67 Indian NGOs pledge to achieve sustainable development goals by 2029
A two-day workshop concluded with a declaration by the 67 NGOs from the 13 districts of Andhra Pradesh to take up Agenda 2030 of the Poorest of the Poor in a committed manner.
South Asia
Record 66 million trees planted in 12 hours in India
Under the Paris Agreement, India has pledged to increase its forests by 95 million hectares by 2030, costing around $6.2 billion.
Pakistan to add 556.5 MW of solar by end of 2018
Around 956.8 megawatts (MW) of solar capacity is now under development at 28 locations across Pakistan, with 556.5 MW set for completion by the end of 2018.
Pakistan issues its first passport recognizing a transgender designation
Instead of having “male” or “female” listed on their official documents, Pakistani transgender men and women can have a “X” under the sex category.
World’s biggest coal company closes 37 mines as solar prices plummet
Coal India, the world’s biggest coal mining company and producer of 82 percent of the country’s coal, announced the closure of 37 mines that are financially “unviable.”
Plans for 13.7 GW of coal power in India axed
“For the first time, solar is cheaper than coal in India and the implications this has for transforming global energy markets are profound.”
China, India on course to surpass Paris Agreement climate pledges
Slowing coal use in China and India has put the two most populous countries on a trajectory to beat their carbon emissions goals under the Paris Agreement, making up for rollbacks in U.S. climate action under the Trump administration
India to make every single car electric by 2030 in bid to tackle pollution
“We are going to introduce electric vehicles in a very big way,” coal and mines minister Piyush Goyal said at the Confederation of Indian Industry Annual Session 2017 in New Delhi.
New law gives Indian mothers 26 weeks of paid maternity leave
India passed a law to more than double its paid maternity leave, adding 14 weeks to the 12 already guaranteed by the government, reports the BBC.
20,000 schools to install rooftop solar in Pakistan
The government of Pakistan’s second largest province, Punjab, has affirmed its commitment to the installation of rooftop solar power systems on around 20,000 schools.