<br/>BASIC countries comprising Brazil, South Africa, India and China have agreed to communicate to United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, UNFCCC, their emission cut target by 31st January. <br/><br/>Briefing reporters after the meeting, Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh said that the decision to this effect was taken in the meeting of the BASIC countries in New Delhi after a seven-hour long negotiations.<br/><br/>Mr Ramesh said that the meeting urged the developed nations to come forward and provide 10 billion US dollars as promised by them to address the concerns of least developed and developing nations so that they can take mitigation commitment on a war footing.<br/><br/>The countries also agreed to carry forward the dialogue process on two tracks comprising ad hoc negotiations and long term cooperative action. The environment ministers will be meeting quarterly and have at least six meetings of BASIC groups before the Mexico meet in December.<br/><br/>Earlier, the Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh had rejected the UN deadline of January 31 for submission of emission targets and climate actions under the Copenhagen Accord.<br/><br/>Reports said that the Prime Minister was particularly unhappy over the repeated persistence from Danish Prime Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen and United Secretary General Ban-Ki-Moon to accede to the January 31 deadline for target submission.<br/><br/>To a question on melting of Himalayan Glaciers, Mr Ramesh said that their condition is precarious and calls for major investment in order to save them. He also called for an intensified regional programme involving Nepal, Bhutan, China and Pakistan on glaciology.<br/><br/>AIR correspondent adds that the BASIC meeting is the first multilateral meeting after last month’s United Nations climate summit in Copenhagen. <br/>