Page 27 - Banking Finance October 2025

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SEBI's Business Responsibility and Sustainability
Reporting (BRSR): Mandates the top 1,000 listed
companies to disclose ESG metrics, enhancing corporate
transparency and accountability.

Carbon Credit Trading Scheme (CCTS)

India is aligning its CCTS with global standards, enabling
domestic participation in international carbon markets. The
scheme's cap-and-trade model operates alongside a
voluntary carbon market, providing dual incentives for
emissions reduction across industries.

A Multi-Sectoral Approach to Decarbo-
nization sanitation, and the use of treated sewage water for
irrigation in 100 cities.
Agriculture and Bioenergy
Green Buildings: Incentives for energy-efficient
India's agricultural sector is being transformed through
construction and retrofitting support the creation of
climate-smart practices:
sustainable urban spaces. Interest rate concessions for
Natural Farming: The government aims to convert one
crore farmers to natural farming within two years, IGBC (Indian Green Building Council) certified homes.
promoting soil health and reducing chemical residues Public Transport and Transit-Oriented Development:
Crop Residue Management: Using crop residues for Investments in metro systems and transit-oriented
bioenergy production reduces air pollution and provides urban planning reduce congestion and emissions
alternative income for farmers. Farmers, cooperatives,
and Panchayats receive up to 80% financial assistance Waste Management and Zero-Waste Cities
for purchasing CRM machinery, also plans to build 333 Budget provisions for solid waste management and
depots with a capacity of 4,500 MT each in Punjab, resource recovery aim to create zero-waste cities, improve
Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, and Madhya Pradesh to municipal finances, and promote circular economy
facilitate the collection and utilization of paddy straw. principles. Swachh Bharat Mission Urban 2.0 (SBM-U 2.0)
Sustainable Aviation Fuel: Plans to introduce a 1% aims to make Indian cities "garbage-free" by 2026. As of
blending mandate for international flights by 2027 September 2024, approximately 38% of legacy waste has
support the decarbonization of aviation. been cleared, with efforts ongoing to address the remaining
landfill sites.
Compressed Bio-Gas (CBG)
CBG, produced from organic waste, is an emerging solution Critical Minerals and Clean Energy Man-
for transport and residential energy. While blending is
currently voluntary, it may become mandatory post-2025, ufacturing
offering another pathway to reduce fossil fuel dependency. Critical Mineral Mission
The launch of the Critical Mineral Mission, with exemptions
Urban Sustainability and Infrastructure from customs duties on 25 critical minerals such as lithium,

Smart Cities and Urban Greening cobalt, and copper, aims to reduce import dependency and
The Smart Cities Mission, PM Awas Yojana, and waste-to- support domestic production of EVs, batteries, and
wealth initiatives are driving urban sustainability. Focus areas renewable energy components. Sourcing these minerals
include: sustainably, including from waste streams through recycling,
Water Reuse and Circular Economy: The Union Budget aligns with circular economy principles and supports India's
2024-25 emphasizes water resource management, clean energy roadmap.

24 | 2025 | OCTOBER | BANKING FINANCE