National Mission on Sustainable Habitat (India)

The National Mission on Sustainable Habitat (NSMH) is one of India’s eight missions under the National Action Plan on Climate Change. The NSMH broadly covers the extension of the Energy Conservation Building Code, better urban planning and modal shift to public transport, and recycling of material and urban waste management. The document discusses the strategies and methodologies for mitigation and adaptation in this context, which may include promoting energy efficiency in the residential and commercial sectors, improved management of water supply, sewerage and municipal solid waste and promotion of urban public transport. Adaptation to climate change, on the other hand, involves planning of settlements and infrastructure to reduce sensitivity to extreme weather events and climate change as well as improved resilience of human systems. It also deals with training, capacity and building R&D, the main components of the mission, institutional arrangements, monitoring and evaluation of the mission. 

The key deliverables of the mission include:

• Development of sustainable habitat standards
• Preparation of city development plans
• Preparation of comprehensive mobility plans