National Mission on Sustainable Habitat

India is witnessing rapid urbanisation. According to Census 2011, about 377 million people comprising 31.14% of the total population lived in urban areas. The urban population is projected to grow to about 600 million by 2031. While cities are engines of growth, they also contribute to more than 70% of India’s greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. 

National Action Plan for Climate Change (NAPCC), launched in 2008, outlines multi-pronged, long term strategies to address climate change and its impacts. As a part of NAPCC, National Mission on Sustainable Habitat (NMSH) aims at

• Promoting low-carbon urban growth towards reducing GHG emissions intensity for achieving India’s NDC, and
• Building resilience of cities to climate change impacts and strengthening their capacities to ‘bounce back better’ from climate related extreme events and disaster risks 

What is sustainable habitat

NMSH 2010 defined sustainable habitat as “achieving a balance between the economic and social development of human habitats together with the protection of the environment, equity in employment, shelter, basic services, social infrastructure, and transportation.”

However, in the context of various global and national commitments, i.e. NUA, SDGs, NDCs within the Paris Agreement, it was decided to review/revise NMSH in
2019.  Hence the revised definition is “An approach towards a balanced and sustainable development of the ecosystem of habitat which offers adequate shelter with basic services, infrastructure, livelihood opportunities along with environmental and socio-economic safety including equality, inclusiveness, and disaster
resilience.”

NMSH 1.0

The first version of NMSH released in 2010 for the duration 2010-2020, attempted to promote energy efficiency in buildings, management of solid waste and modal shift to public transport including transport options based on biodiesel and hydrogen. 

The key deliverables include

• Development of sustainable habitat standards that lead to robust development strategies while simultaneously addressing climate change-related concerns.
• Preparation of city development plans that comprehensively address adaptation and mitigation concerns.
• Preparation of comprehensive mobility plans that enable cities to undertake long-term, energyefficient and cost-effective transport planning.
• Capacity building for undertaking activities relevant to the mission.

Key achievements include

• Standards and guidelines have been developed for solid waste management, water and sanitation, storm water drainage, urban planning, energy efficiency and urban transport.
• Energy Conservation Building Code 2017 has been launched and is applicable to buildings that have a connected load of 100 kW or greater, or a contract demand of 120 kVA or greater, and are intended to be used for commercial purposes.
• Specific guidelines have been issued for enhanced lighting system efficiency.
• Since 2015, new initiatives including AMRUT, Smart City initiative, HRIDAY, Swachh Bharat Mission, National Policy on Biofuels 2018, National Electric Mobility Mission Plan 2020 and National Urban Livelihoods Mission have been launched that would support NMSH

NMSH 2.0

The implementation period of NMSH 2.0 is from 2020-21 till 2030.

The objectives of the NMSH 2.0 are as follows: 

• Promote low-carbon urban growth towards reducing GHG emissions intensity for achieving India’s NDC.
• Build resilience of cities to climate change impacts and strengthen their capacities to ‘bounce back better’ from climate-related extreme events and disaster risks.

Key Priorities

To achieve the objectives of NMSH, the subsequent sections provide a roadmap for realising the key priorities of building a sustainable and climateresilient urban India under five thematic areas:

• Energy and Green Building;
• Urban Planning, Green Cover and Biodiversity;
• Mobility and Air Quality;
• Water Management; and
• Waste Management. 

These thematic areas are broad buckets of interventions to be undertaken and may be merged, in the local context, as required. Key mitigation and adaptation strategies to facilitate the development of sustainable habitat have also been recommended under each thematic area.

NMSH 2.0 scheme document

Source : Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, Government of India