State Climate Fellows

Deploying young, dynamic and experienced climate professionals to drive subnational climate action across India. 

India gate
Tripura bio villages

About the project

Our State Climate Fellows use their expertise to champion state climate strategies, streamline action and build alignment with India's national climate goals.

The initiative aims to boost the technical capacity of states; offer opportunities for knowledge exchange and interdepartmental coordination and explore collaboration between states, external agencies and networks.

In phase 1 (2021-2023), Fellows were deployed in the states of Assam, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Tripura. In phase 2 (2023-2024) we have deployed Fellows in the states of Punjab, West Bengal and Union Territory of Ladakh while retaining two in the states Tripura and Madhya Pradesh.

Meet Abhipsha Ghosh:

Abhipsha is our State Climate Fellow for West Bengal

Abhipsha is supporting the Environment Department of West Bengal in project development and policy planning to strengthen environmental and climate action across the state. She is currently engaged in the ongoing revision of the State Action Plan on Climate Change for West Bengal in consultation with key stakeholder departments and subject experts. 

 

Meet Dr. Ajaz Hussain:

Ajaz is our State Climate Fellow for UT Ladakh

Ajaz is engaged with the Government of UT Ladakh, assisting the Power Development Department of UT Ladakh with project development work related to Carbon-Neutral Ladakh, Rooftop solar program Ph-II in Ladakh, and Ladakh Renewable Energy Initiative projects. 

Meet Anurag Gupta:

Anurag is our State Climate Fellow for Madhya Pradesh

Anurag's role as a State Climate Fellow is to work with the Government of Madhya Pradesh (MP), on the implementation of rooftop solar (RTS) initiatives such as the SRISTI, SUBAH and SURAJ. Under these initiatives, RTS will be installed in over 280 technical institutions across the state, and at several medical and Panchayati raj institutions in eight states of southern India. He is also working on the implementation of RTS projects at 11 campuses of the Footwear Design and Development Institute and 10 campuses of the National Power Training Institute of India.  

Meet Samrat Deb:

Samrat is our State Climate Fellow for Tripura

Samrat is working with the Government of Tripura's Directorate of Biotechnology on an ambitious pilot initiative called "Bio-Village". 

Meet Sehajdeep Kaur:

Sehajdeep is our State Climate Fellow for Punjab

Sehajdeep is working with the Directorate of Environment and Climate Change (DECC), Punjab, to achieve net zero carbon emissions in the state. They are working on a comprehensive plan to attain this goal, with the primary objective of supporting Punjab in constructing a sustainable and resilient future, while tackling the challenges presented by climate change. By focusing on the mitigation of carbon emissions, they aim to create a greener and cleaner environment that will benefit generations to come. 

Quote card with text: From my previous engagements, I’ve been aware that policies are often disconnected from what happens on the ground. However, working as a State Climate Fellow, I’ve realised that attempts are being made to close this gap. Image of Arundhati Deka. Climate Group and Swaniti Initiative logos at top.

Meet our previous Climate Fellows

Our State Climate Fellows programme has been running since 2021 and has proven to be an invaluable way of ensuring climate issues are factored into state government work.

Logo of Swaniti Initiative

Our partners

We've partnered with Swaniti Global, a nonpartisan social enterprise, to deliver the State Climate Fellows initiative across several states in India. 

Swaniti Global has expertise in research, programme implementation and technological innovation, and undertakes activities to increase the capacity of politicians, improve governance systems, fight misinformation and improve civic engagement. 

To find our more, please contact

Shikha Dhawan, Senior Project Officer - Government Engagement, India

PDF

State Climate Fellowship brochure.pdf

Size: 2.15 MB

Date added: 29/09/23

Know more about the Fellows' work