Central government subsidies for clean energy projects rose to 2.36 billion rupees in the fiscal year that ended March 31, an increase of 63 percent over the previous year. So far this financial year, the government has provided 1 billion rupees of subsidies. Assistance included higher rates for clean power and lower interest rates.

India is set to build an advanced ultra-super critical coal-fired power plant in the next six years, according to the Business Standard, putting it in a position to significantly reduce pollution compared to its current thermal plants.

China is going to leave the rest of the world "in the dust" in terms of the development of a green economy, head of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change Christina Figueres said at a panel discussion in Switzerland last week. Last year the country boosted low carbon energy spending by 30 percent to reach over $50 billion, the largest figure of any country, and the development is set to continue. According to Bloomberg, China WindPower Group is slated to borrow as much as $240 million from the Asian Development Bank to develop more wind farms.

Environment minister Jairam Ramesh has fallen under heavy criticism from environmentalists and tribal rights activists after granting clearance to the Korean giant Pohang Iron and Steel Company to build a $12 billion steel plant in Orissa. The 12 million ton capacity plant was approved in 2007, but faced project-stalling opposition from tribal populations in possession of the necessary lands and from environmental groups concerned about the effects of the plant.

Environment minister Jairam Ramesh announced the launch of a "very small" emissions trading scheme last week as an effort to reduce air pollution. Ramesh maintained that the scheme was not "because of the global negotiations on climate change," but is instead aimed at reducing public health problems as a result of air pollution. Valsa Nair Singh, chairperson of the Maharashtra State Pollution Control Board, said that the initiative will be carried out by placing air quality analyzers on factory premises as well as inside chimney stacks.

In response to local pressure to crack down on illegal mining, Goa chief minister Digambar Kamat said that "mining officials will have to follow the directives. If they don’t do it, they will be hanged." The wealthy region has recently seen greater activity from anti-illegal mining activists, resulting in the closure of two mines and increased pressure on corrupt officials to conform to policies. Villagers near the two mines complained that the mines, which had not obtained permission under the Water and Air Pollution Acts, were operating in collusion with local officials.

Seven people were burned alive at a stone crushing plant in the Bandaguda village in Orissa state during a pollution protest last week in India. The plant, which crushes stones for use in cement and concrete, has been criticized for heavy air pollution. The bodies were identified as the plant's three owners, a security guard, and three other employees. Authorities suspect villagers set the fire after locking the seven in a break room.

The World Bank urged countries to place monetary value on natural ecosystems as part of their economic development in a report released last week. "At current rates, we are in danger of undermining the basis on which growth has been achieved in the last decades. We do not believe that current growth patterns are sustainable," said Rachel Kyte, vice president for sustainable development at the bank. Kyte gave the example of Thailand's pricing of mangrove swamps, which can be worth as much as $16,000 a hectare if their importance in providing a barrier against floods is taken into account.

Forest fires have contributed to a large reduction in India's forest cover since 2009, with the heaviest losses occurring in Andrha Pradesh. The state reported a maximum forest cover loss of 281 square kilometer and a decrease across all states and territories totaling 867 square kilometers. Some of the damage is due to logging, and the state center in Andrha Pradesh blamed the Naxals, a militant Communist group, for felling trees. However, much of the damage is due to widespread fires.

India's air quality is worst in the world for its effect on human health, according to a recent study from Yale and Columbia universities, measuring 3.73 out of a possible 100 points. The study, which used satellite data to measure air pollution concentrations, found that the fine particulate matter level in India is nearly five times the limit at which it becomes unsafe for humans.