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dpa
New Delhi
French President Emmanuel Macron and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi Monday inaugurated a solar power plant built with French collaboration in northern India on Monday.
The move came one day after the leaders formally launched the International Solar Alliance Initiative (ISA), an~inter-governmental organization that aims to help sunshine-rich countries around the world harness solar energy at an affordable cost.~Macron, who is on a four-day visit to India, unveiled the 100 MW plant in Dadar Kalan in Uttar Pradesh state. The plant has been built in collaboration with French company Engie Solar and is one of the projects under ISA.
The two leaders also visited an handicrafts centre in the ancient Hindu holy city of Varanasi, also in Uttar Pradesh. Varanasi is Modi's parliamentary constituency.
Macron and his wife Brigitte walked through the Deen Dayal Hastkala Sankul, a trade facilitation centre, where they saw samples of locally woven silk banarasi saris and carpets from Mirzapur and interacted with artisans. They also watched a brief show of Ramleela, a song-and-dance account based on the Hindu god Rama.
Macron was also scheduled to take a boat ride on the river Ganges, along the riverbank's famous steps that have existed for thousands of years, before returning to Delhi.
