Modi meets Olaf; India, Germany sign $10.5-billion green development deal

Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Monday that the partnership between India and Germany could serve as an example of success in a complex world as the two sides inked several agreements focused on sustainable development under which India would receive USD 10.5 billion assistance by 2030 to boost the use of clean energy.

Prime Minister Modi, who co-chaired with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz the sixth plenary session of the Inter-Governmental Consultations (IGC), also invited the German participation in Indias Atmanirbhar Bharat (self-reliant India) campaign.

In their opening remarks, both the leaders highlighted key aspects of the bilateral relationship as well as shared perspectives on regional and global issues during the session, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said in a press release.

Prime Minister Modi emphasised that India-Germany partnership could serve as an example of success in a complex world, it said.

Participating ministers and officials from both sides presented brief reports on their meetings on the different tracks of the IGC, which included foreign affairs and security; economic, financial policy, scientific and social exchange; climate, environment, sustainable development and energy.

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman; External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar; Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Science and Technology and Earth Sciences Jitendra Singh and Secretary Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) Anurag Jain made presentations from the Indian side.

The plenary session concluded with the signing by Prime Minister Modi and Chancellor Scholz of the Joint Declaration of Intent (JDI) establishing the green and sustainable development partnership.

This partnership envisages a whole-of-government approach to India-Germany cooperation on Sustainable Development Goals and climate action, under which Germany has agreed to make an advance commitment of 10 billion Euros (USD 10.5 billion) of new and additional development assistance until 2030, the MEA release said.

This JDI will also create a ministerial mechanism within the framework of the IGC to provide high-level coordination and political direction to the partnership.

PM @narendramodi and @Bundeskanzler Olaf Scholz co-chaired the 6th IGC. Agreed to expand the India-Germany Strategic Partnership further to a partnership for: Shared Values and Regional and Multilateral Interests, Green and Sustainable Development, Trade, Investment and Digital Transformation, Political and Academic Exchange, Scientific Cooperation, Mobility of Workforce and People and Global Health, Ministry of External Affairs Spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said in a tweet.

Modi arrived in Berlin on Monday morning on the first leg of his three-nation Europe trip that will also take him to Denmark and France.

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