PM Narendra Modi leaves for home after concluding five-day visit to G20, COP26 climate summit

Image courtesy: ANI

Glasgow: Prime Minister Narendra Modi's five-day foreign visit to Rome, Italy and Glasgow, UK concluded on Tuesday, after enhancing India`s self-declared renewable energy commitments at COP26 in Glasgow, and outlining India`s position on global issues at G20 Summit.

Before departing for India following his 5-day visit to the United Kingdom and Italy, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday interacted with members of the Indian community in Glasgow. Amid cheers and slogans of `Bharat Mata ki Jai`, a huge crowd of people dressed in Indian attire greeted Prime Minister Modi with folded hands at the premises of the hotel where the prime minister was staying.

#WATCH PM Modi plays the drums along with members of the Indian community gathered to bid him goodbye before his departure for India from Glasgow, Scotland

(Source: Doordarshan) pic.twitter.com/J1zyqnJzBW — ANI (@ANI) November 2, 2021

Among the group were several children and PM Modi reached out to interact with them, shaking hands and giving hi-fives to some older kids. He was also seen holding one cheerful toddler. 

#WATCH PM Narendra Modi interacts with young children as he departs from the hotel in Glasgow for the airport to return to India

(Source: Doordarshan) pic.twitter.com/iT6b4o1AX3

— ANI (@ANI) November 2, 2021

As PM Modi was departing for the airport, members of the Indian community bid him farewell to the accompaniment of the beats of drums and loud cheering. PM Modi also played along a few beats with the enthusiastic drummers who were dressed in traditional kurta pyjama and turbans as members of the Indian community gathered to bid him goodbye before his departure for India from Glasgow, Scotland.

PM Modi delivered a "seminal" statement at the 26th session of the Conference of Parties (COP26) highlighting the range and depth of climate actions taken by India along with future goals that the country has set for itself at the Conference of Parties (COP26) in Glasgow.

Addressing COP26 address on Monday, Prime Minister Modi announced five "amrit tatva" including the target to attain net-zero emissions by 2070. He declared that India will increase its capacity of non-fossil energy capacity to 500 GW and meet 50 per cent of its energy requirements through renewable energy by 2030.

Highlighting India`s efforts to combat climate change, PM Modi stated that India is the only major economy that has worked and delivered on the Paris commitments both in letter and spirit. Noting that climate change is a "big threat" to the existence of some developing nations, PM Modi said that he feels it`s his duty to raise the voice of developing countries.

On Tuesday, Prime Minister Modi and British Prime Minister Johnson launched the Infrastructure for the Resilient Island States (IRIS) initiative in Glasgow. The launch was part of the India-UK Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI).

PM Modi also attended the launch event of Infrastructure for the Resilient Island States and announced that the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) will build a special data window for Small Island Developing States (SIDS) for timely information about cyclones, coral-reef monitoring, coast-line monitoring through satellite.

He also participated in the Build Back Better for the World (B3W) event and laid stress on four aspects in infrastructure creation including sustainable and transparent finance that respects the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all countries.

In Rome, Italy, PM Modi attended the G20 Summit and held several bilateral meetings with top world leaders. PM Modi met with European Council President Charles Michel and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on the sidelines of the 16th G20 Summit. During the meeting, leaders of India and the EU reviewed a wide range of issues covering political and security relations, trade and investment.

During his Rome visit, PM Modi also interacted with the community members from various organisations including representatives of the Sikh community. 

Prime Minister Modi also held various bilateral meetings with several heads of the state on the sidelines of the G20. He met German Chancellor Dr Angela Merkel, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez and Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi. In Rome, Prime Minister also met Indonesia President Joko Widodo and Prime Minister of Singapore, Lee Hsien Loong. 

The Prime Minister also met French President Emmanuel Macron and the two leaders expressed satisfaction at the state of the wide-ranging India-France Strategic Partnership. 

While attending the three sessions on issues like Global Economy, Climate Mitigation and Sustainable Development, Prime Minister highlighted how India has always been serious about its global obligations, emphasising the need to recognise Indian vaccines at the earliest. 

He backed the 15% minimum corporate tax rate which will prove to be a vital step in making the global financial architecture fairer. Emphasising the need for Climate Mitigation and Climate Justice, Prime Minister presented three actionable points in front of G-20 partners. 

On Monday, Prime Minister Modi announced five "amrit tatva" at the COP26 Summit including the target to attain net-zero emissions by 2070, while delivering the National Statement.

He said that India will increase its capacity of non-fossil energy capacity to 500 GW and meet 50 per cent of its energy requirements through renewable energy by 2030.Underlining the concerns of the developing nations at the COP26 the prime minister announced the one-word moment, LIFE...L, I, F, E, i.e. Lifestyle For Environment while delivering the National Statement on Monday.

India, UK plan to connect world's green power grids

Britain and India launched a plan on Tuesday to improve connections between the world`s electricity power grids to accelerate the transition to greener energy. Linking the grids would allow parts of the world with excess renewable power to send it to areas with deficits. For instance, countries, where the sun has set, could draw power from others still able to generate solar electricity, said a Reuters report.

Launched at the COP26 climate talks in Scotland, the "Green Grids Initiative" was backed by more than 80 countries and could set a model for how rich countries help poorer ones to reduce their emissions and meet the goal of capping global warming at 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 Fahrenheit) above pre-industrial norms.

"If the world has to move to a clean and green future, these interconnected transnational grids are going to be critical solutions," Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said in a statement.

Modi and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson had previously outlined the trans-national grid effort. On Monday also Modi said his country would reach net-zero carbon emissions by 2070, two decades later than scientists say is needed.

Notably, the COP26 Summit is being held from October 31 to November 12 under the Presidency of the UK partnering with Italy. The high-level segment of COP-26, titled the World Leaders` Summit (WLS), was held from November 1-2. Heads of state/government of more than 120 countries attended the summit.

India calls for hike in climate finance to 1 trillion dollars

Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change Bhupender Yadav on Tuesday called upon the Like-Minded Developing Countries (LMDC) to work closely to protect the interests of developing countries and urged that climate finance cannot continue at the levels decided in 2009 and should be increased to at least 1 trillion dollars to meet the goals of addressing climate change. 

Speaking at the Ministerial meeting of the LMDC held on the sidelines of COP 26 in Glasgow, Yadav underlined the unity and strength of LMDC as fundamental in the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) negotiations to preserve the interest of the Global South in the fight against climate change. 

The participating countries in the meeting included India, China, Cuba, Nicaragua and Venezuela. Yadav highlighted that recognition of the current challenges being faced by developing countries required intensified multilateral cooperation, not intensified global economic and geopolitical competition and trade wars.

(With Agency Inputs)