ISA is INDIA's "GIFT" to the WORLD: HOLLANDE

NEW DELHI, January 25: France wants to build the Post-Paris Agreement world with India, French President Francois Hollande today said as he called the International Solar Alliance as "India's gift" to the world in combating climate change. Hollande also pledged 300 million Euros to develop solar energy in next five years. He said while France has signed an agreement for participating in the creation of 100 Smart Cities programme, it will also link the initiative with the Solar Alliance by helping to increase public lighting and supplying solar electricity to these cities. He said France will also mobilise its companies, its research and technological institutions and diplomatic network to help achieve the objective of International Solar Alliance and work with India on the vital issue of cost of financing. "I would like to announce here that the French Development Agency will allocate 300 million euros to developing solar energy over the next five years in order to finance the initial projects. "Our role now is to implement the agreement, to launch projects without waiting for its entry into force in 2020. The Solar Alliance is meeting this objective. It is India's gift to the world for combating climate change. France is proud to lead it with you. France wants to build the Post-Paris Agreement world with India. The ISA paves the way for this," Hollande said. He was speaking after laying the foundation stone of Solar Alliance's Secretariat. Yesterday, three MoUs were signed under the 'Smart city' theme for city-specific urban development between French Development Agency (AFD) with the state governments for the cities of Chandigarh, Nagpur and Puducherry. "France will take part in the '100 Smart Cities' Programme launched by the Indian government. We can link this initiative to the Solar Alliance projects by helping to increase public lighting and on a broader level, supplying solar electricity to these cities. "We can also work on rural electrification, decentralised management of energy access and energy efficiency," Hollande said. -PTI