Prime Minster Narendra Modi on Sunday said India will ratify the decisions made at the climate change summit in Paris last year on October 2, Mahatma Gandhi's birth anniversary, ANI reported. His statement comes weeks after Sherpa to the Prime Minister Arvind Panagariya had said India needed more time to ratify the decisions made at the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Paris, France, saying the country would be unable to do so this year.

Modi made the announcement in Kozhikode, Kerala, during philosopher Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya's 100th birth anniversary celebrations. Until now, India had not released an official statement on when it would ratify the Paris climate change agreement. The international accord, which seeks a commitment from countries to stop global temperatures from increasing beyond 2°C, was finalised in December.

At least 55 countries that account for 55% of the world's harmful emissions need to ratify the agreement before it comes into effect. China and the United States have both ratified the accord. China is responsible for over 20% of global emissions, followed by the US (17.9%). Russia accounts for 7.5% of emissions and India for 4.1%.