NEW DELHI: Visiting French minister Christophe Sirugue on Tuesday appreciated the Indian initiatives for addressing the climate change concerns through urban sector projects, an official said.
French Minister of State for Industry Christophe Sirugue met Urban Development minister M. Venkaiah Naidu and discussed in detail the new urban sector initiatives and the possible areas of cooperation between the two countries, a release said.
Appreciating India's enabling role in concluding COP-21 Agreement at Paris, the French minister noted that "these initiatives go to prove the country's commitment to address climate change concerns."
"Urban renaissance is the appropriate word for the Indian government's initiatives to recast the urban landscape," he added.
Speaking on urban planning and climate change, Venkaiah Naidu said: "Sustainable and climate friendly urban planning has been made the corner stone of new urban missions launched by the government over the last two years."
Elaborating further, Naidu said that increased emphasis on reliable public transport and non-motorised transport, intelligent transport systems, efficient resource management with focus on renewable energy etc., are some of the mandated provisions under the new urban missions to enable urban renaissance.
The United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP21) was held in November-December 2015 in Paris, where 191 parties, including India, adopted the first-ever universal, legally binding global climate deal, out of the total 197 parties to the convention.
France has signed a memorandum of understanding for assisting in smart city development of Chandigarh, Nagpur and Puducherry.