India has submitted its updated Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), committing to ambitious climate targets for the 2031–2035 period. The Union Cabinet approved these targets on March 25, 2026, ahead of the April 4 submission.\n\nThe updated NDC commits India to reduce the emissions intensity of its GDP by 47 percent by 2035 compared to 2005 levels, a significant upgrade from the previous 2022 NDC target of 45 percent. India also commits to achieving 60 percent of its cumulative installed electricity capacity from non-fossil fuel sources by 2035, and to creating an additional carbon sink of 3.5 to 4 billion tonnes of CO2 equivalent through enhanced forest and tree cover by 2035.
India's progress has been notable: emissions intensity declined by 36 percent between 2005 and 2020, non-fossil fuel sources already account for 52.57 percent of installed electricity capacity as of February 2026, and the country has created a carbon sink of approximately 2.3 billion tonnes of CO2 equivalent through forest cover by 2021.
The NDC is India's third submission under the Paris Agreement and reflects the national climate strategy known as Panchamrit — the five-element climate plan announced at COP26 in Glasgow. The updated targets align with India's long-term goal of achieving net-zero emissions by 2070.
India's climate roadmap is backed by schemes such as the National Solar Mission, PM-KUSUM, Production Linked Incentive for green hydrogen, and the Green Credit Programme. Climate finance and technology transfer from developed nations remain critical asks in international negotiations.