India's Climate Targets: NDC, Panchamrit and Net Zero by 2070
India's climate targets explained: the 2015 and 2022 NDCs, the new NDC for 2031-2035 with a 47% intensity cut and 60% clean power capacity, Panchamrit, LiFE, net zero by 2070 and how far India has got.
What is Panchamrit?
"Panchamrit" (five nectar elements) is the name given to the five promises Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced in India's national statement at COP26 in Glasgow on 1 November 2021 (PIB, 2021):
- Reach 500 GW of non-fossil energy capacity by 2030.
- Meet 50% of energy requirements from renewable energy by 2030.
- Reduce total projected carbon emissions by one billion tonnes from then until 2030.
- Reduce the carbon intensity of the economy by 45% by 2030.
- Achieve net zero by 2070.
Not all five became formal NDC targets in the same words. The 45% intensity cut and net zero 2070 appear in the 2022 update. The "50% of energy" promise was written into the NDC as 50% of installed electricity capacity, which is a different and narrower measure. The 500 GW and one billion tonne figures are national goals but are not among the eight NDC goals.
Sources: UNFCCC: India's Nationally Determined Contribution (2031-2035), April 2026; PIB: Cabinet approves India's Nationally Determined Contribution (2031-2035) (25 March 2026); UNFCCC: India's Updated First Nationally Determined Contribution under Paris Agreement (2021-2030), August 2022; PM India: Cabinet approves India's Updated Nationally Determined Contribution (3 August 2022); UNFCCC: NDC Registry entry, India Updated First NDC; PIB: National Statement by Prime Minister at COP26 Summit in Glasgow (1 November 2021); PIB: India Submits its Long-Term Low Emission Development Strategy to UNFCCC (14 November 2022); PIB: PM and UNSG launch Mission LiFE at Statue of Unity, Gujarat (20 October 2022); PIB: India submits its 4th Biennial Update Report to the UNFCCC (2 January 2025); PIB: India Achieves Landmark 300 GW Non-Fossil Fuel Power Capacity (MNRE, 9 August 2026); PIB: Parliament Question, Indian Carbon Market (MoEFCC, 9 December 2024); UNFCCC: India 2024 Biennial Transparency Report (BTR1) document listing; MoEFCC, India First Biennial Transparency Report (BTR-1) to the UNFCCC
This article was prepared with AI assistance and checked by the GreenEye team against the sources shown in each section.
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