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PARIS: Microsoft founder Bill Gates has backed Prime Minister Modi's case for India's
growth, saying it will be unfair to ask developing countries to shift to low carbon
strategies as long as clean energy costs much more than fossil fuels and said only
vigorous innovation can close the gap.
Gates told TOI that slowing development to go green is a very difficult trade off. "So
if you say to a developing country like India because of green reasons you slow
down the development, that is really a very difficult thing because we know
development can save lives, provide education to kids, take care of health and there
are so many benefits of energy usage".
Pitching the merits of the coalition of 28 of the world's wealthiest investors that he
helped launch here, Gates said initiatives like the Breakthrough Energy Coalition can
make a big difference. "Only way you can achieve both goals (fighting climate
change and economic growth) is to have innovation that brings down the premium
for clean energy ideally to zero or even invent the source of energy which is
cheaper then coal-based energy," he said.
The philanthropist-investor's arguments are in sync with Modi's argument that India
is not responsible for global warming and needs carbon space to grow to pull
millions out of poverty and provide electricity, transport, housing, education and
health. India has called for subsidized transfer of green technology and asked
developed nations to accept higher carbon control targets in keeping with historical
responsibilities.
"As long as the energy that is green (or zero CO2 energy) costs a lot more than say
coal-based energy then you are asking countries to make a very difficult trade off,"
Gates said.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi with President of France Francois Hollande and US
President Barack Obama with Bill Gates during the Innovation Summit in COP 21 at
Paris in France on Monday. (PTI photo)
The Breakthrough Energy Coalition is an international group that includes India's
Ratan Tata and Mukesh Ambani and is intended to promote research for delivering
affordable and reliable carbon free power.
Gates expressed the hope that the number will grow further and efforts would result
in providing solutions to the world where poor and developing countries do not have

to comprise on economic growth and poverty eradication.

The coalition was launched here together with the 'Mission Innovation', an initiative
of 20 governments including the US, India, France, UK, Germany, China, Japan and
Australia.
Asked about Indian partners of the Coalition, Gates said when he approached
Mukesh (Ambani), he was very quick to say he was enthused. "Reliance is a very
fast moving and technology oriented industry...It is good that his (Mukesh Ambani)
company is involved in this (the Coalition). It's fantastic".
About Ratan Tata, Gates -- co-chair of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation said,
"Ratan Tata is somebody I know through his philanthropic works and I really admire
him. It was a big boost to have him agree". He noted that Ratan Tata, in fact, talked
to University of California and brought it on board.

NEW DELHI: Former finance minister P Chidambaram on Tuesday lashed out against
the Centre for the joint I-T and ED raids. "If the government wishes to target me,
they should do so directly, not harass friends of my son who carry on their business
and have nothing to do with politics," he said.
Chidambaram's charge came soon after the news of raids on the two companies
broke. "I am traveling and I have been informed about searches conducted on
certain firms in Chennai allegedly linked to my son. We have made it clear,
repeatedly, that no member of my family has any equity or economic interest in any
of the firms that are being targeted. They are companies that are professionally
managed and are capable of answering any questions that may be put to them by
the authorities. I condemn the attempt to link them to my son and harass them on
that ground."
READ ALSO:
P Chidambaram accuses govt of malicious onslaught against family
"The agenda of the government is being implemented by an officer of the ED who
has a pending dispute with the department of revenue, ministry of finance. Orders
in his case were apparently passed during the term of my predecessor. He met me
and wanted me to intervene in his favour. I declined and I told him that I cannot
reverse orders that were issued during the term of my predecessor. The change of
government has given him an opportunity to misuse his powers to harass my son
and his friends," Chidambaram alleged.

The BJP dismissed the charge of frame-up as "bizarre and paradoxical". Party
spokesperson GVL Narasimha Rao told a news agency: "I have seen the statement
made by the former FM. On the one hand, he categorically says that the firms being
investigated or targeted have nothing to do with him or his family and that they
have no interest in the two companies. On the other, he says he is feeling harassed.
This is quite bizarre and paradoxical. Why is he issuing statements and feeling
threatened if he and his family have nothing to do with the companies? If the
companies have done no wrong, they have nothing to fear."
Another spokesperson Nalin Kohli said Chidambaram should allow agencies to do
their work and should not politicize the matter.
READ ALSO:
Enforcement Directorate, income tax department conduct raids on Karti
Chidambaram's firms
Importantly, even Congress chose to keep mum on the charge of the former finance
minister. Although former I&B minister Manish Tiwari seconded the charge of
vendetta against the government, Congress sources indicated that the party was
reluctant to take a position in the case. "Our spokespersons may restrict themselves
to the theme of witch-hunt and frame-ups but may not get into the merits of this
particular case at this juncture," a senior party source indicated.
An official source said the ED team could not find crucial documents at the premises
of the two companies. "The documents were subsequently recovered from the
premises linked to a person who is not officially linked to the two companies," the
source said.
The Advantage Strategic Consulting is under investigation also in connection with
the Aircel-Maxis case linked to the 2G spectrum scam.