175 GW Renewablae Energy Capacity among SD Goals, says Modi

New York, Sep 25: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday outlined India’s climate change goals at the UN Sustainable Development Summit, saying he represents a culture that calls the earth “mother” and that India over the next seven years will create 175 GW of renewable energy capacity.

“I represent that culture that calls the earth Ma.. The Vedas says that the earth is the mother and we are its sons,” he said in Hindi at the summit.

He said India has outlined ambitious programmes to fight climate change. Besides creating 175 GW renewable energy capacity, the country would also stress on energy efficiency, tree plantation, coal tax, clean environment, cleaning up of rivers, waste to wealth movement and sustainable development.

Outlining his government’s programmes towards financial inclusion, he said 180 million new bank accounts had been opened, and termed the measure the biggest empowerment for the poor. He said the government was working towards a Pension Yojana to ensure pension reaches the poor.

Modi said earlier there was talk only of the private sector or public sector, but his government has focused on the “personal sector”, like individual enterprise through micro finance, innovation, start ups, creating opportunities and providing clean water, power, health, education, hygiene for all – all that is needed to live a decent life.

He said the government has fixed a time limit for the programmes, and added that women empowerment is a major part of his government’s policy through “Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao (Save the girl child, educate the girl child)”, which the government has made into a household mantra. Another was to make agriculture more remunerative by connecting fields to markets.

Modi said his government is taking steps to mitigate the agrarian crisis, revive the manufacturing sector, improve the services sector, and stressing on investments in the infrastructure sector and focusing on creating smart cities, which are sustainable and the centres of development.

He said India’s path is linked to sustainable development as it is linked to the tradition of calling the earth “mother”.

Stressing international cooperation in the UN to be at the centre of sustainable development and to fight climate change, he said: “The principle of common but differentiated responsibilities is the bedrock of our enterprise for a sustainable world.”

He also proposed a global education programme to prepare future generations about the need for sustainable development.