The Seventh Conference of Parties (COP-7)
to the UNFCCC decided that Parties participating in
CDM should designate
a National Authority for the CDM and as per the CDM
project cycle, a project proposal should include written
approval of voluntary participation from the Designated
National Authority of each country and confirmation
that the project activity assists the host country in
achieving sustainable development.
Accordingly the Central Government constituted the National
Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) Authority for
the purpose of protecting and improving the quality
of environment in terms of the Kyoto Protocol;
The composition of the "National
Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) Authority"
is as follows:
1. |
Secretary (Environment
and Forests) |
Chairperson |
2. |
Foreign Secretary
or his nominee |
Member |
3. |
Finance Secretary
or his nominee |
Member |
4. |
Secretary, Industrial
Policy and Promotion or his nominee |
Member |
5. |
Secretary, Ministry
of Non Conventional Energy Sources or his nominee |
Member |
6. |
Secretary, Ministry
of Power or his nominee |
Member |
7. |
Secretary, Planning
Commission or his nominee |
Member |
8. |
Joint Secretary
(Climate Change), Ministry of Environment and Forests |
Member |
9. |
Director (Climate
Change), Ministry of Environment and Forests |
Member-Secretary |
The National Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) Authority
receives projects for evaluation and approval as per the
guidelines and general criteria laid down in the relevant
rules and modalities pertaining to CDM in addition to
the guidelines issued by the Clean Development Mechanism
Executive Board and Conference of Parties serving as Meeting
of Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention
on Climate Change.
The evaluation process of CDM projects includes an assessment
of the probability of eventual successful implementation
of CDM projects and evaluation of extent to which projects
meet the sustainable development objectives, as it would
seek to prioritize projects in accordance with national
priorities.
The National Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) Authority
can recommend certain additional requirements to ensure
that the project proposals meet the national sustainable
development priorities and comply with the legal framework
so as to ensure that the projects are compatible with
the local priorities and stakeholders have been duly consulted.
The Authority ensures that in the event of project proposals
competing for same source of investment, projects with
higher sustainable development benefits and which are
likely to succeed are accorded higher priority.
The Authority also carries out the financial review of
project proposals to ensure that the project proposals
do not involve diversion of official development assistance
in accordance with modalities and procedures for Clean
Development Mechanism and also ensure that the market
environment of the CDM project is not conducive to under-valuation
of Certified Emission Reduction (CERs) particularly for
externally aided projects.
The Authority carries out activities to ensure that the
project developers have reliable information relating
to all aspects of Clean Development Mechanism which include
creating databases on organizations designated for carrying
out activities like validation of CDM project proposals
and monitoring and verification of project activities,
and to collect, compile and publish technical and statistical
data relating to CDM initiatives in India.
The Member-Secretary of the National Clean Development
Mechanism (CDM) Authority is responsible for day-to-day
activities of the Authority including constituting committees
or sub-groups to coordinate and examine the proposals
or to get detailed examination of the project proposals.
The National Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) Authority
has the powers:
(a) |
to invite officials
and experts from Government, financial institutions,
consultancy organizations, non-governmental organizations,
civil society, legal profession, industry and commerce,
as it may deem necessary for technical and professional
inputs and may co-opt other members depending upon
need. |
(b) |
to interact with
concerned authorities, institutions, individual
stakeholders for matters relating to CDM. |
(c) |
to take up any environmental
issues pertaining to CDM or Sustainable Development
projects as may be referred to it by the Central
Government, and |
(d) |
to recommend guidelines
to the Central Government for consideration of projects
and principles to be followed for according host
country approval. |
|