German Chancellor Angela Merkel, whose visit to India coincided with one of the worst spells of air pollution in Delhi-NCR, said on Saturday, 2 November, that “whoever has looked at pollution in Delhi would find very good arguments to replacing diesel buses with electric buses.”
She pledged to invest 1 billion euros over the next five years on environment-friendly urban mobility in India.
"We have agreed to co-operate on climate protection and green urban mobility and have earmarked 1 billion euros towards this," Merkel said at an event in Delhi.
Germany would also put in 200 million euros to reform the bus sector in Tamil Nadu, she added.
Merkel’s remark on air pollution comes as Delhi recorded it worst air quality of the season on Friday, with the pollution level touching the ‘severe plus’ category, prompting authorities to shut schools till 5 November, ban all construction activities and declare a “public health emergency”.
The chancellor said that Germany would also like to work with India on various segments including healthcare, agriculture and artificial intelligence, reported PTI.
On Friday, India and Germany agreed to deepen efforts to resume stalled negotiations for a free trade agreement between India and the European Union (EU).
The negotiations for the pact have been held up since May 2013 as both the sides failed to bridge substantial gaps on crucial issues.
Launched in June 2007, the negotiations for the proposed pact have witnessed many hurdles with both the sides having major differences on key issues like intellectual property rights, duty cut in automobile and spirits, and liberal visa regime, according to PTI.
Both the sides also agreed to intensify efforts for an early conclusion of an investment protection agreement between the EU, the EU member states and India.
(With inputs from PTI and ANI.)
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