President Granger meets with India’s Environment Minister

…seeks to strengthen cooperation in energy

As Guyana continues to forge ahead with the Green State Development Strategy (GSDS), President David Granger on Saturday had several meetings with senior members of the Indian Government to strengthen cooperation in the areas of environment and energy.
The Guyanese Head of State departed local shores on Thursday morning to attend the International Solar Alliance (ISA) Founding Conference and International Solar Summit scheduled for today in New Delhi, India.
On Saturday, President Granger met with the Indian Minister of Environment, Forests and Climate Change, Dr Harsh Vardhan.

“(The) discussions centred around inter alia possible cooperation between the two countries for the effective use of Iwokrama International Centre – a well-known BioReserve in Guyana – and the 500 Green Good Deeds initiated by Minister Harsh Vardhan,” a post on the Facebook account of Indian High Commissioner to Guyana Venkatachalam Mahalingam, who travelled back to his homeland to welcome the Guyanese Leader, detailed.
The Iwokrama International Centre (IIC) was established to manage the Iwokrama forest, a unique reserve of 371,000 hectares of rainforest and one of the world’s last frontier forests.
Meanwhile, the ‘500 Green Good Deeds’ was launched by the Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change in India earlier this year to sensitise citizens about climate change and global warning. A mobile application – named ‘Dr Harsh Vardhan’ after the Minister – was subsequently launched listing 500 ‘Green Good Deeds’ that persons can perform every day. Some of the 500 Green Good Deeds listed in the Mobile App include: planting trees, saving energy, conserving water, use of public transport and promoting carpool.
The meeting, according to the Indian Diplomat, also ended with the Indian Minister’s invitation to Guyana for participating in the World Environment Day to be celebrated in India on June 5, 2018.
Additionally, President Granger also had a cordial and friendly meeting with the Indian Minister of State for Power and New and Renewable Energy, Raj Kumar Singh. During that meeting on Saturday, discussions were had on mutual cooperation in renewable energy particularly in the solar energy sector.
The Head of State is accompanied by Political Assistant, William Cox, and his Aide-de-Camp, Colonel Paul Arthur, during his visit to the Asian country. During Saturday’s meetings he was also joined by High Commissioner Mahalingam and Guyana’s High Commissioner to India, David Pollard.
At today’s Founding Conference of the International Solar Summit, which is hosted jointly by the Governments of India and France, President Granger is expected to deliver a presentation on solar energy.
Also on the side-lines of the summit, the Guyanese leader will be meeting with Indian Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, and President of France, Emmanuel Macron, as well as engage in bilateral meetings with selected Heads of State, who are also attending the event.
Last Tuesday, the President commended France and India for collaborating on an initiative, which aims to transform rural societies, when he received a formal invitation to the summit from Indian High Commissioner, Venkatachalam Mahalingam and Ambassador of the French Republic to Guyana, Antoine Joly.
Guyana ratified the ISA Framework Agreement and is a founding member of the ISA, which was launched on November 30, 2015. It is an action-oriented international and inter-governmental organisation that aims to maximise the harnessing of solar-energy potential, modernise energy systems, universalise access to energy, accelerate economic development and alleviate poverty.
Two new programmes – on scaling solar E-mobility and storage, and on rooftop solar – are expected to be unveiled at the summit, which will see a presence of delegations of over 50-member countries, including the two host States.