India’s cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on Wednesday approved the country’s long-awaited Nationally Determined Contributions targets for the period 2031-2035, which include a range of commitments on key climate change agendas.
Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) are non-binding national climate plans under the Paris Agreement, where countries specify actions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. It gets updated every five years.
India’s commitments include a 47 per cent reduction in the emissions intensity of GDP by 2035 compared to 2005 levels, achieving 60 per cent of installed electric power capacity from non-fossil fuel sources by 2035, and creating a carbon sink of 3.5 to 4 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent through expanded forest and tree cover. The cabinet noted that these commitments align with the government’s vision of “Viksit Bharat” by 2047, as well as India’s long-term goal of achieving net-zero emissions by 2070 — first announced by the Prime Minister at the Glasgow climate summit in 2021.
“The decision is a testimony of Prime Minister Modi’s firm commitment to environmental and climate issues,” claimed Union minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, adding that India has achieved many of its ongoing NDC targets ahead of schedule.
Government sources told The Telegraph that the newly finalised NDC 3.0 targets would soon be communicated to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), the UN body that governs the global climate change issues.
The UNFCCC originally asked the countries to submit their updated NDCs by early 2025, a deadline later extended to the COP30 in Belem, Brazil, scheduled for November. India had been among the few countries that missed the initial deadline, drawing criticism from other nations and climate activists.
“NDCs 3.0 need to be progressive and more ambitious than current NDCs and may be the last opportunity to put the world on track with a global emission trajectory in line with the Paris Agreement’s 1.5°C goal,” the UNFCCC reminded earlier.
According to a government communiqué, India’s original NDCs submitted in 2015 set targets for 2030, including a 33-35 per cent reduction in emissions intensity of GDP and a 40 per cent share of non-fossil fuel-based power capacity — both of which have already been achieved well ahead of schedule. Emissions intensity declined by 36 per cent between 2005 and 2020, while non-fossil fuel capacity reached 52.57 per cent as of February 2026, surpassing the target five years early.
“Our afforestation efforts have been duly acknowledged by independent agencies such as the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), which has ranked India as third in terms of net gain in forest area and ninth in terms of area under forest,” claimed a government source.
The Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air reported early on Thursday that India’s carbon dioxide emissions grew at their slowest pace in over two decades.
Climate experts have welcomed the decision with a sense of caution. “While the global community has waited with bated breath for this announcement, the result is a clear signal of integrity and commitment — especially at a time when several developed nations are backtracking on their climate pledges,” said Harjeet Singh, founding director of Satat Sampada Climate Foundation.