India's
Climate
Roadmap

On March 25, 2026, the Union Cabinet approved India's updated Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) for the 2031-2035 period, to be submitted to the UNFCCC. Advancing from its 2030 goals, India has committed to reducing the emissions intensity of its GDP by 47% by 2035 (from 2005 levels). It also raised its clean energy ambition, setting a target to achieve 60% of installed electricity capacity from non-fossil fuel sources by 2035. Furthermore, India plans to create an additional carbon sink of 3.5 to 4 billion tonnes of CO₂ equivalent through expanded forest and tree cover. The Cabinet noted that India had already reduced emissions intensity by 36% between 2005 and 2020, and its non-fossil capacity exceeded 52% in 2026.

In a landmark verdict on March 11, 2026, the Supreme Court in *Harish Rana v. Union of India* permitted the withdrawal of life-sustaining medical treatment for a patient who had been in a Persistent Vegetative State (PVS) for 13 years. This was the first concrete application of the framework set out in the *Common Cause* judgments (2018 and modified in 2023). The Division Bench ruled that Clinically Assisted Nutrition and Hydration (CANH) constitutes "medical treatment." By applying the "best interests" paradigm, the Court allowed the discontinuation of CANH. The 338-page judgment underscored the Right to Die with Dignity under Article 21, but also urged Parliament to enact comprehensive legislation, noting the delicate balance between patient autonomy, substituted judgment, and avoiding ableist assumptions.

The Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI) officially launched the new Consumer Price Index (CPI) series, shifting the base year from 2012 to 2024. Based on the Household Consumption Expenditure Survey (HCES) 2023-24, the new CPI basket expands from 299 to 358 items. Crucially, the weightage of the "Food and Beverages" category has declined from 45.86% (in the 2012 series) to 36.75%, reflecting a structural shift in Indian household spending towards services and non-food items. Conversely, the weight for "Housing" increased to 17.67%. The basket now includes modern expenditures such as OTT streaming services, gym memberships, smart devices, and babysitter services, making the inflation metric a more accurate reflection of contemporary urban and rural spending.

ISRO confirmed its ambitious schedule to execute seven major launches by the end of March 2026. The crown jewel of this manifest is the **HLVM3 G1** mission — the first uncrewed orbital test flight of the Gaganyaan human spaceflight programme. The mission will carry the humanoid robot 'Vyommitra' to validate life support and crew module systems. Other critical missions include **PSLV C63 / TDS-01**, a Technology Demonstration Satellite testing High Thrust Electric Propulsion, an indigenous Travelling Wave Tube (TWT) Amplifier, and Quantum Key Distribution (QKD). Furthermore, ISRO/NSIL will launch the **PSLV N1**, the first Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle manufactured entirely by an Indian industry consortium (HAL-L&T).

In a strong signal of economic pragmatism overcoming recent diplomatic frictions, India and Canada launched formal negotiations for a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) on March 2, 2026. The Terms of Reference (ToR) were signed in New Delhi by India's Commerce Minister and Canada's Minister of International Trade, in the presence of the two Prime Ministers. The agreement aims to elevate bilateral trade from the current USD 8.66 billion (FY2024-25) to US$50 billion by 2030. The negotiations will cover trade in goods, services, and other policy areas, expanding market access into Canada's USD 2.34 trillion economy.