Mumbai: Around one million green jobs will be generated in India over the next two years, according to estimate headhunters. In 2008, a United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) report has highlighted that by 2025 India will see the creation of nine lakh green jobs in the area of biogas alone, an Economic Times report says. Green jobs, as defined by UNEP, refers to work in agricultural, manufacturing, research and development or administrative activities that contribute to preserving environmental quality, and help in protecting the ecosystem and biodiversity. They may include architects designing energy-efficient buildings, organic farmers in villages, environmental engineers or even plumbers installing water-recycle systems. While green architecture, mechanical and chemical engineering, biotechnology and environmental management are the most lucrative and sought-after professions in the new, green sector, policy-making for renewable energy and natural resources management is not far behind. The Suzlon group, a pioneer in exploring renewable energy sources, has signed an MoU with TERI University in March 2009, to institute an MTech in Renewable Energy Engineering and Management. Rajeev Seth, its Registrar, says the need for sustainable development has sensitized a corpus of scientists, managers and leaders to the importance of environmental protection. From just 48 students in 2006, the university now has 260, with the promise of an average pay packet of 4.5-5 lakh per annum up from 2.5 lakh in 2006. "Almost all our students have been placed in companies like TCS, Reliance Infrastructure and IL&FS, and are involved in green activities," adds Seth. One of the biggest future recruiters in green jobs is likely to be real estate, with green buildings coming up fast. A recent study by Jones Lang LaSalle (JLL) estimates that 45 million square feet of additional green building-space in India will be ready by 2012. Companies like Wipro, Microsoft, Cognizant, TCS, Infosys and Oracle are either operating - or planning to - from green offices, revealed the study. "There will be a huge demand for people who can certify green buildings, and architects and project planners who are adept in green building norms," said JLL head (research & intelligence service) Abhishek Kiran Gupta. For those looking for an alternative career, the green sector offers various opportunities. Working with an NGO, or a training programme on sustainability, can help one gain the necessary perspective. Organisations like ACC Cement, Ecosmart, SGS India, TCS, Reliance Energy and M&M offer internships and may even recruit the interns. Unfortunately, Green jobs are still not considered as lucrative. And that's mainly because of a lack of awareness, said Sonam Madav, who did a postgraduate programme in sustainability from the University of Leeds. While entry-level salaries are about 3.5 to 4.5 lakh per annum, packages in the mid-level can vary from 14-20 lakh and a senior professional could even command anything between 45 and 60 lakh, said Balaji of MaFoi.