The world's most populous country and third-largest emitter of greenhouse gases has been facing pressure to curb pollution while meeting rising energy demand.

The announcement came after the cabinet approved India's so-called Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), a roadmap to achieve climate change goals under the Paris Agreement.

The country will "achieve 60 percent cumulative electric power installed capacity from non-fossil fuel-based energy resources by 2035", the statement from the federal government read.

It also pledged to reduce emissions intensity, a measurement of emissions generated relative to GDP, by 47 percent by 2035, compared with 2005 levels.

India had previously aimed to bring the share of non-fossil fuels to 50 percent of installed power capacity by 2030, but has already met that target.

It had also aimed to create a carbon sink of up to three billion tonnes by 2030, compared to 2005 levels. The updated pledges expand that plan to between 3.5 and four billion tonnes by 2035.

"India is capitalising on the extraordinary momentum that saw it smash its previous renewable energy goals years ahead of schedule," said climate activist Harjeet Singh.

Like all signatories to the Paris accord, which aims to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius, India is required to submit updated NDCs to the United Nations through 2035.

It has committed to reaching net-zero emissions by 2070, but remains heavily reliant on coal, which accounts for roughly 75 percent of its electricity generation.

The country emitted an estimated 4.4 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent in 2024, according to UN data, trailing only China and the United States.

However, its per-capita emissions and historical contribution to global warming remain far lower than many developed nations.