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Underlining India's key achievements and initiatives in its fight against climate change, Harivansh Narayan Singh, Deputy Chairman of the Rajya Sabha, said that India has decoupled economic growth from emissions. He was addressing a forum on Climate and sustainability at the 11th BRICS Parliamentary Forum in Brasilia, Brazil, on Thursday.
Harivansh informed the forum that India's climate actions are based on equity and the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities. "India has progressively continued decoupling economic growth from emissions. Between 2005 and 2020, India's emission intensity of Gross Domestic Product reduced by 36%," he said. "India has installed 232 gigawatt of non-fossil electric capacity, thereby already achieving its Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) almost 8 years ahead of schedule," he added. He also hoped that the upcoming COP30 in Brazil would be a critical milestone in global adaptation and resilience efforts. He urged the BRICS nations to join global sustainability initiatives such as the International Solar Alliance, the Leadership Group for Industry Transition, and the Global Biofuel Alliance to facilitate the ongoing efforts to address climate change. Earlier on Wednesday, the Deputy Chairman, in his remarks on the Global Health Alliance, underscored the urgent need for collective action for coordinated responses to emerging health challenges. He noted that Neglected Tropical Diseases remain deeply relevant areas of discussion, especially for low- and middle-income countries. In his address, Harivansh underlined various initiatives by the Indian government to expand and improve the quality of healthcare provided to its citizens. "Our Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana is the world's largest health insurance program, which covers hospitalisation costs up to approx. 6000 USD to cover approximately 155 million families and has reduced out-of-pocket health expenditure by 30%. This scheme has now been extended to cover all citizens over 70 years of age. To transform India into a digitally empowered society, we have implemented the 'Ayushman Bharat Digital Health Mission'. We also have a scheme to address gaps in health infrastructure, disease surveillance, and research," he said. Earlier, he also delivered his remarks on the Alliance for Global Health. The Indian delegation is being led by Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, along with other Members of Parliament. The BRICS Parliamentary Forum discusses several other topics, such as 'New Paths for Economic Development', 'Co-operation for responsible and inclusive Artificial Intelligence', and 'Reform of Multilateral Peace and Security Architecture'. (ANI)
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