India, France sign pact to reduce greenhouse gas emissions

India and France have signed an agreement under which three pilot cities-- Nagpur, Kochi and Ahmedabad will be provided support to reduce their Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions in urban transport, an official statement said Friday.

According to the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), under the 'Mobilise Your City (MYC)' programme, the European Union will provide 3.5 million euros to help Indian cities reduce their GHG emissions and achieve a "sustainable transport policy".

The pact was signed on Thursday evening by Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) OSD Mukund Kumar Sinha and Agence Franaise de Developpement (AFD) Regional Director Nicolas Fornage in the presence of HUA minister Hardeep Singh Puri and Ambassador of France in India Alexander Ziegler.

"Delighted to receive French Ambassador Alexandre Ziegler & his delegation to my office for the signing of MoU between MoHUA & @AFD_en. Their investment of 3.5 million Euros will help in reducing Green House Gas emissions & help us achieve a sustainable transport policy," Puri tweeted.

According to the ministry, based on a proposal made by AFD in 2015, the European Union has agreed to provide 3.5 million euros through the AFD to contribute to specific investments and technical assistance components within the MYC in India.

"The MYC aims at supporting three pilot cities viz. Nagpur, Kochi and Ahmedabad in their efforts to reduce their Green House Gas (GHG) emissions related to urban transport by implementing urban mobility plans at local level and to help India at national level to improve their sustainable transport policy," stated a statement issued by HUA.

The pilot cities selected as well as the MoHUA will benefit from the technical assistance activities, it added.

"The main components of the proposed assistance are to support planning and implementation of sustainable urban transport projects besides strengthening institutional capacity for regulating, steering and planning urban mobility," it stated.

It also includes learning and exchange formats with other cities across India for exchanges on best practices, it added.

The details of the project activities will be worked out by AFD in consultation with MoHUA and the three partner cities including institutions such as the respective special purpose vehicles (SPVs) for smart cities, the municipal corporations and any transport authority or transport related SPV, it stated.