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Trump blames India, China for quitting Paris climate deal
Washington, Feb 24 (IANS) US President Donald Trump has once again blamed India and China for his decision to pull out of the Paris climate deal last year, saying that the “unfair” accord would have imposed “draconian financial and economic burdens” on the US, as it would have made Washington pay for nations which benefitted the most from the deal.
Trump had announced the withdrawal from the landmark climate pact in June, stating that it would have imposed “wildly unfair environmental standards on American businesses and workers”.
He said the Paris deal would have cost his country trillions of dollars, killed jobs, hindered the oil, gas, coal and manufacturing industries. However, he had also said that he was “open to negotiate a better deal for the US or re-enter the accord on improved terms”.
“We knocked out the Paris Climate Accord. Would have been a disaster. Would have been a disaster for our country,” the US President said at Conservative Political Action Conference on Friday.
He targeted India and China, saying both these nations were benefiting most from the Paris deal, which was “unfair” to the US.
“You know, basically, it (the Paris accord) said, you have a lot of oil and gas that we found — you know, technology has been amazing — and we found things that we never knew. But we have massive — just about the top in the world — we have massive energy reserves. We have coal. We have so much.
And basically, they were saying, don’t use it, you can’t use it,” Trump said, expressing his displeasure with the pact which was agreed by nearly 200 nations over the period of years.
“So what it does is it makes us uncompetitive with other countries. I told them, it’s not going to happen.”
“And China, their agreement didn’t kick in until 2030… Our agreement kicks in immediately. Russia, they’re allowed to go back into the 1990s, which was not a clean environmental time,” he said.
Talking about India and other nations, Trump said: “Other countries, big countries — India and others — we had to pay, because they considered them a growing country.
“What are we? Are we allowed to grow, too? Ok? No, Are we allowed to grow?,” he said.
“They called India a developing nation. They call China a developing nation. But the US? We’re developed. We can pay,” Trump said.
“The country knows what I’m doing… We couldn’t build. We couldn’t farm. If you had a puddle on your land, they called it a lake for the purposes of environmentals. I mean, it’s crazy. It’s crazy,” Trump said.
The US President had earlier also singled out India saying that “India makes its participation contingent on receiving billions of dollars in foreign aid”.
Many scientists and environmentalists said the planet will reach more dangerous levels of warming sooner because of Trump’s decision as America contributes hugely to carbon dioxide and global rising temperatures.
–IANS
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Dr. Abhishek Verma Dedicates a Shelter in Memory of His Mother, Veena Verma, at KGMU; Inaugurated by Daughter Nicolle Verma
World-renowned business tycoon Dr. Abhishek Verma has supported Foodman Vishal Singh’s Hunger-Free World mission. In memory of his mother, Late Veena Verma, who was a 3 term Rajya Sabha MP.
Dr. Verma dedicated a state-of-the-art free permanent shelter for the attendants of patients at KGMU Medical University, Lucknow, under the aegis of Vijay Shree Foundation. His daughter, Nicolle Verma, inaugurated the shelter.
During the event, Foodman Vishal Singh honored Nicolle Verma by presenting her with a memento. Mrs. Nidhi Sharma and Avantika Yadav, associated with the organization, welcomed her with garlands. Following this, Nicolle Verma distributed essential items to the attendants and also handed out fruits. She became emotional remembering her grandmother on her birth anniversary.
On this occasion, she also inaugurated the “Veena Verma Sevalaya” in memory of her grandmother, Veena Verma, to serve the attendants. She expressed, “I feel proud that my family is engaged in nation-building as well as social service. Today, in collaboration with Vijay Shree Foundation founder Foodman Vishal Singh Ji, I feel immensely proud to dedicate this shelter for the poor, helpless, and needy attendants of patients battling serious illnesses like cancer. I am honored to be associated with the Hunger-Free World Mission for humanity.”
Inspired by the continuous humanitarian service provided by Vijay Shree Foundation over the past 17 years, Nicolle Verma donated 10 lakh rupees to support the cause. The purpose of this donation is to ensure that services continue for the needy attendants of patients suffering from severe illnesses in hospitals, as facilitated by Foodman Vishal Singh.
It is noteworthy that Dr. Abhishek Verma’s family has a legacy of public and philanthropic service. They are helping millions to carry forward the values and service work of their parents. On the occasion of his mother’s birth anniversary, Dr. Abhishek Verma dedicated this state-of-the-art permanent shelter at Lucknow Medical College to serve the attendants of patients through the Vijay Shree Foundation.
Supporting Foodman Vishal Singh’s Hunger-Free World mission, Dr. Abhishek Verma assured that he would continually support keeping this flame of humanity alive. He also promised to assist in providing medicines to the helpless patients.
Continuing her grandmother’s legacy of service, Nicolle Verma personally served food to the needy patients and attendants. She said, “It is our good fortune to have received the joy of doing this noble work today through Foodman Vishal Singh. I have taken another step forward in carrying my family’s values and cooperation by joining hands with the Vijay Shree Foundation. My father taught me to serve and help the needy, and I feel happy when I bring a smile to someone’s face.”
On the birth anniversary of the late Veena Verma, the event organizer, Vijay Shree Foundation founder Foodman Vishal Singh, said, “We feel proud and happy that Dr. Abhishek Verma, a globally renowned business tycoon, has extended his support to uplift our country from the hunger index. Today, on his mother’s birth anniversary, he inaugurated a state-of-the-art permanent shelter at Lucknow Medical College, which will always be helpful for the needy attendants of patients. It is a pleasure for me and the organization to receive the affection of Mr. Verma.”
The event was attended by General Manager Verma Family Office Hemant Garg, Sonu Rajput, and the organization’s volunteers, including Sandeep Singh, Parmeshwar Ji, Prashant Rao Gautam, Balram Singh, Ramesh Chaudhary, Suman, Jeetu, Anil, Suraj, Vinay, Manish Bhadauria, Manas Mehrotra, Vivek, Apurv, Happy, and others.