Modi arrives in Delhi from Paris climate summit

During his Paris visit, PM made a strong pitch for renewable energy, asserting India would cut carbon emissions by 35% by 2030

Prime Minister Narendra Modi returned to the capital on Tuesday after attending the Conference of Parties (CoP) climate summit in Paris on Monday.

"After historic @COP21 summit, where India shared its strong commitment to mitigate climate change, PM reaches Delhi," PMO India tweeted.

During his visit to Paris, Modi jointly launched the International Solar Alliance comprising 120-odd countries with French President Francois Hollande, inaugurated the India Pavilion at the summit, spoke at an event on "Mission Innovation" hosted by US President Barack Obama, and addressed the plenary session of COP 21.

While making a strong pitch for clean and renewable energy, including solar energy, the prime minister asserted that India would reduce carbon emissions by 35 percent by 2030 compared to 2005 levels and increase the capacity of renewable energy to 40 percent of the country's total generation of power.

On the sidelines of the summit, Modi also held bilateral meetings with Obama, Hollande, and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, and had a brief meeting with Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif.

This apart, he also held informal meetings with a host of other world leaders.