India is fully committed to important steps to combat adverse effects of climate change. The Minister of Environment and Forests, Ms Jayanthi Natarjan said this while addressing a national seminar on India's 2nd National Communication to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, UNFCCC, in New Delhi today.

Releasing the report of the 2nd National Communication, she said that India is one of the first countries to make the report public and submit it well before time to the United Nations Secretariat on Climate Change. Ms Natrajan said, India has made tremendous progress in mitigating climate change and is adopting absolute transparency towards it. The Minister said, India has taken voluntary steps to stablize climate change.

Our Correspondent reports that towards fulfilment of the obligation of furnishing information on implementation of the UNFCC, India has submitted its 2nd Communication in May this year. The salient features of the Communication report include results of wide ranging studies, specifically conducted at the national level, capturing diversity of India. The report also provides the green house gases profile for the year 2007 which is estimated to be of the order of 17,771 million tonnes carbon dioxide equivalent.