India, France announce slew of initiatives during Modi’s visit, to strengthen cooperation in digital technology

PARIS (France): India and France on Friday announced major decisions to take forward the strong partnership between the two countries including cooperation programme on small modular reactors (SMRs) and advanced modular reactors (AMRs), adoption of a roadmap for collaborative actions in the Indo-Pacific.

The announcements about new initiatives and agreements was made during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit and India’s participation as guest of honour in Bastille Day Prade.

PM Modi held bilateral talks with French President Emmanuel Macron that covered almost all areas of bilateral relationship including defence, space, health and student mobility.

PM Modi and President Macron adopted the joint statement ‘25th Anniversary of the Strategic Partnership between France and India: towards a Century of Indo-French Relations’.

The statement sets the course for the France-India bilateral relationship in all areas till 2047, the year that will mark 100 years of India’s Independence, 100 years of diplomatic relations between our two countries, and 50 years of the Indo-French strategic partnership.

There were important announcements in student mobility with a new target of welcoming 30,000 Indian students in France by 2030.
The two countries announced issuance of a five-year short-stay Schengen visa for Indian students with a Master’s degree who have studied at a university in France.

France announced a significant increase in the resources of the Campus France network in India.

The two countries announced continuation of the cooperation on fighter jets and submarines, following the timely delivery of the 36 Rafale jets for the Indian Air Force and the success of the P75 programme for building six Scorpene submarines.

The scientific and commercial partnership is being enhanced through several agreements between France’s CNES and the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), notably concerning reusable launchers; the finalization of the joint Earth observation satellite, TRISHNA; the first phase of the constellation of maritime surveillance satellites in the Indian Ocean; and the protection of Indo-French satellites in orbit against the risk of collision.
In civil nuclear energy, France and India welcomed the progress made on the 6-EPR power plant project in Jaitapur.

They have decided to launch an ambitious cooperation programme on small modular reactors (SMRs) and advanced modular reactors (AMRs).
The two countries adopted  roadmap for joint actions in the Indo-Pacific, covering all aspects of our comprehensive strategy for the region.

The decided to work on finalising an Indo-French development fund for third countries, which will enable joint financing of sustainable development projects in countries of the Indo-Pacific region.

In counter-terrorism, India and France agreed on strengthening of cooperation between France’s GIGN and India’s National Security Guard.
On critical technology, the two countries agreed on strengthening of cooperation on cutting-edge digital technology, particularly on supercomputing, cloud computing, artificial intelligence, and quantum computing.

There was an announcement related to an agreement between Atos and the Ministry of Earth Sciences of India for the supply of supercomputers.
The two countries signed technical and safety agreements in the field of civil aviation, towards supporting the expansion of routes between France and India, and the growth of the Indian civil aviation market.

India and France expressed their commitment for adoption of an international treaty to put an end to plastic pollution throughout the entire life cycle of plastic products.

They announced signing of a Letter of Intent on health and medicine, to structure cooperation in hospitals, medical research, digital technology, biotechnology, public health and combating micro-bacterial resistance as part of the One Health approach.

On Blue economy, there was launch of a partnership between l’lnstitut français de recherche pour l’exploitation de la mer (IFREMER – French Research Institute for Exploitation of the Sea) and India’s National Institute of Ocean Technology (NIOT) on ocean research, under the Roadmap on Blue Economy and Ocean Governance adopted by France and India in 2022.

For financing the energy transition, there was announcement related to Rs 923 crore in financing from the French Development Agency for the second phase of India’s flagship sustainable cities programme “CITIIS 2.0”, in partnership with the European Union and KFW of Germany.

There was announcement pertaining to Rs 246 crore (USD 30 million) in financing from Proparco for the South Asia Growth Fund (SAGF III), which will invest in companies promoting energy efficiency, clean energy, and optimization of natural resources in the region.

There was announcement related to 164-crore INR (USD 20 million) financing from Proparco with Satya Microcapital for giving women in rural India access to microfinance.

In the area of decarbonised hydrogen, there was announcement of a partnership between McPhy and L&T on manufacturing electrolyzers in India, under the Indo-French roadmap for decarbonised hydrogen adopted in 2022.
There was announcement of creation of international classes to facilitate the integration of non-French-speaking Indian students into the French higher education system.

Two MoUs were signed between the Institut Polytechnique de Paris (IPP), and IIT Delhi and IIT Madras.

India and France announced opening of a Consulate General of India in Marseille and a Bureau de France in Hyderabad.

There was announcement of France’s selection as India’s partner for the establishment of a major new National Museum in New Delhi.
There was announcement of an agreement between France Médias Monde and Prasar Bharati for the exchange of audio-visual content and the co-production of programmes on areas such as culture, education, science, and sports.

France and India will increase funding of the Indo-French Centre for the Promotion of Advanced Research (IFCPAR/CEFIPRA) in order to fund new projects together.

In sports, the two countries signed a Letter of Intent to structure cooperation in this field, particularly in view of major upcoming sporting events.
The two countries intend to double the number of solidarity and civic service international volunteers in India and France by 2025. (ANI)