UN special envoy Michael Bloomberg meets Indian PM Narendra Modi

Thursday, 19 February 2015 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Reuters: United Nations Special Envoy for Cities and Climate Change, Michael Bloomberg, on Monday (16 February) met Indian Prime Minister, Narendra Modi in New Delhi. Bloomberg, also the founder of financial software, data and media company Bloomberg L.P, had earlier in the day met India’s Finance Minister Arun Jaitley and Urban Development Minister Venkaiah Naidu earlier in the day, with bids to help India develop smart cities. This is his second meeting with Modi, the first being during the latter’s U.S. visit in September last year. Bloomberg’s charitable foundation, Bloomberg Philanthropies will reportedly assist India’s Urban Development Ministry to handpick cities for the smart-city project on the basis of urban reforms like sanitation and ease of doing business, to be implemented in a 10-year period. Modi has pledged among other development goals, to establish 100 new ‘smart’ cities, creating new logistic hubs and residential townships. He has also made renewable energy a priority for his government, as he looks to leverage the falling cost of solar power - expected to reach parity with conventional energy by 2017 - and address India’s chronic power shortages. Bloomberg will reportedly urge both the Indian private sector and foreign investors to continue developing and investing in the clean energy market as nations work toward an international climate agreement in Paris, this December. India, the world’s third-largest emitter of greenhouse gases, often acts as the voice of the developing world in climate change talks, and winning its support is seen as crucial if countries are to reach a deal. Meanwhile, two U.S.-based companies, SunEdison and First Solar, on Sunday (February 15) committed to build more than 20,000 megawatts of clean energy capacity in India by 2022, a boost for Modi’s efforts to meet ambitious renewable targets. Before leaving for India, Michael Bloomberg tweeted: “India has made great progress in promoting economic growth, protecting the environment, and improving public health.” He will also head to business hub Mumbai where Bloomberg Philanthropies will sign memorandums with state government of Maharashtra on strengthening road safety, say reports.

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