JAMMU, DECEMBER 7: Commissioner Secretary, Rural Development Department and Panchayati Raj, Mandeep Kaur, today reviewed the Local Climate Action Plan for Palli Panchayat of Samba district.The meeting was attended by S M Sahni from INTACH, CEO JAKEDA, ACD Samba, representatives from IIT Jammu, SKUAST Jammu, Forest Department and Agriculture Department.It is pertinent to mention that on the occasion of National Panchayati Raj Day 2022, Palli was declared first carbon neutral panchayat by the Prime Minister. A 500Kw solar power plant had been installed in the panchayat by Rural Development Department in collaboration with Central Electronics Limited, Government of India.Government of India supported the efforts to universalise the concept under Gram Urja scheme and Unnat Bharat Abhiyan. IIT Jammu along with participating institutes conducted the base survey on the energy consumption and emissions of CO2 in Palli which became the foundation for formulation of a mitigation plan referred as Local Climate Action Plan, formulated in collaboration with SKUAST Jammu, Forest, Health, Agriculture, Finance, Animal Husbandry, Sheep Husbandry, Education, JAKEDA and other departments.A committee under Deputy Commissioner Samba converted the plan on the basis of findings of the survey into an implementation framework to be funded out of the running schemes of different departments.On the occasion, Mandeep Kaur reviewed the status of implementation of the plan and ways to universalise it across JK.She further stated that Palli Panchayat is the first panchayat which is on its way to become Carbon Neutral Panchayat and is serving as a precedent not only for Jammu and Kashmir but for other Panchayats across the country.
