New Delhi, Apr 8 (IANS): The NITI Aayog will release on April 11 a 'State Energy and Climate Index' that will be useful for the states and UTs to plan better policies and efficiently manage their energy resources in view of the changing climate.

"The index can be used by the states and UTs to benchmark their performance against their peers, analyze the potential challenges to develop better policy mechanisms, and efficiently manage their energy resources," said a NITI Aayog official.

The State Energy and Climate Index (SECI) Round-1 aims to rank states and UTs on six parameters: (1) Discoms' Performance (2) Access, Affordability and Reliability of Energy (3) Clean Energy Initiatives (4) Energy Efficiency (5) Environmental Sustainability; and (6) New Initiatives. These parameters include a total of 27 indicators. Based on the outcome of SECI Round-1 scores, states and union territories have been categorized into three groups: 'Front Runners', 'Achievers', and 'Aspirants'.

The State Energy and Climate Index Round 1 will be released in the presence of secretaries of various government departments and stakeholders from the energy sector that would be invited to the release event here.

India is party to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) wherein more than 190 countries negotiate emission cuts to restrict global temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius compared to the pre-industrial era. India already has a National Mission on Climate Change.