- Why in news
- On 14 July 2026, ICLEI South Asia and the National Institute of Urban Affairs held an event in New Delhi marking a decade of the CapaCITIES programme. Three knowledge products and a video training series were launched.
- What it is
- CapaCITIES is the Capacity Building Project on Low Carbon and Climate Resilient City Development in India. It helps Indian cities and states build the tools and institutions to plan for low-carbon, climate-resilient growth. It works through city action plans, pilot projects and climate cells in urban local bodies.
- Launch and funder
- The programme began in 2016 and is funded by the Embassy of Switzerland to India and Bhutan.
- Implementing partners
- ICLEI South Asia, South Pole and econcept implemented it, with the National Institute of Urban Affairs as knowledge partner.
- Net-zero city plans
- Net-Zero Climate Resilient City Action Plans were prepared for eight cities in four states, including Ahmedabad, Rajkot, Vadodara, Coimbatore, Tiruchirappalli, Tirunelveli, Siliguri and Udaipur.
- Climate cells
- Permanent Net-Zero and Climate Action Cells were set up in six project cities for implementation, monitoring and climate budgeting.
- Regional scale-up
- Capacity-building frameworks were extended to Bhutan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Malaysia.
- Training resource
- The video training series on net-zero city action plans is available on the National Urban Learning Platform.
Don’t confuse with CapaCITIES vs CITIIS 2.0: CapaCITIES is a Swiss-funded capacity-building project. CITIIS 2.0 is a separate urban programme, named in the release as one of the routes for scaling local demonstrations.
Don’t confuse with CapaCITIES vs CSCAF: CSCAF is the Climate Smart Cities Assessment Framework. CapaCITIES supported cities in using it but is not the framework itself.
Schemes: 52 Prelims questions since 2013, 10 in Prelims 2026 alone. They test features, the period and who funds it. In Mains, 33 news-triggered questions, mostly GS3.
Why it matters
- It shows how city-level capacity can support India's 2070 net-zero goal.
- Pilots such as floating solar, flood warning and urban forests give replicable models for other cities.
Problems
- Climate cells and plans must be built into municipal planning and budgets, not stay as project add-ons.
- Urban local bodies have weak finances and staff, which limits scaling of bankable projects.
Way forward
- Set up dedicated climate cells in urban local bodies, as the Ministry's Economic Adviser urged.
- Link city climate plans to national missions and financing channels so successful pilots can be scaled.
Put in your answer
Climate cells in ULBs: Six project cities have permanent Net-Zero and Climate Action Cells, an institutional example for climate budgeting.
Pilot example: Tirunelveli: Tirunelveli's early flood warning system is an example of local climate adaptation.
- 2016Mains GS1 · Q17Why major Indian cities are becoming more vulnerable to floods
- 2020Mains GS1 · Q15Causes of urban flooding in smart cities; lasting remedial measures
- 2024Mains GS3 · Q18Causes of climate-induced urban floods; policies and frameworks to tackle them
- 2020Prelims Q85Meaning of Social Cost of Carbon
- 2026Prelims Q23Rationale for protecting mangroves for climate resilience
UPSC’s own questions that come close to this issue, from our Prelims and Mains banks.
No practice question for this one; the card may still help an answer. Why: Climate-resilient urban development programme with Swiss funding; few facts UPSC is likely to turn on.
Worth revising until Prelims 2028: most news questions come within two years of the event.