Business
EU-India Boost Clean Energy And Climate Partnership With New Industrial Transition Push: EU Diplomat
New Delhi: The European Union and India are deepening cooperation in clean energy, climate action, and industrial decarbonisation through initiatives like the Industrial Transition Accelerator (ITA), launched in India ahead of COP30 to help industries adopt green technologies and cut emissions, Bartosz Przywara, Counsellor for Energy, Climate Action and Environment, European Union delegation to India told ANI today.
“We have very strong cooperation in the area of clean energy and climate transition,” Przywara told ANI in an exclusive interview on the sidelines of the Industrial Transition Accelerator (ITA) event in New Delhi.
The event marked an opening of the new implementation phase of the project for India, Przywara said.
“It’s basically a project which facilitates the Indian industry especially those sectors which are hard to abate to adopt new technology, get financing, and get into this path of decarbonisation. And we as the European Union, of course, we are supporting this path.”
He said the EU’s support aligns with India’s broader sustainability agenda.
“We are doing something quite similar here in India, having a lot of projects and activities together with the Indian government and business associations, which aim basically at the same purpose,” he said, calling the collaboration “very successful.”
A key focus of the EU-India partnership, Przywara said, is proving that economic growth and emissions reduction can go hand in hand.
“There is a clear decoupling it is possible technologically and economically to grow while at the same time cutting emissions,” he said. Citing the EU’s record, he added,
“In the European Union, we have been growing by 68% over this period from 1990 to 2023, and at the same time we managed to cut our emissions by 38%. So India can do it as well.”
Przywara highlighted the EU-India Clean Energy and Climate Partnership, which has been active since 2016.
“It has been existing for the last nine years. We have done literally hundreds of events and activities, talking to the Indian government, exchanging best practices, and helping in establishing legislation in the area of green transition,” he said.
He also pointed to other initiatives such as the EU-India Climate Dialogue, where both sides discuss pathways to decarbonisation and carbon market development.
“The European Union has the oldest and biggest carbon market in the world–we have 20 years of experience running it, and now we are very happy to share those experiences with India,” Przywara said.
On industrial decarbonisation, he mentioned EU support for the Leadership Group for Industry Transition (LID-IT), an initiative co-founded by India and Sweden.
“It already involves 18 different countries and multiple industrial entities all around the world,” he said, describing it as a key multilateral effort to cut industrial emissions.
Przywara said that both sides are expected to further strengthen ties following recent high-level engagements.
“At the beginning of this year, the College of Commissioners visited India and held very positive discussions with the Indian government. Recently, the European Commission and High Representative for Foreign Policy issued a joint communication about the new EU-India agenda for the future,” he said.
He added that both partners are optimistic about a potential summit soon to “confirm and elevate” cooperation.
“We really have a lot to do together in the area of clean energy, climate, decarbonisation, and green transition,” Przywara said.
During the same event, Sumit Gupta, Managing Director and Senior Partner, Boston Consulting Group (BCG) told ANI today that India is well-positioned to lead the global green transition due to its low cost of renewable energy, strong industrial base, and growing innovation ecosystem.
“We’ve outlined the key challenges that these projects face and what needs to come together to actually make the transition happen whether it’s innovative financing, access to capital, technology innovations aligned with market needs, or effective project execution,” Gupta said during an exclusive interview with ANI on the sidelines of the Industrial Transition Accelerator (ITA) event.
“The question is how to get the right ecosystem of partners to execute these projects from paper to plant.”
He highlighted that India’s low cost of renewable energy offers a major advantage. “We have one of the lowest costs of energy in the world, which is a key enabler of the green transition,” he noted.
New Delhi: The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) has deactivated more than 2.5 crore Aadhaar numbers of deceased persons till date. This is as part of a nationwide clean-up effort to maintain the continued accuracy and integrity of the Aadhaar database, Union Minister of State for Electronics and Information Technology Shri Jitin Prasada in Lok Sabha on Wednesday.
Aadhaar is the world’s largest biometric identity system with approximately 134 crores live Aadhaar holders.
In case of the death of a person, it is essential that his/her Aadhaar number is deactivated to prevent potential identity fraud, or unauthorized usage of such Aadhaar number for availing welfare benefits.
The State / UT mentioned in the address of an Aadhaar number holder in the Aadhaar database may vary from the State / UT where death was registered.
Measures to prevent potential identity fraud
Government has said that several measures have been taken to reduce the risk of identity fraud and ensure leak-proof delivery of benefits in the country.
The key measures include:
Biometric Lock/Unlock feature enables an Aadhaar number holder to “Lock” his biometrics, preventing any unauthorized authentication attempts.
Aadhaar Lock/Unlock feature for an Aadhaar number holder.
Deployment of Face Authentication having ‘Liveness Detection feature’ to prevent spoofing and ensure the physical presence of the beneficiary during transactions.
Offline Verification: Promotion of Aadhaar Secure QR Code, Aadhaar paperless offline e-KYC, e-Aadhaar and Aadhaar verifiable credentials for offline identity verification.
No sharing of Core Biometric information of Aadhaar number holders in any manner by UIDAI.
Secure Data Storage: Mandatory use of Aadhaar Data Vaults by all requesting entities to store Aadhaar numbers in an encrypted format.
Database Sanitization: Regular de-duplication and deactivation of Aadhaar numbers belonging to deceased persons.
Updation of demographic details of an Aadhaar number holder is allowed only as per documents listed by UIDAI.
UIDAI has launched a new Aadhaar app which facilitates sharing of verified credentials by Aadhaar number holder with the Offline Verification Seeking Entities (OVSE) in a secure and seamless manner.
New Delhi: February 2026 brings a series of important deadlines related to Tax Deducted at Source (TDS) that taxpayers and deductors should not overlook. From issuing TDS certificates to submitting mandatory statutory forms, these compliance dates play a key role in ensuring smooth and accurate tax reporting. Businesses, employers, and government offices must stay alert and complete the required filings on time to avoid penalties or complications under the Income-tax Act. Keeping track of these dates can help ensure hassle-free compliance and prevent last-minute stress.
February 14:
– Deadline for issuing TDS certificate under Section 194-IA for tax deducted on transfer of immovable property in December 2025.
– Deadline for issuing TDS certificate under Section 194-IB for tax deducted on rent paid by individuals or HUFs in December 2025.
– Deadline for issuing TDS certificate under Section 194M for tax deducted on contractual or professional payments made in December 2025.
– Deadline for issuing TDS certificate under Section 194S for tax deducted on transfer of virtual digital assets by specified persons in December 2025.
February 15:
– Deadline for government offices to furnish Form 24G where TDS/TCS for January 2026 was deposited without generating a challan.
– Deadline for issuing the quarterly TDS certificate for non-salary payments for the quarter ended December 31, 2025.
New Delhi: US entrepreneur Elon Musk’s net worth surged past the $800 billion mark after SpaceX acquired his artificial‑intelligence firm xAI, making him the richest person in history by a wide margin.
Musk’s net worth reached roughly $852 billion, almost $578 billion higher than the world’s second-wealthiest person, Google co-founder Larry Page, whose net worth is estimated at $281 billion.
The merger took the combined value of the company to $1.25 trillion and added about $84 billion to Musk’s fortune, according to reports.
Before the merger, Musk owned about 42 per cent of SpaceX which was valued at $800 billion and roughly 49 per cent of xAI, which was valued at $250 billion after a recent private fundraising round. Post‑merger, Musk’s stake in the combined entity touched 43 per cent, worth about $542 billion and SpaceX became Musk’s largest holding by a wide margin, the reports said.
Musk also retains about 12 per cent of Tesla, valued at approximately $178 billion, along with Tesla stock options, estimated at $124 billion. Further, in addition to these, Musk also receives a shareholder‑approved Tesla pay package up to $1 trillion in additional Tesla stock, before taxes over the next decade and the cost of unlocking restricted shares, if performance targets are met.
He crossed several wealth milestones in the past four months such as $500 billion, $600 billion and $700 billion, driven by SpaceX valuation gains and a Delaware Supreme Court ruling that restored his Tesla options.
Musk earlier said that SpaceX’s Starship will begin delivering the much more powerful V3 Starlink satellites to orbit in 2026, with each launch adding more than 20 times the capacity to the constellation as the current Falcon launches of the V2 Starlink satellites.
It will enable launches “every hour carrying 200 tons per flight” and ultimately lifting millions of tons to orbit and beyond, Musk has shared his plan.
Starship will also launch the next generation of direct-to-mobile satellites, which will deliver full cellular coverage everywhere on Earth, he added.
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