The climate study will enable the scientists to gauge the changing aspects of the environment properly.

'This will be the first comprehensive scientific climate assessment study carried out in different regions of the country. India has to build its own capacity to study what is happening to our ecology,' Union Minister of State for Environment and Forests Jairam Ramesh told a recent South Asian seminar on climate change organised by the Delhi-based green body Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) in the capital.

The minister said: 'So far, our knowledge of climate change in the country is mostly impressionistic and not robust. With the climate study being carried out in various places -- including glacial retreat in the Himalayan region and the sea-level rise in coastal states of India -- we'll be able to gauge the changing aspects of our environment properly.'

Some state governments have also been asked to prepare their own climate action plans focussing on environmental changes.

Talking about research collaboration, Ramesh said India could always enter into technology development and transfer activities with foreign nations especially on the subject of the climate change survey.

Ramesh said India was also on its way to launching its own satellite to monitor atmospheric greenhouse gases.

(Soudhriti Bhabani can be contacted at soudhriti.b@ians.in)