Ban: India must reduce inequality

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NEW DELHI, April 28 (UPI) -- U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said India needs to reduce the huge gap between its rich and middle-class and its poorest residents.

Speaking at Jamia Millia University in New Delhi, Ban said Friday the country also needs to show greater concern for the environment, the United Nations said in a release.

"Growth is not enough. The world needs inclusive growth that reduces inequalities -- growth that moves people from the margins to the mainstream -- growth that integrates the economic, social and environmental instead of growth that pits these goals against each other," Ban said.

Ban also said India is expected to be an important player at the U.N. Sustainable Development Conference in June. He said the country, with one of the world's largest economies but with more than half of its rural population still living without electricity, has a key role in discussing sustainable energy.