India’s presence will be muted at the UN climate talks (COP29) in Baku, Azerbaijan. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will not be attending the World Leaders Climate Action Summit at the start of COP29, but even the minister for environment, forest, and climate change Bhupender Yadav will be giving COP 29 a miss. Besides, there will be no India pavilion at this year’s climate meet.However, this is not an indication of India’s lack of interest or commitment to the UN’s climate talks and process. The Indian delegation will comprise 20-odd officials and experts and members of the mission in Azerbaijan. Besides, officials from the environment ministry, the delegation like every year will draw on officials from relevant ministries and organisations such as power, renewable energy, science and technology and finance. A new goal for climate finance or new collective quantified goal (NCQG) to replace the $100 billion, announced in Copenhagen in 2009 and reiterated in Paris in 2015, and finalizing the rules for the carbon markets are top priorities on the COP29 agenda.India is also moving ahead with preparing detailed transparency reports that are required to be submitted as per the Paris Agreement and decisions adopted at previous climate talks. India, sources told ET, is likely to be submitting its fourth Biennial Update Reports (BUR), which will provide information on the country's annual greenhouse gas emissions and its trajectories between 2016 and 2020, during COP29. India is also aiming to submit its first enhanced transparency reports, as agreed under the Paris Agreement, known as Biennial Transparency Report, in DecemberYadav’s absence from Baku is due to the Maharashtra Assembly elections. The environment minister was appointed by the BJP as in-charge for the Maharashtra Assembly elections. The state goes to polls on November 20, and the Baku COP is scheduled to close on November 22.The minister of state for environment, forests and climate change, Kirti Vardhan, will be representing India and delivering the national statement at the high-level segment scheduled for November 18 and 19. Sources confirmed to ET, the junior minister will not be stepping into a ministerial negotiating role.A speakers’ roster prepared by the UNFCCC lists the countries that will be represented by their head of state or government. The updated list of speakers at the World Leaders Climate Action Summit does not include India. A clear indication that till now there is no change in plans, and the prime minister will not be attending the summit in Baku. This will not be the first time that Modi has given the climate meet a miss. He also did not attend the summit at COP27 in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt.The World Leaders Climate Action Summit at the start of a COP is a relatively recent practice that began first at the Paris (COP21) Summit in 2015. The idea being that getting heads of state and government early helps improve outcomes at these talks, as certain high political issues get addressed. The leaders’ summit has become a regular feature since the Glasgow meet (COP26) in 2021, as implementing the Paris Agreement and stepping up climate action have become more important focus of the annual UN talks.The decision not to have an India pavilion this year, according to a person involved in the process, is about weighing the benefits not about lack of engagement. India has had a pavilion at the COP since the 2015 Paris climate summit when country pavilions became part of the climate summits regular feature. These pavilions serve as a standing exhibition showcasing the national efforts to tackle climate change. Through the two weeks, programmes and discussions are held at the pavilion, which are geared to make bilateral announcements, engage in conversations on various aspects of the transition, as well as inform the people from other parts of the world of the efforts, technologies and concerns.