Paris Agreement on climate change +menace of global warming +the BJP party council meet +60 countries including the world's top two polluters +formal ratification or acceptance +global emissions +NEW DELHI: India will ratify theon October 2 - the birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi . The country's move will bring this global deal to fight thecloser to enter into force later this year.The big announcement was made by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his speech atin Kozhikode on Sunday.India had, in fact, announced its 'climate action plan' (to fight the challenges of climate change) on October 2 last year. It had submitted its 'Intended Nationally Determined Contribution (INDC) to the UN body on October 1, 2015 and later made it public the next day coinciding it with the birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi.So far,- China and USA - have ratified the Agreement which was adopted by 195 countries in Paris last December. While China and USA had ratified it on September 3, as many as 31 countries had formally joined the Agreement throughat a special event, hosted by the United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon in New York, on September 21.The Agreement will enter into force 30 days after 55 countries, representing 55% of, deposit their instruments of ratification, acceptance or accession with the UN Secretary-General. Though the national ratification has already crossed the threshold of 55 countries, it has so far only accounted for nearly 47.62% of the global emission.Decision of India, which accounts for 4.1% of the global emission, will now bring it closer to the emission threshold of 55%.

Source: Times of India September 25, 2016 11:23 UTC