Question: Who inaugurated the Gandhi Solar Park at UN head quarter?
(a) Narendra Modi
(b) Donald trump
(c) Angela Markel
(d) Emanuel Macron
Answer: (a)
Related facts:
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi along with other world leaders inaugurated the Gandhi Solar Park at the UN headquarters in New York on 24th September, 2019.
- The 50 kilowatt hour (kWh) roof-top solar park has 193 solar panels—each representing a member of the 193 UN Member State.
- The $1 million gift to the UN comes at a time when India has emerged as a clean energy champion.
- To be held in the General Assembly Hall at UN Headquarters, PM Modi will be joining other global leaders at the Summit in the backdrop of US withdrawal from the Paris climate deal.
- India, the biggest emitter of greenhouse gases after the US and China, has been pushing for a clean energy fuelled economy.
- India plans to reduce its carbon emissions by 33-35% from its 2005 levels by 2030, as part of its commitments to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change adopted by 195 countries in Paris in 2015.
- The UN Climate Action Summit is being held before the second general assembly of the International Solar Alliance (ISA) scheduled in New Delhi from 30th October to 2nd November, 2019.
- ISA was jointly launched by the PM Modi and the President of France on 30th November, 2015 in Paris, on the sidelines of COP-21, the UN Climate Conference.
- United Nations secretary-general Antonio Guterres had also attended the first general assembly of the International Solar Alliance in October in New Delhi.
- This also comes at a time of even as countries such as India have been trying to rejig its energy mix in favor of green energy sources.
- At present, India has an installed power-generation capacity of 357,875 megawatts (MW), of which around 22% or 80,000 MW is generated through clean energy projects such as solar and wind.
- With addition of large hydro projects to clean energy segment, India is poised to have 225 GW of renewable energy by 2022.
Links:
https://www.thehindubusinessline.com/news/modi-to-inaugurate-gandhi-solar-park-at-un-headquarters/article29466958.ece
https://www.livemint.com/news/india/narendra-modi-to-gift-gandhi-solar-park-to-un-in-new-york-1569118365640.html