Standing the heat: an analysis of heatwave financing in India’s Union budget

This report highlights a significant gap in dedicated public financing for heat resilience In India. The study finds that only around 10% of the ₹8.57 lakh crore tracked across 130 government schemes has the potential to directly address heat-related risks and impacts.

Heatwave response in India is currently scattered across the Ministries of Labour, Health, Agriculture, Rural Development, and Urban Development, without a coordinated national framework. There is also no standalone disaster classification for heatwaves that would unlock dedicated state-level funding. At present, only 11 states formally recognise heatwaves as a state-specific disaster.