MoSPI’s 2026–30 environmental-economic accounts strategy expands India’s roadmap beyond conventional GDP

The Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation released the Strategy for Environmental-Economic Accounts in India 2026–2030 on 7 October. It extends an earlier 2022–26 roadmap and is anchored in the UN System of Environmental-Economic Accounting.

Environmental-economic accounts connect economic activity with changes in natural assets and environmental flows. MoSPI says the new strategy will expand or deepen work on forests, minerals, soil resources, land, water, carbon stocks, biodiversity, environment-related activities and broader environmental statistics, while addressing data gaps and setting milestones.

The approach does not replace GDP. Instead, it adds structured information that conventional national accounts do not fully capture—for example depletion of natural assets, ecosystem extent or environmental inputs and residuals. Such accounts can improve policy evaluation, but valuation methods, data consistency and institutional coordination remain demanding.

For civil-services preparation, SEEA should be understood as an accounting framework linking economy and environment, not as a single “green GDP” number. The 2026–30 strategy is a roadmap for statistical development; individual accounts and indicators will be produced through subsequent work.