Encourage green buildings through tax incentives: says Vice President Naidu

Vice President M. Venkaiah Naidu today said that it is time to consider making all new buildings mandatorily go green and environment-friendly to help build not just a stronger but a greener India.

He suggested to the governments, Finance Commissions and local bodies to encourage green buildings by way of tax incentives and other measures.

Inaugurating the three-day CII Green Building Congress 2020 through virtual mode today, the Vice President emphasised that not only new buildings, but existing buildings too should be retrofitted to make them environment-friendly by adopting green practices that promote energy efficiency and water conservation.

He termed sustainable buildings as an important component in building resilient communities and called for extensive use and promotion of low-carbon technologies. “We not only need a stronger India but also a greener India”, he added.

Also read: Building resilient cities

Drawing attention to the increasing number of extreme climate events such as droughts, floods, and wildfires, Naidu said that climate change is as real as daylight and countries all over the world must adopt drastic and revolutionary measures to mitigate the problem of global warming.

Calling for a sustainable approach to development, the Vice President said that the challenge before us is to marry both development and environment. “If we take care of nature, then nature in turn will take care of mankind,” he said.

He stated that buildings and construction account for 39 per cent of energy-related CO2 emissions in the world and wanted the process of total de-carbonisation of the built environment to be accelerated.

Also read: There’s a need to boost India’s green building infrastructure

The Vice President highlighted the need to create awareness on the urgency of promoting the concept of green building among the people. He advised India Green Building Council to launch a campaign for promoting ‘Net Zero Carbon Buildings’.

On the Smart Cities Mission and Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY), the Vice President said that the main motto of the government is to make cities livable centres of growth.

He expressed happiness that India with over 7.61 billion square feet of green building footprint is amongst the top five countries in the world and lauded the role of all stakeholders in building a greener and healthier India.

He appreciated CII for working with State Governments and developers for the implementation of green concepts in affordable housing projects and urged the construction sector to work with the governments in building a greener, healthier and prosperous India.

Naidu complimented CII for developing ‘Guidelines for Combating Covid-19 in Green Buildings’ and said that the good work should continue and the government and industry should work together in achieving the country’s green mission.