The Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI) has released an extensive strategic document titled 'Strategy for Environmental Economic Accounts in India: 2026-2030'. This document provides a roadmap for the further development of environmental accounting in India, focusing on areas like forests, minerals, soil resources, land, water, carbon stock, biodiversity, and environmental statistics.
The Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI) has been following the System of Environmental-Economic Accounting (SEEA), endorsed by the United Nations Statistical Commission since 2018. Given the wide scope of this work, a clear strategic roadmap was needed. Accordingly, MoSPI released the 'Strategy for Environmental-Economic Accounts in India 2022–2026' to guide the development of environmental accounting in India. This strategy identified several areas for focus, including Material Flow Accounts (MFAs), Ocean Accounts, Energy Accounts, and Thematic Accounts for Biodiversity and Urban Areas.
Since 2018, MoSPI has initiated work on various aspects of environmental accounting and has initiated studies, brought out publications, and reports covering areas such as forests, biodiversity, wetlands, ocean accounts, soil, water quality, croplands, energy, residuals, urban ecosystems, and pollination services.
In order to effectively measure and monitor the vast and evolving domain of environment accounting, MoSPI has compiled and released a document titled 'Strategy for Environmental Economic Accounts in India: 2026-2030'. This document is an extension of the earlier document and aims to provide a broad roadmap with the objective of covering new subjects or enhancement of scope of the subjects for the development of environmental accounting in India. These areas are mainly selected on the basis of recommendations mentioned in the report of 'Green National Account in India A Framework' and the SEEA-CF framework.
The document is comprehensive and elaborative in nature and provides an overview of India’s journey in the field of environmental accounting. It highlights the initiatives undertaken by MoSPI to address existing data gaps, advance the development of environmental-economic accounting, potential data sources, the policy implications, and establish a clear action plan for the coming years.
Source:
Press Information Bureau
