It is known that there are means and capacities for mainstreaming climate change into decision making processes at the national and state level. However, since implementation of climate resilient measures happens at a much more local level, it is important to build capacities at the local level too¹. The National Mission on Strategic Knowledge for Climate Change provides the overall direction and seeks to build a knowledge system that would inform and support national action. The State Action Plans on Climate Change (SAPCCs) hold the potential as important interventions in the development process. While 22+ states have created their SAPCCs, a few have created draft reports and fewer still have been endorsed by the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change eg. Madhya Pradesh, Sikkim, Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka and Odisha².

While operationalising climate change concerns into decision making processes, different states have used different methods. For instance, there is a strong role that science and research have played in the climate plans of Karnataka and Madhya Pradesh. Both the states have been successful in drawing on science and research outcomes specific to the states by doing scientific assessments of the climate implications and then recommending action on cropping patterns, water stress etc³.

The Government of Madhya Pradesh in fact has successfully operationalised mainstreaming through its bodies for institutional strengthening. The State Knowledge Management Centre for Climate Change (SKMCCC) has been set up by the Environmental Planning and Coordination Organisation (EPCO) to cater to the information needs of the various stakeholders i.e. policy makers, scientific and academic community and general public on climate change issues. Climate Change Pulse Centres (CCPCs) as innovated and implemented by the Government of Madhya Pradesh, through EPCO, are another institutional strengthening body designated for mainstreaming of climate change discussions into decision making. The community-based Climate Change Pulse Centres (CCPCs) have been set up in 11 Agro Climatic Zones of the state. Development Alternatives has been designated as one CCPC responsible for 3 Agro-Climatic Zones (Vindhyan, Kaimur and Bundelkhand) in five districts of Madhya Pradesh i.e. Sagar, Damoh, Panna, Chhatarpur and Tikamgarh.

The CCPCs form the interface between government officials and village level change makers. Policies are enacted at the ground level through the trained community mobilisers and their adaptive capacities are built through exposure visits to introduce various community based adaptation models. Thus, a proper practice-to-policy connect has been established which has provided the platform for a two-way knowledge transfer between the grassroots and the state government.

As is the case with any adaptation and mitigation plan, tight involvement of the communities in all decision making processes is of utmost importance. Implementation and operationalisation of the climate plan is a crucial success condition to achieve the larger goal of climate mainstreaming. q