GRIHA Council, Public Works Department Madhya Pradesh Ink MoU to Mandate Green Buildings Across State

GRIHA Council and the Public Works Department (PWD), Government of Madhya Pradesh, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) during the Akhil Bharatiya Seminar organised by PWD, Government of Madhya Pradesh and Indian Building Congress. In the gracious presence of Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister, Dr. Mohan Yadav, and Minister for Public Works Department, Rakesh Singh and other dignitaries, the MoU was signed by Shabnam Bassi, Deputy CEO and Secretary, GRIHA Council, and S.R. Baghel, Engineer-in-Chief, PWD, Govt. of Madhya Pradesh. This MoU is a statement of intent and goes beyond the administrative agreement. It is a testament of a decisive policy shift and the state’s commitment towards moving green building certification from aspiration to institutional mandate.

Under the Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh, the state has been actively fostering a sustainable built environment through policy-driven initiatives, green building certifications, renewable energy adoption, waste management and integration of climate-smart planning into urban development. Recognising the urgent need to mainstream green building practices across India's construction sector, both parties have agreed to a comprehensive, implementation-focused agenda spanning policy, capacity, project evaluation and governance. 

The MoU between the Public Works Department (PWD), Government of Madhya Pradesh, and the GRIHA Council operationalises a comprehensive framework to promote sustainable construction practices across the state. It mandates the adoption of GRIHA/SVAGRIHA ratings for all new government buildings, ensuring adherence to green building standards. The agreement also focuses on aligning the Schedule of Rates (SoR) with net-zero economy goals by integrating approved green materials and technologies into construction specifications and costing.

In addition, the MoU emphasises capacity building within the PWD through stakeholder-specific training programmes for officials, contractors, architects and partner agencies. It also proposes the creation of a certified evaluator cadre by developing a multidisciplinary pool of experts through structured training and examination. Furthermore, a project tracking dashboard will be established to enable real-time monitoring of all GRIHA-registered projects, ensuring transparency and effective implementation of sustainability goals.

By bringing the built environment under the rigour of GRIHA framework, the state of Madhya Pradesh is setting a replicable model for sustainable, low-carbon, climate-responsive and future ready public infrastructure that serve not only today’s citizens but future generations. 

This partnership between GRIHA Council and PWD, Government of Madhya Pradesh aims to accelerate green building adoption across the state by embedding sustainability in public buildings as a design imperative. Through structured capacity building and skill strengthening across the ecosystem, the collaboration will support a holistic, long-term transition to climate-responsive public infrastructure, thereby contributing to the vision of Viksit Bharat 2047 and India’s Net Zero 2070 goals.