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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Cricketer Rinku Singh to marry Samajwadi Party MP Priya Saroj
Jaunpur (UP) (PTI): Indian cricketer Rinku Singh is set to get hitched to Samajwadi Party (SP) MP Priya Saroj, according to her family.
Priya Saroj's father and SP MLA from Kerakat Tufani Saroj told PTI that his family held "meaningful talks" with Singh's father in Aligarh on January 16 regarding the marriage of their children and both sides agreed to the matrimonial alliance.
No ring ceremony or pre-wedding programme has been held so far, he said.
According to Tufani Saroj, a three-time MP, his daughter and Singh got acquainted through one of her friends whose father is also a cricketer.
"Rinku and Priya have known each other for more than a year now. They both liked each other but needed the consent of their families for their relationship. Both the families have agreed to this marriage," he said.
Dates of engagement and wedding will be decided after the Parliament session. The engagement will be held in Lucknow, he said.
Singh will be playing the T20I series against England from January 22. He will also be playing in the IPL after this. It will be ensured that the wedding functions do not impact his game, he added.
According to sources, the two families met at Singh's house in Ozone City, Aligarh and finalised the marriage by exchanging 'shagun' and gifts.
Priya Saroj is a resident of Karkhiyaon village in Varanasi. She has been associated with the SP for several years now and was elected to the Lok Sabha from Machhlishahr constituency in Jaunpur district last year at the age of 25.
A former Supreme Court lawyer, Priya Saroj first shot into the limelight while campaigning for her father in the 2022 Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls.
She graduated in arts from Delhi University before getting a law degree from Amity University, Noida.
