carbon. "There will be carbon emission which will be trapped and used as raw material in other factories. That is a big thing," he said.

Javadekar elaborated on India's six-dollar-a-ton carbon tax, calling it a carrot and stick policy. "So the industry starts thinking in the way of how we can avoid coal consumption and how we can come up with other solutions," he said, adding India is probably the only country with such a policy.

The minister said the lowest carbon emission cement industry is in India.

He lauded the improvements made in India's cement sector, especially in process technologies, more efficient raw material blending, high efficiency classified files, improved process control and management systems, better raw material selection.

He said the Indian aviation industry was fast switching to biofuels. "Our first successful flight from Dehradun to Delhi flew on biofuel ethanol. We are making more progress in that direction," he said.