India Launches Net Zero Portal and NAPCC Dashboard

What’s the News?

• The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) has launched the India Net Zero Portal and the National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC) Dashboard.
• The platforms were launched in Mumbai by Union Minister of State for Environment, Forest and Climate Change Kirti Vardhan Singh on World Ozone Day.
• The Net Zero Portal provides a national platform for Indian entities to voluntarily register their net-zero targets, disclose greenhouse-gas emissions and report progress.
• The NAPCC Dashboard consolidates information and indicators relating to India's national climate missions to improve monitoring, inter-ministerial coordination and identification of implementation gaps.

India Net Zero Portal

• It is a centralised digital platform for voluntary registration and disclosure of net-zero commitments by Indian entities across sectors.
• Participating entities can:
  • disclose their greenhouse-gas (GHG) emissions;
  • declare a Net Zero target;
  • provide annual progress updates;
  • specify their pathway towards Net Zero through clean-energy transition, energy efficiency, technological interventions and carbon removals.
• Entities are encouraged to disclose:
  • Scope 1 emissions: Direct emissions from sources owned or controlled by an entity.
  • Scope 2 emissions: Indirect emissions associated with purchased electricity, steam, heating or cooling.
  • Scope 3 emissions: Other indirect emissions across the entity's value chain; reporting remains voluntary.
• Entities successfully declaring targets receive an acknowledgement from MoEFCC.
• Public disclosure will create a consolidated national repository of voluntary net-zero commitments.

NAPCC Dashboard

The National Action Plan on Climate Change Dashboard provides a unified digital view of the implementation and progress of India's national climate missions.

It is intended to:

• consolidate mission-related information and identified indicators;
• facilitate monitoring by concerned ministries and departments;
• strengthen inter-ministerial coordination;
• assess sectoral climate progress;
• identify implementation gaps; and
• improve linkage between domestic climate action and India's international climate commitments.

National Action Plan on Climate Change

• NAPCC was launched in 2008 as India's overarching framework for addressing climate change through mitigation and adaptation.
• Its original eight National Missions were:
  1. National Solar Mission
  2. National Mission for Enhanced Energy Efficiency
  3. National Mission on Sustainable Habitat
  4. National Water Mission
  5. National Mission for Sustaining the Himalayan Ecosystem
  6. National Mission for a Green India
  7. National Mission for Sustainable Agriculture
  8. National Mission on Strategic Knowledge for Climate Change
• The current NAPCC Dashboard also covers the National Mission on Climate Change and Human Health, taking the dashboard's coverage to nine national missions.

Net Zero

• Net Zero means reducing greenhouse-gas emissions as far as possible and balancing remaining emissions through equivalent removals.
• India has committed to achieve Net Zero emissions by 2070.
• Net-zero action is connected with India's broader commitments under the Paris Agreement and its Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs).
• The new portal specifically brings voluntary commitments by companies and other entities onto a common, publicly accessible government platform.

World Ozone Day

• World Ozone Day — 16 September
• Official name: International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer
• 2026 Theme: “Global Action for a Cooler Planet”
• It commemorates the adoption of the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer in 1987.
• The Montreal Protocol seeks to phase out ozone-depleting substances and is regarded as a major multilateral environmental agreement.

Additional Info

• MoEFCC: Nodal Union Ministry for environmental protection, climate-change policy, forests and biodiversity conservation.
• NAPCC + SAPCC: India's national climate framework is complemented at the State/UT level by State Action Plans on Climate Change (SAPCCs).
• Climate governance significance:
  • Net Zero Portal → focuses primarily on voluntary entity-level commitments and disclosures.
  • NAPCC Dashboard → focuses on government mission-level implementation and monitoring.
  • Together, they strengthen digital climate governance, transparency, data consolidation and institutional coordination.

Sources

• Impressive Times
• Nation Press

Kumik Declared Ladakh’s First Heritage Village

What’s the News?

• Kumik village in Zanskar has been declared Ladakh’s first designated Heritage Village by Lieutenant Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena.
• The announcement was made during the Ladakh Zanskar Festival 2026.
• The recognition seeks to conserve Kumik’s traditional architecture, Buddhist textual heritage, sacred spaces, agricultural practices and living cultural traditions.
• The designation also draws attention to the village’s prolonged water scarcity, which has caused residents to relocate from the historic settlement.

Kumik Village

• Location: Zanskar region, Ladakh.
• Kumik is a high-altitude Himalayan settlement characterised by:
  • traditional mud, stone and timber houses;
  • Buddhist sacred spaces;
  • traditional farming practices;
  • community customs adapted to the cold-desert environment.
• It has preserved important Kanjur/Kangyur manuscripts and other Tibetan Buddhist materials, making the village significant for both cultural and textual heritage.

Kanjur Manuscripts

• Kanjur, also written Kangyur, is a major collection within the Tibetan Buddhist canon.
• It primarily consists of texts traditionally regarded as the translated words of the Buddha, covering teachings such as:
  • Buddhist discourses;
  • monastic discipline; and
  • tantric literature.
• Many Buddhist works originally transmitted from India survive through their Tibetan translations, giving such collections religious as well as historical importance.

Why Heritage Village Status?

The designation treats Kumik as a form of living heritage, where heritage includes not only monuments but also traditional homes, manuscripts, farming systems, religious practices and community knowledge.

• It is linked to the broader approach of “Vikas Bhi, Virasat Bhi”, combining development with heritage conservation.
• Heritage recognition may support conservation awareness and sustainable cultural tourism.
• The announcement itself does not specify a dedicated restoration budget, conservation timetable or funded water-security programme for Kumik.

Water Scarcity in Kumik

• Kumik traditionally depended on glacier- and snowmelt-fed water for irrigation and daily needs.
• Declining reliability of this supply has affected agriculture and habitation, prompting several families to move towards Lower Kumik, where water availability is comparatively better.
• Earlier studies and reports linked the problem to changing cryospheric and climatic conditions in the Zanskar region.
• A community-linked proposal has envisaged diverting meltwater from a neighbouring glacier through a roughly 300-yard canal at about 18,000 feet; however, the proposal should not be treated as a completed water-security project.

Zanskar

• Zanskar is a high-altitude region of the Union Territory of Ladakh, known for Tibetan Buddhist monasteries, mountain settlements, trekking routes and distinctive cold-desert culture.
• The Ladakh Zanskar Festival showcases the region’s traditional culture, handicrafts, products and tourism potential.
• The 2026 edition was the first major Zanskar Festival after Zanskar received district status, and the festival forms part of Ladakh’s official tourism calendar.

Additional Info

• Ladakh
  • Became a Union Territory in 2019 following the reorganisation of the former State of Jammu and Kashmir.
  • Its fragile cold-desert ecology makes glacier and snowmelt particularly important for water security.
• Heritage Village vs UNESCO World Heritage Site
  • Kumik’s recognition is a UT-level Heritage Village designation.
  • It should not be confused with inscription on the UNESCO World Heritage List.
  • The significance of the designation lies primarily in recognising and conserving the village's living cultural landscape and community heritage.

Sources

• Asianet Newsable
• Open Magazine

Odisha Gets ₹3,406-Crore Silicon Carbide Semiconductor Facility

What’s the News?

• SiCSem Private Limited has received approval to establish a ₹3,406.25-crore Silicon Carbide (SiC) semiconductor manufacturing facility in Odisha.
• The unit will be set up at IDCO Infovalley-II, Arisol Mouza, Jatni Tahasil, Khordha district, under the jurisdiction of the Falta Special Economic Zone (FSEZ).
• Spread across 21.889 acres, the facility will manufacture SiC diodes and SiC MOSFETs.
• It is expected to generate about 1,270 jobs and strengthen India's domestic capability in advanced power-semiconductor manufacturing.

Project Capacity

• Annual production capacity:
  • 4.8 million SiC diodes
  • 91.2 million SiC MOSFETs
• Investment: ₹3,406.25 crore
• Land area: 21.889 acres
• Employment: Around 1,270 persons
• Projected exports: ₹7,043 crore over five years
• Projected Net Foreign Exchange (NFE) earnings: About ₹4,523 crore over five years.
• The project has been approved by the Unit Approval Committee (UAC) of Falta SEZ.

Silicon Carbide Semiconductors

• Silicon Carbide (SiC) is a compound semiconductor made from silicon and carbon.
• It is a wide-bandgap semiconductor, allowing devices to operate efficiently at:
  • higher voltages;
  • higher temperatures; and
  • higher power levels than many conventional silicon-based devices.
• Major applications include:
  • Electric Vehicles (EVs) and fast chargers
  • solar power inverters and renewable-energy systems
  • railways
  • data centres
  • industrial power electronics
  • missiles and defence equipment
  • consumer appliances.

SiC MOSFET

• MOSFET: Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor Field-Effect Transistor.
• It acts as an electronic power switch.
• SiC MOSFETs reduce energy losses and enable efficient power conversion, making them particularly important for EVs, renewable energy and high-power electronics.

India Semiconductor Mission

• The India Semiconductor Mission (ISM) operates under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY).
• It aims to develop a comprehensive domestic semiconductor and display ecosystem covering:
  • semiconductor design;
  • fabrication;
  • assembly;
  • testing; and
  • packaging.
• SiCSem's integrated SiC project was among the semiconductor projects approved for Odisha under ISM.
• The project involves technology collaboration for SiC fabrication and semiconductor packaging and contributes to India's efforts to reduce dependence on imported semiconductor components.

Falta Special Economic Zone

• Falta SEZ functions under the Department of Commerce, Ministry of Commerce and Industry.
• Its administrative jurisdiction extends beyond West Bengal to SEZs in several eastern and northeastern states, including Odisha.
• A Special Economic Zone (SEZ) is a specifically notified area where units receive a specialised regulatory and fiscal framework to encourage:
  • exports;
  • investment;
  • manufacturing; and
  • employment.
• India's SEZ framework is primarily governed by the Special Economic Zones Act, 2005 and SEZ Rules, 2006.

Additional Info

• Odisha's semiconductor ecosystem
  • SiCSem is part of Odisha's expanding semiconductor and electronics manufacturing cluster around Info Valley, Bhubaneswar-Khordha region.
  • Odisha has also attracted projects in areas such as advanced semiconductor packaging and glass substrates.
• Why SiC matters
  • Conventional silicon remains dominant in electronics, but SiC is particularly suited to high-power applications.
  • Its efficiency can reduce power losses, improve EV driving range and enable smaller cooling systems.
  • Domestic SiC manufacturing has strategic relevance for energy security, electric mobility, defence electronics and technology supply-chain resilience.

Sources

• The Hindu BusinessLine
• Odisha TV

India–US Joint Military Exercise Yudh Abhyas 2026 Begins at Auli and Mahajan

What’s the News?

• The 22nd edition of Exercise Yudh Abhyas, the annual bilateral military exercise between the Indian Army and the United States Army, has commenced in India.
• For the 2026 edition, the exercise is being conducted simultaneously at two locations:
  • Auli Foreign Training Node, Uttarakhand
  • Mahajan Field Firing Range, Rajasthan
• Around 600 personnel from each country, or approximately 1,200 troops in total, are participating.
• The exercise focuses on Integrated Battle Groups (IBGs), infantry operations, interoperability, emerging technologies, drones and multi-domain warfare.

Exercise Yudh Abhyas

• Type: Bilateral Army-to-Army military exercise
• Participants: India and the United States
• Edition: 22nd
• Started: Institutionalised in 2004
• Objective: Improve coordination, interoperability and exchange of operational practices between the two armies.
• Training includes:
  • joint planning and execution;
  • tactical field operations;
  • sharing of tactics, techniques and procedures;
  • employment of emerging military technologies; and
  • coordinated operations across varied terrain.

Dual-Terrain Training

Auli, Uttarakhand

• Auli provides a high-altitude Himalayan training environment.
• Training focuses on:
  • mountainous and semi-mountainous terrain;
  • infantry-dominated operations;
  • high-altitude operational adaptability; and
  • employment of Integrated Battle Groups.

Mahajan, Rajasthan

• The Mahajan Field Firing Range provides an arid and semi-desert training environment.
• Activities include:
  • field manoeuvres;
  • live-fire training;
  • demonstration of contemporary weapon systems; and
  • integration of advanced military technologies.
• Conducting the exercise simultaneously in contrasting terrain allows the forces to test operational adaptability under different geographical conditions.

Integrated Battle Groups

• Integrated Battle Groups (IBGs) are agile, self-contained combat formations designed for rapid mobilisation and deployment.
• Depending on the operational requirement, they can combine elements such as:
  • infantry;
  • artillery;
  • armoured units;
  • engineers;
  • air defence; and
  • logistics.
• Yudh Abhyas 2026 focuses particularly on the employment of infantry-dominated IBGs in mountainous and semi-mountainous terrain.

Technology and Multi-Domain Warfare

Technology infusion is a major component of the exercise.

• Training involves drones and autonomous systems for:
  • surveillance;
  • reconnaissance; and
  • battlefield situational awareness.
• Subject-matter experts from both armies are exchanging knowledge on:
  • emerging technologies; and
  • developments in multi-domain warfare.
• Multi-domain operations involve coordinated military activity across domains such as land, air, maritime, cyber and space, depending on operational requirements.

Additional Info

• India–US Defence Exercises

  • Yudh Abhyas: Army exercise
  • Vajra Prahar: Special Forces exercise
  • Cope India: Air exercise involving the Indian and US Air Forces
  • Tiger Triumph: India–US tri-service exercise
  • Malabar: Naval exercise involving India, the US, Japan and Australia

• Auli

  • Located in Chamoli district, Uttarakhand.
  • Its high-altitude terrain makes it suitable for mountain and cold-weather military training.

• Mahajan Field Firing Range

  • Located in Rajasthan, in the Bikaner region.
  • It is a major Indian Army training area suitable for large-scale manoeuvres and live-fire exercises.

Sources

• Times of India

World Ozone Day 2026: Global Action for a Cooler Planet

What’s the News?

• World Ozone Day, officially the International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer, is observed every year on 16 September.
• 2026 Theme: “Global Action for a Cooler Planet”
• The 2026 observance also marks 10 years of the Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol, highlighting the global shift towards climate-friendly and energy-efficient cooling.
• India observed the 32nd World Ozone Day, with the national celebration organised by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) in Mumbai.

World Ozone Day

• The UN General Assembly proclaimed 16 September as the International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer through Resolution 49/114 in 1994.
• It has been observed since 1995.
• The day commemorates the signing of the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer in 1987.

Ozone Layer

• The ozone layer is concentrated mainly in the stratosphere.
• Ozone (O₃) absorbs most of the Sun's harmful ultraviolet-B (UV-B) radiation.
• Excessive UV exposure can contribute to:
  • skin cancer;
  • cataracts;
  • damage to crops and terrestrial ecosystems; and
  • harm to marine organisms.
• Major Ozone-Depleting Substances (ODS) include:
  • Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs);
  • Halons;
  • Carbon tetrachloride;
  • Methyl chloroform;
  • Methyl bromide; and
  • Hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs).

Montreal Protocol

• Adopted: 1987
• Objective: Protect the stratospheric ozone layer by phasing out the production and consumption of ODS.
• It controls nearly 100 chemicals across different categories.
• It is supported by differentiated phase-out schedules for developed and developing countries.
• Nearly 99% of banned ozone-depleting substances have been phased out globally.

Ozone Recovery

If current policies and compliance continue, ozone levels are projected to return to approximately 1980 levels by:

• 2040: Most of the world
• 2045: Arctic
• 2066: Antarctic

Kigali Amendment

• Adopted in Kigali, Rwanda, in 2016 as an amendment to the Montreal Protocol.
• It provides for the gradual phase-down of Hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs).
• Unlike CFCs and HCFCs, HFCs generally do not deplete the ozone layer, but many are potent greenhouse gases with high Global Warming Potential (GWP).
• Full implementation of the Kigali Amendment is estimated to avoid about 0.3–0.5°C of global warming by 2100.

India and Ozone Protection

• India became a Party to the Vienna Convention and Montreal Protocol in 1992.
• India has already phased out controlled uses of:
  • CFCs;
  • Carbon Tetrachloride (CTC); and
  • Halons.
• India is currently implementing the accelerated phase-out of HCFCs and has met its 2015, 2020 and 2025 targets.
• India ratified the Kigali Amendment in 2021.

India's HFC Phase-down Schedule

Against its prescribed baseline, India is scheduled to reduce HFC production and consumption by:

• 2032: 10%
• 2037: 20%
• 2042: 30%
• 2047: 85%

India Cooling Action Plan

• India Cooling Action Plan (ICAP) was launched in 2019 by MoEFCC.
• India was among the first countries to develop a comprehensive national cooling action plan.
• It has a long-term approach covering:
  • reduction in cooling demand;
  • refrigerant transition;
  • improved energy efficiency;
  • alternative technologies;
  • cold chains;
  • buildings; and
  • refrigeration and air-conditioning.
• Its overarching objective is to provide sustainable cooling and thermal comfort while delivering environmental and socio-economic benefits.

Multilateral Fund

• The Multilateral Fund for the Implementation of the Montreal Protocol was established in 1991.
• It provides financial and technical assistance to eligible developing countries for meeting their Montreal Protocol commitments.
• Its implementing agencies include:
  • UNEP
  • UNDP
  • UNIDO
  • World Bank
• More than 10,000 projects in 144 countries have been approved, backed by around US$4.5 billion in contributions.
• Between 1995 and 2021, supported projects are estimated to have avoided about 51.1 gigatonnes of CO₂-equivalent emissions.

Additional Info

• Vienna Convention for the Protection of the Ozone Layer
  • Adopted in 1985.
  • Provides the broader international framework for cooperation on ozone-layer protection.
  • The Montreal Protocol provides legally structured controls on ozone-depleting substances under this framework.
• Ozone vs HFCs
  • CFCs/HCFCs: Ozone-depleting substances; many are also potent greenhouse gases.
  • HFCs: Generally do not destroy stratospheric ozone but contribute significantly to global warming.
  • Therefore, the Montreal Protocol initially focused on ozone depletion, while the Kigali Amendment extended its climate benefits through HFC phase-down.

Sources

• Multilateral Fund