India, World Bank ink loan agreement on energy efficiency
New Delhi, Aug 28 : India on Tuesday signed a $220-million loan agreement with the World Bank to scale up energy saving steps in residential and public sectors.
It inked another $80-million guarantee agreement for 'India Energy Efficiency Scale-Up Programme' that is expected to avoid lifetime emissions of 170 million tonnes of carbon dioxide and also help prevent additional generation of an estimated 10 gigawatt of greenhouse gases, an official statement said.
This would be over 50 per cent of India's target of 19.6 gigawatt as per the Paris Accord, it added.
The $220 million loan has a five-year grace period and a maturity of 19 years. The $80 million guarantee will partially cover repayment risks to commercial lenders or investors to enable Energy Efficiency Services Limited (EESL) raise funds for its programme, the statement said.
The government said that the programme, to be implemented by the EESL, will strengthen EESL's institutional capacity and enhance its access to commercial financing.
Economic Affairs Joint Secretary Sameer Kumar Khare said that the agreement was one of the several steps taken by the government to meet its climate change commitments to reduce carbon intensity by 33-35 per cent by 2030.
Acting World Bank Country Director in India, Hisham Abdo, said that the programme will help India move further towards a more resource efficient growth path.
He said that the additional guarantee from the World Bank will enable the EESL to access new sources of commercial funding, diversify its investor base and establish a track record for future access to financial markets.
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Kharge expresses regret over 'illiterate' remark, says he has highest of respect for Gujaratis
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New Delhi (PTI): Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Wednesday expressed regret over his controversial statement calling the people of Gujarat "illiterate", and said he has always had and will continue to have the highest of respect for the people of the state.
In a post on X, the Congress president said, "Some remarks of mine in a recent election speech in Kerala are being deliberately misinterpreted. Even so, I express my sincere regret.
"It was never my intention to hurt the sentiments of the people of Gujarat for whom I have always had and will continue to have the highest of respect."
Kharge on Sunday had sparked a row during his Assembly poll campaign in Kerala, calling the people of Gujarat "illiterate" and claiming they were being "fooled" by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
At the same time, Kharge said neither Modi nor Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan could fool the people of Kerala, describing them as "very clever and educated".
"Don’t misguide the people of Kerala. They are very clever and educated. Modiji, Vijayan, you both can fool people who are illiterate in Gujarat or other places, but you cannot fool the people of Kerala," the Congress chief had said.
He made the remark while alleging that both Modi and Vijayan were following the same path, with no difference between them except the parties they lead.
The BJP on Tuesday had demanded an apology from Kharge for his remarks, saying that the comment was "shameless, demeaning and utterly despicable."
Addressing a press conference here, senior BJP leader and former Union minister Ravi Shankar Prasad asked Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi, Sonia Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra to clarify whether they agreed with Kharge's statement.
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