GRIHA Council Signs MoU with Public Works Department, Government of Madhya Pradesh to Scale Sustainable Public Infrastructure

A Landmark Commitment That Sets Pathway for Greener Public Works and Climate-Responsive Development

Bhopal, 02 May 2026: In a significant stride toward embedding sustainability at the core of India's public infrastructure, GRIHA Council and the Public Works Department (PWD), Government of Madhya Pradesh, formally signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) during the Akhil Bharatiya Seminar organized by PWD, Government of Madhya Pradesh and Indian Building Congress. In the gracious presence of the Hon'ble Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh, Shri Dr Mohan Yadav, and the Hon'ble Minister for Public Works Department, Shri Rakesh Singh and other dignitaries, the MoU was signed by Ms Shabnam Bassi, Deputy CEO and Secretary, GRIHA Council, and Shri 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 able leadership of the Hon’ble 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. Recognizing 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 PWD, Govt. of Madhya Pradesh and GRIHA Council primarily operationalizes:

• Mandatory GRIHA/SVAGRIHA for new government buildings
• Aligning Schedule of Rates (SoR) with Net Zero Economy Goals: Integrate approved green materials/technologies into specifications and costing.
• PWD capacity building: Stakeholder specific trainings for officials, contractors, architects, and partner agencies.
• Certified evaluator cadre: Create a multi-disciplinary pool of expertise via training and examination.
• Project tracking dashboard: Real-time status monitoring of all GRIHA-registered projects.

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.

About GRIHA Council:

GRIHA (GRIHA Rating for Integrated Habitat Assessment) was jointly developed by The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) and Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE), Government of India to promote the development of green buildings and sustainable habitats. GRIHA Council aims to promote the construction of environmentally responsible and resource-efficient buildings through the GRIHA rating framework.

GRIHA evaluates the environmental performance of a building holistically over its entire life cycle, thereby providing a definitive standard for green buildings. The Government of India has recognized 'GRIHA' as an indigenous tool to evaluate Greenhouse Gas (GHG) reduction from habitats under its obligations to mitigate climate change as contained in the Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) documentation submitted to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). India, in its third biennial report submitted to the UNFCCC, has recognized GRIHA as India’s own national rating system for green buildings.

For more information on GRIHA, please visit: a href="https://www.grihaindia.org/" target="_blank">www.grihaindia.org/a>

About Public Works Development, Govt. of Madhya Pradesh:

Public Work Department (B&R) and Public Work Department (Bhawan) is the premier agency of Government of Madhya Pradesh engaged in Planning, Designing, Construction and Maintenance of Government assets like Roads, Bridges, ROB's, Fly Overs and Buildings.

The main activities of the PWD (B&R) are Construction, Upgradation and Maintenance of National Highways, Major District Roads, Other District Roads, Village Roads and Construction of Bridges, Fly Overs and ROB's in the State. The total length of Road network in PWD is about 80775 kms. The Public Work Department (Bhawan) undertakes Construction of Buildings in the State in Project mode. Public Works Department is Nodal Agency for e- registration of Contractors of all Works Department in the State.

For more information on Public Works Development, Govt. of Madhya Pradesh, please visit: https://mppwd.gov.in/