India, Germany pact on tech cooperation

The Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) and Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH India on behalf of the German Federal Ministry of Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety signed an agreement on technical cooperation titled ‘Cities Combating Plastic Entering the Marine Environment’, at a virtual ceremony in New Delhi on April 19.

The project is envisaged under the contours of the Joint Declaration of Intent regarding cooperation in the field of ‘Prevention of Marine Litter’ signed between Republic of India and Federal Republic of Germany in 2019.

It aims at enhancing practices to prevent plastic entering the marine environment, will be undertaken at the national level (at MoHUA), select states (Uttar Pradesh, Kerala and Andaman & Nicobar Islands) and in the cities of Kanpur, Kochi and Port Blair for a period of three and a half years.

Speaking at the signing ceremony, Durga Shanker Mishra, Secretary, MoHUA, said, “The project’s outcomes are completely in line with the objectives of Swachh Bharat Mission-Urban focusing on sustainable solid waste management and Hon’ble Prime Minister’s vision to phase out single use plastic by 2022”.

Kamran Rizwi, Additional Secretary, MoHUA, Regina Dube, Director General, German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety, Antje Berger, First Secretary, Climate & Environment, Embassy of the Republic of Germany and Julie Reviere, Country Director, GIZ India, attended the event.

The virtual event also saw representatives from the governments of Uttar Pradesh, Kerala and Andaman & Nicobar Islands and from the implementing cities of Kanpur, Kochi and Port Blair.