Moumita Bhattacharjee 
In what is probably a first-of-its-kind attempt by an Indian city, Indore has sold carbon credits earned for its sustainable projects, including a bio-methanation plant and compost plant, generating revenue worth Rs 50 lakh.
MoHUA Secretary Durga Shanker Mishra confirmed that the Indore Municipal Corporation (IMC) has successfully registered under the Verified Carbon Standard (VCS). Verra or VCS, formerly the Voluntary Carbon Standard, is a standard for certifying carbon emissions reductions. VCS is administered by Verra, a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization.
“Indore has now received 1.70 lakh Carbon Credits for processing of 600 TPD organic wastes through centralized/ decentralised facilities. By selling carbon credits, city has received ₹52 lakhs for the first year. Project credit period is 30 years i.e. 2017-2047. IMC has initiated a project for bio-methanation plants of 550 TPD capacity in 2 phases that will bring more credits & monetary benefits.” Mr Mishra shared via his official Twitter handle.
Lauding the effort, Mr Mishra tweeted, “To protect ourselves, the economy and land from adverse impacts of climate change, we must reduce emissions of CO2 and other greenhouse gasses under Clean Development Mechanism (CDM). I encourage all other big cities to learn from this example of the cleanest city and get the best value from their generated wastes & make the cities absolutely clean. My heartiest congratulations to lighthouse city of Indore! These plants have so far fetched a positive premium on wet wastes with no tipping fee. Truly it is ‘Aam ke Aam, Guthaliyon ke bhi Daam’. IMC is getting the best out of wastes.”
Aditi Garg, an IAS Officer from Indore, Madhya Pradesh, and CEO of Smart City Project spearheaded this effort, selling carbon credits earned for these projects and earned revenue worth Rs 50 lakh from it.
Speaking to The Better India, Garg revealed, “Ten months ago, the Indore Smart City Development Limited (ISCDL) registered three projects – a bio-methanation plant, a compost plant and 1.5 MW solar plant, under the Verified Carbon Standard (VCS) programme of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). The registered projects helped reduce carbon dioxide emissions by over 1.7 lakh tonnes. One tonne of carbon dioxide equals one carbon credit. The gross earnings received from these projects was paid at the rate of $0.05 per tonne.”
A carbon credit involves permissions or certifications procured for the right to emit one tonne of carbon dioxide or other harmful greenhouse gases.
The revenue earned will be used for establishing other energy-efficient and sustainable options in Indore. Impressed by this achievement, the Ministry of Urban Development has asked her to share her experience with other cities to emulate.
