https://indianmasterminds.com

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT

Cleanest Indian City is now a Model for Other Cities- But for a Different Reason

Generating revenue in the international markets through achieving higher levels of cleanliness is something which the CEO of Indore Smart City Aditi Garg has just perfected. Now, many other Indian cities are queuing up before her to replicate the technique!
Indian Masterminds Stories

While the world is switching over to environment-friendly alternatives, which help in reducing their carbon footprints, Indore (officially the cleanest city in India) is also proving to be the most sustainable by earning a revenue of 52 lakh from selling the carbon credit in the international market. This method of generating revenue- by reducing carbon emission- would not haven possible but for the efforts of IAS officer Ms. Aditi Garg. She is the CEO, Smart City Indore, and has made the city smarter!

Now what the officials under Ms Garg did was this: With the help of three green projects initiated in the city, 1.70 lakh tonnes of carbon dioxide was mitigated. And this earned them carbon credits worth more than 50 lakh in the international market.

WHAT IS CARBON CREDIT?

Carbon credit is a tradable certificate or a permit which gives the right to emit one tonne of carbon dioxide or a mass of another greenhouse gas with a single credit permit. In a more simplistic tone one carbon credit equals to emission of one tonne carbon dioxide or any other green house gas. 

Carbon credit market blockchain (Photo Credit: Medium.com)

Aditi Garg in an exclusive interview with Indian Masterminds said, “In India there is no such market for selling carbon credit, therefore credit generated by tonnes of carbon dioxide is traded in the international market. This initiative being the first one in the country, brought some issues initially as we did not have a template to work on for undertaking this process. Indore being a smart city has already invested in some carbon saving and energy efficient projects which were yet to be monetized in the international market.”

GENERATING REVENUE FROM GREEN PROJECTS

The mitigation of 1.70 lakh tonnes of carbon dioxide was done by three ongoing green projects registered under the Indore Smart City Development Limited (ISCDL). With the establishment of Indore smart city mission in 2016, ISCDL registered three projects under the Verified Carbon Standard (VCS) programme of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) using biomethane, composting, and solar PV technology.

Ms. Garg said, “All these green-plants were functional from the past 10 months, and among these three, one was a composting plant which had the capacity of converting 600 tonnes of waste per day into organic soil. The other two were the bio-methane plants having the capacity of 20 (TDP) and 15 (TDP) of converting waste into bio-methane.”

Composting Plant at Devguradia, Indore

She added, “The carbon credit was earned by the amount of carbon reduced by these three plants. After the registration, we moved onto the next step of verification issuance and further trading the carbon credit in the international market. The main objective was to find the best possible prices in which we can sell these carbon credits.”

Biomethanation plant at Kabit Khedi, Indore

At first, they felt that it would be difficult in finding international buyers as Indore is not so poplar outside India. However, while selling the credits they found a ton of buyers and got a much higher rate in which credits are sold in the carbon market.

Ms. Garg said, “The protocol under which we listed these green projects had a cutoff date in the year 2019, therefore we could only undertake these three projects and not the other two for which it was not commissioned for the monitoring period.”

BENEFITS FROM THE PROJECT

Ms. Garg said, “The first benefit is the monetary benefit, which is that we have managed to generate a stream of revenue. Once someone go out to trade in the carbon market, it is not a one-time earning but a yearly one. The 52-lakh revenue generated from this initiative is a constant stream of revenue which will be generated every single year. As the smart city mission is in its final stage of implementation, we needed to find out new streams of revenue. Hence, this initiative has turned out to be very profitable for us.”

She added, “Secondly, the cities or enterprises which had earned carbon credits but were just unaware of selling it in the international market have now got a way to go and earn a constant revenue out of it. Thirdly, there is also an economic benefit over the social cost.”

Ms. Garg is now reaching out to the people of Indore to undertake such projects for which she will assist them in earning carbon credits and get a return for them. Through this, she also wants to indirectly promote these eco-friendly initiatives and make Indore more sustainable through a concrete economically feasible plan.

Promoting solar energy generation at various buildings such as residential, commercial and government buildings

VISION FOR FUTURE

Soon after this initiative gained popularity, inquires started pouring in from public and private sector. She has also been approached by the Government of India to make a plan, share her experience and expertise with other cities and hand hold them in acquiring this entire process.


Indian Masterminds Stories
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Related Stories
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
NEWS
POWERGRID Celebrates 36th Raising Day
POWERGRID Celebrates 36th Raising Day, Showcases Achievements in Power Transmission and Renewable Integration
Satpura Tiger Reserve
Satpura Tiger Reserve Sees New Tiger Cubs; Jhalai’s First Litter Captured
Madhya Pradesh Logo IM
Hotel & Resort Operators Can Now Conduct Jungle Safaris in MP Tiger Reserves
Sanjiv Bhatt Custodial Torture Case
Gujarat High Court Rejects Sanjiv Bhatt’s First-Class Prisoner Status Plea
Yogi Adityanath
Samarth Uttar Pradesh @2047: Over 53 Lakh Citizens Share Vision for Yogi Adityanath’s Prosperity Campaign
Haryana gov resized
Haryana Government Assigns Additional Charges to Three IAS Officers
Vishnu Deo Sai CM
Record-Breaking Diwali Trade in Chhattisgarh: Rs. 16,000 Crore Boost Fuels Economic Growth and 'Vocal for Local' Movement
CM Vishnu Sai Sohrai Karma Mahotsav 2025
Chhattisgarh CM Vishnu Sai Celebrates Sohrai Karma Mahotsav 2025, Announces Major Grants and Development Projects for Rautia Community
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Videos
WhatsApp Image 2025-10-23 at 10.40
Everybody Needs To Know What Is Transpiring Behind Closed Doors Of Courts
WhatsApp Image 2025-10-19 at 12.23
UPSC Journey Should Be Enjoyable, Not Cumbersome
WhatsApp Image 2025-10-16 at 15.16
The Many Facets of Former IRS Officer and Author, Giselle Mehta | Video Interview
ADVERTISEMENT
UPSC Stories
Parmeshwar Chaudhary RAS
From Taunts to Triumph: How Farmer’s Son Parmeshwar Chaudhary Rose from Lab Assistant to SDM, Securing Rank 3 in RAS 2023
Parmeshwar, once taunted over his SI selection, has scripted a stunning success—securing Rank 3 in RAS...
IAS Rupal Rana UPSC
How Rupal Rana Cracked UPSC CSE 2023 with AIR 26 After Four Attempts
UPSC Topper Rupal Rana secured AIR 26 in 2023 after four attempts. Learn her preparation strategy, booklist,...
Ankita Parashar RAS 2023
4 Attempts, 1 Dream, 0 Excuses: Meet RAS Topper Ankita Parashar, Who Fulfilled a Daughter’s Promise & Secured Rank 2 | Exclusive Interview
Ankita Parashar, a teacher-turned-officer from Pushkar, fulfilled her late father’s dream by securing...
Social Media
IFS Parveen Kaswan
Heartbreak by the River: 15-Day-Old Elephant Calf Rejected by Mother, Rescued by IFS Parveen Kaswan and His Team
Jaldapra, West Bengal: In a moving incident that tugs at the heart, a 15-day-old elephant calf was rescued...
Ashwini Bhide IAS and Anand Mahindra
Who Is IAS Ashwini Bhide, Hailed as a Role Model for Mumbai Metro Transformation by Anand Mahindra?
From heritage to high-tech: Bhide’s leadership in Metro Line 3 earns public praise and admiration
World Rhino Day India
On World Rhino Day, IFS Officer Parveen Kaswan Shares Rare Insights - India Now Hosts 80% of the World’s One-Horned Rhinos
September 22 Marks Global Call for Rhino Conservation; India Holds 80% of World’s Greater One-Horned...
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Latest
POWERGRID Celebrates 36th Raising Day
POWERGRID Celebrates 36th Raising Day, Showcases Achievements in Power Transmission and Renewable Integration
Parmeshwar Chaudhary RAS
From Taunts to Triumph: How Farmer’s Son Parmeshwar Chaudhary Rose from Lab Assistant to SDM, Securing Rank 3 in RAS 2023
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Videos
WhatsApp Image 2025-10-23 at 10.40
WhatsApp Image 2025-10-19 at 12.23
WhatsApp Image 2025-10-16 at 15.16
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT