Prakriti 2026, the International Conference on Carbon Markets, convened by the Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE) under the Ministry of Power and the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, the Open Network for Carbon Markets (ONCM) was presented at the plenary on 21st March 2026 as a next step following earlier design discussions. Building on the ONCM roundtable at IIM Bangalore, Prof. R. Srinivasan and Ms. Chaitrali Bhoi outlined ONCM as an Beckn – enabled, interoperable, inclusive and population scale open network. It was proposed as internet for carbon markets and ecosystem actor facilitating interoperability and robust trust mechanism through digital network fabric across the globe.
The presentation drew on validated ONCM design elements from the roundtable and focused on translating the architecture into pilot projects planned for rollout over the coming quarters of 2026. The discussion positioned ONCM within India’s broader digital public infrastructure approach, with an emphasis on enabling cross-border participation, improving transparency, and expanding frictionless market access.
Senior leadership from the Bureau of Energy Efficiency, including Shri Krushna Chandra Panigrahy (Director General), Shri Ashok Kumar (Deputy Director General), and Shri Saurabh Diddi (Director), outlined the institutional direction for the Indian Carbon Market, alongside the launch of the Indian Carbon Market portal. The engagements also included interactions with Mr. Pramod Mishra, who is leading and anchoring the Indian carbon market initiative in collaboration with BEE, as well as interactions with members of the World Bank climate action team, Mr. Marco Castro R., Ms. Yeshika Malik and Ms. Gemma Torras Vives, leading digital infrastructure for carbon markets and climate finance initiatives, bringing in additional global perspectives. The session marked ONCM’s progression from design-stage deliberations to wider public and international engagement.