Angela Merkel: Will earmark 200 million euros for TN bus sector reform

German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who is on a three-day visit to India, on Saturday said that 200 million euros (about Rs 1,580 crore) will be earmarked to reform the bus sector in Tamil Nadu. She added that one billion dollars have also been earmarked towards the Indo-German partnership for green urban mobility. Merkel also said Germany has earmarked one billion dollars (about Rs 7,080 crore) launched Indo-German partnership for green urban mobility. She was addressing the 63rd annual general meeting of the Indo-German Chamber of Commerce (IGCC) in New Delhi on Saturday.

'200 million euros to reform bus sector in Tamil Nadu'

Merkel said, "We will also earmark 200 million euros to reform bus sector in Tamil Nadu. Whoever has looked at pollution in Delhi yesterday would find very good arguments for replacing diesel buses with electric buses. We have launched an Indo-German partnership for green urban mobility. We have earmarked US$1 billion towards this." The German Chancellor also spoke about cooperation between India and Germany in other sectors too including health and agriculture. "We want to cooperate more closely in the health, agriculture and Artificial Intelligence sector. We can cooperate more in the agricultural sector. Something needs to be done as agriculture is an important sector in India, Water scarcity is another problem in India and we can work together towards these issues," she added.

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Angela Merkel's joint statement with PM Modi

German Chancellor Angela Merkel in a joint statement with PM Modi, on Friday, highlighted that India and Germany have a similar tradition of following peaceful processes to procure justice. The German Chancellor closed the joint statement by saying that she was “delighted” to lay a wreath at Mahatma Gandhi’s samadhi. She drew a comparison between Mahatma Gandhi’s peaceful freedom struggle and ‘Falling of Berlin Wall’ in Germany to explain that India and Germany both the countries strive for world peace.

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After their joint address to the media on Friday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi gifted German Chancellor Angela Merkel an exquisite handloom Woollen Khadi Stole from Ladakh and The Ratnam Pen. Merkel, who is on a two-day visit was received by 
PM Modi at the Rashtrapati Bhavan where she was accorded a ceremonial welcome after arriving in the national capital on Thursday night.

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(With ANI inputs)