PM chairs first meet of reconstituted climate panel

Prime Minister Narendra Modi today chaired the first meeting of the reconstituted high-level climate panel to review the national action plan on climate change.
Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar, environment secretary Ashok Lavasa, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley and Water Resources Minister Uma Bharati were among those present at the meeting which went on for nearly two hours at the official residence of the Prime Minister.
A senior ministry official had yesterday said that the agenda of the meeting was to review all existing programmes and missions and explore steps for tackling the challenge of climate change.
The 'Prime Minister's Council on Climate Change', set up by the previous UPA government in 2007, was reconstituted by the NDA which dropped well-known environmentalist Sunita Narain and top industry leader Ratan Tata from the body.

The panel is tasked with evolving a coordinated action plan for assessment, adaptation and mitigation of climate change at the national level.