Aaditya Thackeray Urges Centre and States to Form GST-Style Climate Councils

Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray has asked the government to set up Climate Change Councils at both the Central and State levels. He shared this demand in a post on X on Thursday, November 12, while criticizing the Centre for bad environmental conditions and accusing it of sharing wrong data and greenwashing instead of fixing the crisis.

Councils Design

Mr. Thackeray suggested that a central council should follow the model of the Goods and Services Tax Council. The Prime Minister should head this central body, with Environment Ministers from every State taking part. The plan states that this group must meet every three months to check environmental numbers, climate goals, and actual progress. Union Ministers and officials from urban development, rural development, energy, agriculture, industry, and road departments should also join depending on the topic. For State levels, he wants respective Chief Ministers to lead similar councils with local departments to watch over climate action plans.

Criticisms and Risks

Pointing to the COP31 climate conference in Türkiye and events in Mumbai like the Earthshot Prize and Mumbai Climate Week, Mr. Thackeray questioned if the Centre truly cares about global climate promises. He stated that wrong government data has hurt India's rank on global climate lists. Citizens now spend their own money on air purifiers, water purifiers, and safe food even after paying taxes. Bad environments are also making some people move away and pushing businesses to think about leaving the country, which threatens jobs. He warned that ignoring these threats puts the economy and national security in danger.

Context

Climate councils and similar high-level groups are often proposed to bring different government ministries together for unified action. Environmental pollution and climate shifts affect public health, daily living costs, and industrial operations across major Indian cities. Leaders frequently use international summits and global events to press local administrations for stricter policy changes.