The UK was confirmed as the first co-chair of the Governing Council on the India-led global Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure.

The Coalition was established by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and is a voluntary international grouping, linking governments, UN agencies, banks, private sector groups, and academia to develop the resilience of infrastructure systems to climate and disaster risks.

The UK was represented at the first council meeting by UK Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, Alok Sharma.

“The UK is already working closely with India as a joint force for good on climate change. We believe the India-led CDRI will bring about a transformation in how infrastructure is designed, constructed, operated and maintained. This year is a crucial year for our climate, and I am confident that UK-India leadership on climate action can deliver substantial progress towards reducing emissions and helping to build resilience globally.” Jan Thompson, Acting High Commissioner to India said.

“A joint venture between UK’s EO Charging and India’s Yahhvi Enterprises will deliver charging infrastructure for electric vehicles across India. On finance, our governments committed £240 million of anchor capital in the Green Growth Equity Fund – its first investment going to Ayana Renewable Power, which is developing 800MW of solar generation capacity”, he added.