June 2012

India and South Korea on 28 June decided to enhance engagement in civil nuclear energy cooperation as well

as space activities including the launch of Korean satellites by India. The two sides also evaluated the progress and expansion of their Strategic Partnership during the 2nd IndiaRepublic of Korea %hile the Indian side was led b" San&a" Singh' Secretar" ((ast ' )inistr" of (xternal *ffairs' the Korean side b" *hn +o,"oung' The two sides accepted to wor. on upgrading their /o0prehensive (cono0ic Partnership *gree0ent (/(P* with a view to

(ROK !oreign Polic" and Securit" #ialogue here$ !irst -ice )inister' )inistr" of !oreign *ffairs and Trade$ ensuring that it reflects current realities$ 1oting with satisfaction that in the two "ears since the i0ple0entation of /(P*' bilateral trade has surged b" 23 percent to 4S# 23$5 billion in calendar 2366' the two sides welco0ed recent progress in the i0ple0entation of the POS/O pro&ect in eastern India$ In view of the large Korean business presence in Ta0il 1adu' the ROK expressed interest in opening a new /onsulate 7eneral in /hennai while welco0ing India8s decision to open a new #efence *ttache8s Office at its (0bass" in Seoul before the end of the "ear$ The 0inistr" sa"s that enhance0ent of cooperation in the field of science and technolog" was also discussed$ In this context' the two sides decided to encourage enhanced engage0ent in civil nuclear energ" cooperation as well as space activities including the launch of Korean satellites b" India$

India and China on 21 June 2 12 agreed to increase their defence and security dialogue and wor. to ta.e steps to

ensure that the two countries achieve a 633 billion dollars trade target by 2 1!. The decision was ta.en on the sidelines of the Ri39 23 su00it at Rio #e :aneiro$ India also raised the border issue during the tal.s$ India and /hina agreed that the" would continue political dialogue at the political level$ India and /hina also decided that the special representatives would wor. for preparing the &oint record of their wor. so far' which was alread" announced in :anuar" 2362 and give directions for the future co,ordination between the two countries$

India and Israel made a memorandum of understanding "#o$% to e&pand the bilateral relation in the tourism

sector on 2; :une 2362$ Israel' under the )o4' will open a touris0 office in )u0bai and increase the fre<uenc" of flights to India$ The )o4 was signed between Israeli Touris0 )inister Stas )ise=hni.ov and his Indian counterpart )inister Subodh Kant Sahai in :erusala0 in Israel$ Israel is also set to invest >>3333 dollar to draw 0ore Indian tourists to the countr"$ The )o4 also set the foundation to establish a touris0 develop0ent foru0' which will see. the advice fro0 various sta.eholders including travel agents' hoteliers' and tour operators and fro0 the 0edia' to expand touris0 0ar.et in both the countries$ The two countries have a great scope of touris0 develop0ent b" engaging into cooperation as nearl" ;3333 Indian tourists visit Israel ever" "ear' and the sa0e nu0ber of Israeli citi=ens co0es to India annuall"$

$S defence secretary 'eon (anetta came India on a two)day visit on 5 :une 2362$ The visit was ai0ed at

strengthening bilateral strategic and defence cooperation between the two nations$ Panetta visited India as the part of his wee.,long visit to *sia to for0ulate a new 4S defence strateg" to allies and partners in the region$ The strateg"' which was released in :anuar" 2362' calls for a shift in 4S strategic focus to the *sia,Pacific$ *s the ti0e for the withdrawal of 4S troops fro0 *fghanistan is nearing' *0erica see.s to establish a stronger strategic and defence tie with India' so that it could .eep a tab on the region8s geopolitics even after the withdrawal of its troops$ )an" anal"sts believe that the Panetta8s visit is the part of Pentagon8s polic" to tea0 up with India against the growing /hinese assertiveness in the global politics$

India on 8 June 2 12 announced to allow foreign direct investment from (a*istan $ The 0ove is ai0ed at

strengthening the bilateral econo0ic relations between the two countries$ The decision will also facilitate the econo0ic integration in the South *sian region$ The 4nion !inance )inistr" had received a proposal b" the #epart0ent of Industrial Polic" and Pro0otion (#IPP see.ing changes in !oreign (xchange )anage0ent *ct (!()* to allow !#I fro0 Pa.istan$ 4nder the present !#I polic"' a Pa.istani citi=en or an entit" incorporated in there is not allowed to invest in India$ The 7overn0ent had earlier allowed invest0ents fro0 ?angladesh under the !IP? route$ The bilateral trade between India and Pa.istan for the "ear 2363,66 stood at 2$2 billion dollar$ %ith 2$@2 billion dollar exports' India do0inated the trade' which grew at a rate of ;2 per cent and also approaching forward to occup" 6 per cent share of Indian global exports$

July 2012

India+ Indonesia Signed ,ouble -a&ation .voidance .greement/ India and Indonesia signed an agree0ent to avoid

double taxation and prevent fiscal evasion with respect to taxes on inco0e on 22 :ul" 2362$ Indonesian !oreign *ffairs )inister #r$ R$ )$ )art" 1atalegawa and his Indian counterpart S$) Krishna at the +"derabad +ouse in 1ew #elhi signed the agree0ent$ *part fro0 the agree0ent' both sides also signed the agreed 0inutes of the fourth :oint /o00ission )eeting between India and Indonesia$ ?oth the countries' reviewed the entire state of bilateral relationship including trade and co00erce$ Two nations have also agreed to strengthen the bilateral relationship into a strategic partnership both countries share a war0 relationship on account of the solid foundation of historical and cultural ties$ ?oth countries are also hopeful of achieving the trade target of 25 billion 4S #ollars b" 2365$

.ustralia

to

restart

uranium

supply

to

India/

)onths after reversing its polic" of not selling uraniu0 to India' *ustralia on 66th :ul"' said it was in the process of wor*ing out internal arrangements to ensure supply of the yellowca*e "$ranium% to 0ew ,elhi. In #ece0ber last "ear' *ustraliaAs ruling Babor led b" Pri0e )inister :ulia 7illard cleared the wa" for the *ustralian uraniu0 to be exported to India after a strong debate on the floor of the part"As ;>th national conference$ #espite resistance fro0 opponents' the land0ar. polic" change was carried out' paving the wa" for

the first *ustralian countr",to,countr" agree0ent to sell "ellowca.e to a nation outside the 1uclear 1on,Proliferation Treat"$ *ustralia has the worldAs largest reserves of uraniu0 and its ores are considered to be of superior <ualit" a0ong those found elsewhere across the globe$ /urrentl"' *ustralia exports uraniu0 to /hina' :apan' Taiwan and the 4nited States$ +owever' it had earlier declined sale to India citing a polic" that barred nuclear trade with countries that were not signatories to the 1uclear 1on,Proliferation Treat"$

India+

Singapore

Signed

.greements

and

#o$

India and Singapore signed three *ey bilateral agreements and a #emorandum of $nderstanding "#1$% on 11 July 2 12+ 0ew ,elhi. The agree0ents were signed b" Pri0e )inister )an0ohan Singh and Singaporean counterpart Bee +sien Boong$ %hile the )o4 was signed b" Indian Babour )inister )ali.ar&un Kharge and Singapore (ducation )inister +eng Swee Keat$ Salient points of .greements/ ?oth the countries' in the 0e0orandu0 of understanding have decided to renew the bilateral arrange0ent between the *ir !orces on &oint training The 0ilitar" training agree0ent was signed between Indian #efence Secretar" Shashi Kant Shar0a and SingaporeAs Per0anent Secretar" for #efence /hiang /hie !oo$ It stated that the 0ilitar" training that Indian ar0ed forces extend to their Singaporean counterparts shall b" all 0eans continue$ The other agree0ent focused on expansion of &oint ventures' technological collaboration both bilaterall" and in third countries$ The agree0ent also stated that Singapore is all ga0e for invest0ent in education and health$ , ?oth the countries in the agree0ent also decided to pin on defence cooperation$

(a*istan

willing

to

resolove

bilateral

disputes

with

Inida/

Pa.istan on 62th :ul"' said it is willing to go b" the agree0ent that it had in the past with India to resolve so0e of the disputes li.e Sir /ree. and Siachen$ AAIf "ou loo. at 0a" be so0e of the disputes that we have$ %e have Sir /ree.' we have Siachen$$$ Pa.istan has alread" 0ade it clear that we are willing to go b" the agree0ent that we had in the past'AA !oreign )inister +ina Rabbani Khar told in an interview$ She said the two countries 0ust 0ove forward in the relationship and AA0oving forward would re<uire that we all are able to so0eti0es show flexibilit"' so0e ti0es we donAt need to show flexibilit"$AA )s$ Khar is in the /a0bodian capital to attend the *S(*1 )inisterial 0eeting$

The /onfederation of Indian Industr" (/II in partnership with 7overn0ent of India and *fghanistan along with *fghan

invest0ent and business organi=ations organi=ed a 2,elhi Investment Summit on .fghanistan3 on 2C :une' 2362$ The su00it too. place at +otel Ta& Palace' 1ew #elhi$ The pri0ar" ob&ective of the su00it was to attract foreign invest0ent into *fghanistan opening in areas li.e +"drocarbons' 0ining and infrastructure$ It envisioned fruitful partnerships to help invest in *fghanistan$The participants in the su00it were not onl" the investors fro0 the public sectors' but also private sectors$ The su00it was expected to provide an extraordinar" opportunit" to get infor0ation on invest0ent opportunities in *fghanistan$

Aug 2012

India and China+ on 24 .ugust agreed to set up a 5oint wor*ing group "J67% to loo* into not only trade)

related issues but also investments $ The wor.ing group is expected to co0e out with a report within D3 da"s$ The decision to set up the :%7 was ta.en at the 0eeting of India,/hina :oint 7roup on (cono0ic Relations' Trade' Science and Technolog" in 1ew #elhi on 22 *ugust 2362 $The wor.ing group is set up even as India has expressed serious concerns over the widening trade deficit with its neighbour and sought a correction$ On its part' /hina expressed serious concern over the i0position of dut" on i0port of power e<uip0ent b" 1ew #elhi$ /o00erce and Industr" )inister *nand Shar0a said after the 0eeting' both countries had also agreed to wor. on a five,"ear plan on econo0ic cooperation$ +is /hina8s counterpart' )r$ /hen #e0ing said' in ti0es of global econo0ic crisis' there was a need for strengthening India,/hina econo0ic relationship$ +e also expressed the hope that bilateral trade would hit the target of E633 billion b" 2365$ The total bilateral trade between India and /hina for 2366,62' stood at 25;52$;2 0illion dollar as co0pared with 5D333$@> 0illion dollar in 2363,66$ #uring 2366,62' the exports were 62D32$DC 0illion dollar while the i0ports stood at 5255;$;; 0illion dollar$ The provisional trade deficit for 2366,62 was @D>56$;> 0illion dollar$ The :oint 7roup on (cono0ic Relations' Trade' Science F Technolog" was for0ed in 6DCC when then Pri0e )inister Ra&iv 7andhi visited ?ei&ing$

India and 8elgium on C *ugust decided to cooperate in the railway sector. * )o4 was signed for this purpose in the

presence of visiting #eput" Pri0e )inister #idier Re"nders' who also holds the portfolio of !oreign *ffairs' !oreign Trade and (uropean *ffairs$ Spea.ing on the occasion' )inister of (xternal *ffairs S) Krishna said India wanted to collaborate with ?elgiu0 in newer areas' particularl" in infrastructure and energ" sector' including port develop0ent' renewable energ"' both solar and wind power$ +e said his discussions with )r Re"ders touched the entire ga0ut of their bilateral relations and touched on their cooperation in further strengthening the strategic partnership with the (uropean 4nion$ The" too. note of the fact that despite global econo0ic slowdown' there was substantial increase in their bilateral trade' which has now crossed the 6@ billion (uro 0ar. in 2366$ ?elgiu0 has now e0erged as the second largest trading partner in goods sector within the (uropean 4nion$

On the sidelines of the 9irst India)C:'.C 9oreign #inisters -roi*a #eetingin 1ew #elhi on *ugust 2' 2362' -ice

!oreign )inister of /uba ')r$ Rogelio Sierra #ia=' 0et with (xternal *ffairs of India' S$)$ Krishna$ #uring the 0eeting' both sides reviewed the entire ga0ut of bilateral relations and expressed satisfaction$ ?oth sides reiterated their desire to sustain and consolidate these relations$ ?oth sides noted that the total bilateral trade of 4SE ;3 0illion between India and /uba did not correspond to the excellent bilateral ties$ The" e0phasi=ed that the trade turnover should be enhanced through concerted efforts and underlined that new opportunities for cooperation existed in the area of trade and invest0ent$ The /uban side appreciated the i0portance of the role pla"ed b" the Indian /o0pan" O-B (O17/ -idesh Btd$ in the field of petroleu0 exploration in /uba and sought O-B8s continued engage0ent in /uba in this area$ The Indian side reiterated its offer of Bines of /redit announced during the visit of its )inister of (xternal *ffairs to /uba in :une 2362$ India and /uba agreed on the need for the refor0 of the 4nited 1ations Organisation$ The Indian side appreciated /uba8s expression of support to India8s candidature for per0anent 0e0bership of the 4nited 1ations Securit" /ouncil$ ?oth sides e0phasised the continued

relevance of the 1on,*ligned )ove0ent in the current context of global relations and agreed to wor. towards the success of the forthco0ing 1*) Su00it in Tehran$ India and /uba expressed appreciation over the i0portance and significance of the !irst India,/(B*/ Troi.a )inisterial #ialogue and recalled the considerable opportunities available for 0utuall" beneficial cooperation between India and /(B*/ both in a 0ultilateral 0anner and bilaterall"$

The first 0eeting of the India)C:'.C (The /o00unit" of Batin *0erican and /aribbean States Troi.a foreign 0inisters was

held in 1ew #elhi on 2 *ugust 2362$ The )inister of !oreign *ffairs of /hile *lfredo )oreno /har0e' the pro,te0pore President of /(B*/' led the /(B*/ Troi.a$ The !oreign )inister of -ene=uela 1icolas )aduro and the -ice !oreign )inister of /uba' Rogelio Sierra participated in the 0eeting as 0e0bers of the Troi.a$ The (xternal *ffairs )inister of India' S) Krishna' led the Indian delegation$ The 0eeting was held with the ob&ective of strengthening India,/(B*/ relationship India and the /o00unit" of Batin *0erican and /aribbean countries (/(B*/ agreed to wor. for raising their relationship to the level of Strategic Partnership and having regular Su00it Bevel )eetings in the near future$ Pending an agree0ent on full,fledged Strategic Partnership' both sides agreed to cooperate in diverse sectors li.e trade and invest0ent' energ"' 0inerals' agriculture' science and technolog"' culture' education and people,to,people contacts$ The" agreed to wor. together on co00on global challenges in the interest of developing countries b" 0aintaining coordinated approach on 41 refor0s' financial crisis' cli0ate change and international terroris0$ The" urged the international co00unit" to adopt a /o0prehensive /onvention on International Terroris0 at the earliest$ ?oth sides ac.nowledged the efforts of the 41 /onference on Sustainable #evelop0ent (Rio923 for a renewed political co00it0ent towards Sustainable #evelop0ent to achieve povert" eradication through a balanced integration of econo0ic' social and environ0ental aspects$

7iving a big boost to trade and bilateral relations with (a*istan+ the 7overnment of India on 1 .ugust + notified

law permitting investments by citi;ens and companies ' under the govern0ent route' in sectorsGactivities other than defence' space and ato0ic energ"' of the neighbouring countr"$ The 0ove is li.el" to give new direction to South *sian econo0ic integration$ Pa.istan was the onl" countr" in the negative list under the !oreign (xchange )anage0ent *ct (!()* ' which prohibits invest0ents in India$ Sri Ban.a was re0oved fro0 the list in 233> and ?angladesh in 2332$ The initiative is part of a road 0ap drawn b" Trade )inisters and leading cha0bers of co00erce of the two countries to give a fillip to trade and econo0ic engage0ent$ Officials in the Industr" )inistr" said that to address securit" concerns over invest0ents fro0 Pa.istan' !#I proposals fro0 Isla0abad would be routed through the !oreign Invest0ent Pro0otion ?oard (!IP? ' which is headed b" the (cono0ic *ffairs Secretar" in the !inance )inistr"$

India and Israel on 2 *ugust' entered into a memorandum of understanding "#o$% for launching a programme

that would promote collaborative research across a wide range of disciplines from medical and information technology to social sciences+ humanities and arts. The progra00e' which will run for five "ears' will provide support up to E6'33'333 a research pro&ect for three "ears$ The )o4 was signed b" Professor 7eiger /hair0an of the Israel Science !oundation and /hair0an of 4niversit" 7rants /o00ission -ed Pra.ash$ *fter the signing cere0on"' Israeli *0bassador *lon 4shpi= noted that both nations hosted so0e of the best acade0ic institutions$ HThe lin.ing of our researchers together co0es onl" naturall"'I he said$ The progra00e was initiated during a recent visit of )inister for +u0an Resource #evelop0ent Kapil Sibal to Israel' when he 0et with Israel8s !inance )inister Juval Steinit=' (ducation )inister 7ideon Sa8ar and /hair0an of Planning and ?udgeting /o00ittee )anuel Tra&tenberg$

India+ on 2 .ugust+ invited 8elgium to invest in the upco0ing national manufacturing and investments ;ones

"0#I<s with a focused approach in energ"' water disposal as well as treat0ent' and research and training$ This was conve"ed to the visiting ?elgian #eput" Pri0e )inister and )inister of !oreign *ffairs' !oreign Trade and (uropean *ffairs' #idier Re"nders' b" /o00erce and Industr" )inister' *nand Shar0a' during his 0eeting in 1ew #elhi$ *n official state0ent issued after the 0eeting said the visiting ?elgian )inister offered expertise in water treat0ent' waste disposal and energ" sector which would be useful in 1)IKs $1)IKs will be 0ega industrial =ones with world,class supporting infrastructure$The govern0ent is offering incentives such as exe0ption fro0 capital gains tax and a liberalised labour and environ0ent nor0s to pro0ote these =ones$

Sep 2012

India on 62 septe0ber' offered a => million soft loan to 8urundi ' a 0ineral,rich countr" in eastern *frica' and signed a

clutch of pacts in areas of rural develop0ent' education' and health and 0edicine to ce0ent a burgeoning relationship$Pri0e )inister )an0ohan Singh held tal.s in 1ew #elhi' with ?urundi President Pierre 1.urun=i=a' who is on a three,da" visit' on a range of issues including a review of India8s capacit" building initiatives in ?urundi' deepening trade and invest0ent' and 41 refor0s$*fter the tal.s' the two sides signed the agree0ents$4nderlining India8s co00it0ent to the develop0ent of infrastructure in ?urundi' )an0ohan Singh announced a new line of credit worth over E;3 0illion to ?urundi for a far0 0echani=ation and food processing pro&ect$ -his will be addition to the =8 million line of credit for the Kabu hydroelectric pro5ect committed earlier $)an0ohan Singh also urged the ?urundi leader to facilitate Indian invest0ent in agriculture' infrastructure and 0anufacturing$The two leaders discussed a host of regional and global issues' including the fight against pirac" and the need for refor0s at the 41 Securit" /ouncil$

India and :gypt signed an #o$ for cooperation in the field of electoral management and administration on 62

septe0ber'in 1ew #elhi$ The (lection /o00ission of India and the Supre0e Presidential (lection /o00ittee of (g"pt will henceforth cooperate on initiatives designed to strengthen electoral s"ste0s and de0ocratic institutions' besides training of personnel and hu0an resource develop0ent$ The )o4 was signed between IndiaAs /hief (lection /o00issioner - S Sa0path and Secretar" 7eneral of (g"ptAs (lection /o00ittee +ate0 ?agato $ Sa0path said (g"pt has evinced .een interest in the use of electronic voting 0achines and IndiaAs voter education progra00e and techni<ues used for crac.ing election frauds$

India

and

8urundi

signed

#a5or

.greements

and

issued

Joint

Statement/

President of the Republic of ?urundi visited India fro0 62 to 6D Septe0ber 2362$ #uring this visit' India and ?urundi signed three agree0ents,(i (xchange Progra00e for /ooperation in the field of (ducation' (ii )e0orandu0 of 4nderstanding on /ooperation in the

field of Rural #evelop0ent and (iii )e0orandu0 of 4nderstanding on /ooperation in the field of +ealth and )edicine$ ?esides' India also announced a Bine of /redit of ;2$@C 0illion 4S dollars for !ar0 )echanisation and Integrated !ood Processing /o0plex in ?urundi$

o
potential$

India and ?urundi issued a &oint state0ent on that occasion$ The 0a&or highlights of the &oint state0ent are as followingL India and ?urundi agreed to further enhance the bilateral cooperation in view of the considerable untapped ?urundi than.ed India for approval of a concessional line of credit of C3 0illion 4S dollars for the Kabu 6> +"dro, ?oth nations agreed to continue strengthening cooperation in the areas of econo0"' trade and invest0ent' finance'

o
electric pro&ect$

o o
Securit" /ouncil$

hu0an resource develop0ent' culture' etc$ while striving to expand cooperation into other potential areas such as agriculture' food processing' I/T' science F technolog"' health' 0ining etc$ ?urundi conve"ed its support for India8s candidature for Per0anent )e0bership in an expanded 4nited 1ations

.iming to improve ties between India and .ssociation of South :ast .sian 0ations ".S:.0%+ @I0S

Sudarshini@+ a sail training ship+ began its 5ourney on 2C Septe0ber' fro0 /hennai on a nine nation vo"age$ #irector 7eneral' 1aval Pro&ects (- -ice *d0iral - K 1a0balla flagged off the ship' 0anned b" five officers' @6 sailors' @3 1aval and /oast 7uard cadets' fro0 the /hennai Port Trust$ #uring its &ourne"' the ship would call on 6@ foreign ports across nine nations to bolster friendship across the seas$ The ship would ta.e the ancient route of Indian 0ariners to South (ast *sia' it said' adding during its &ourne"' the ship would spend a total of 622 da"s before berthing bac. at Kochi on )arch 2D' 236@$

India+

(alestine

against

any

outside

interference

in

solving

7ulf

issues/

India and Palestine on 66 Septe0ber' called for resolution of all the develop0ents in the 7ulf through dialogue without an" outside interference$ -isiting Palestine President )ah0oud *bbas and Pri0e )inister )an0ohan Singh exchanged views on regional develop0ents' particularl" the develop0ents in the %est *sian and the 7ulf region$ MThere is a great degree of si0ilarit" in our views$ %e both agree that the develop0ents in the region 0ust be addressed through political dialogue and peaceful 0eans without recourse to violence and outside interference' while ta.ing into account the legiti0ate aspirations of all people'M #r Singh said in a state0ent to the 0edia after holding tal.s with )r *bbas$ )r *bbas also expressed the co00it0ent of his nation to resolve issues with Israel through negotiations' while calling upon the neighbour to stop all violence and illegal settle0ents$ +e than.ed India for its continued support to the Palestinian cause and sought to underline that a MPalestinian state with its (ast :erusale0 as its capitalM was all for living in peace with Israel$ Responding to the Pri0e )inisterAs call for earl" resu0ption of the peace dialogue between Palestine and Israel' )r *bbas said both the states living in peace and securit" was the ob&ective his govern0ent was aspiring forv

India

e&tended

credit

of

=1

#illion

aid

to

(alestine

in

gesture

of

support/

Indian Pri0e )inister )an0ohan Singh announced a support of E63 )illion to Palestine during a 0eet with Palestine8s 1ational *uthorit" President )ah0oud *bbas on 66 Septe0ber 2362$ Palestinian president was here in Indian on a three da" visit fro0 63 to 62 Septe0ber 2362$ )r$ Singh also pro0ised his Palestinian counterpart about India8s bac.ing for their full and e<ual 0e0bership of the 4$1$ the one that is threatened b" 4S for veto$ #uring the 0eet' both the sides in.ed three different agree0ents co0prising infor0ation and co00unication technolog"' education and vocational training$ The agree0ents were in.ed in presence of the Indian external *ffairs )inister S$)$ Krishna and the 0e0ber of executive co00ittee of Palestinian Biberation Organi=ation (PBO #r$ Saeb )$S$ (ra.at$ * )o4 ()e0orandu0 of 4nderstanding has been signed up to set up two schools at two districts of Palestine na0el" *bu #ees and *sera *l Sha0al"eh' which will be na0ed on the na0e of Pt$ :awaharlal 1ehru' India8s first Pri0e )inister$ /ost esti0ated for the construction of the two schools is 4SE 6$C 0illion and will help about eight hundred students of these districts to fetch <ualit" education$ The schools at *bu #ees and *sera *l Sha0al"eh will be constructed in an area of 6233 and 6D33 s<uare 0eter with 63 and 62 classes respectivel"$ In the second agree0ent' India will set a state,of,the,art infor0ation and co00unication technolog" center in Palestine to create IT experts and generate opportunities of e0plo"0ent$ To 0a.e the center of Palestine self reliable' so0e of the IT professionals fro0 Palestine will be trained here in India to a higher level$ *s per the third agree0ent' India will participate in providing vocational training to the wo0en and "outh of Palestine$ The training will include technical and 0achiner" .now,how to$ Pri0e )inister )r$ Singh stated that he supported the Palestinian cause to achieve independent' sovereign and united state of Palestine and (ast :erusale0 as a capital to the state$

India+

#yanmar

and

-hailand

decided

to

implement

-rilateral

Connectivity

(ro5ect

by

2 1A/

India' )"an0ar and Thailand on 63 Septe0ber 2362 reviewed the eagerl" awaited trilateral connectivit" pro&ect and decided to 0a.e all efforts to i0ple0ent this b" 236>$ This was done at the 0eeting of the India,)"an0ar,Thailand :oint Tas. !orce' which 0et in 1ew #elhi$ It was also agreed during the 0eeting that steps be initiated to address issues related to har0onisation of custo0s and i00igration procedures at border chec.,posts to enable sea0less 0ove0ent of goods and people to realise the full potential of the trilateral highwa"$

/o00erce and Industr" )inister' *nand Shar0a' on ; Septe0ber' said India and (a*istan would soon in* three

agreements in the areas of customs co)operation+ mutual recognition of standards and redressal of trade issues to give a fillip to economic activity. *ddressing a Pa.istani Parlia0entar" delegation at !I//I8s first India,Pa.istan Parlia0entar" #ialogue' )r$ Shar0a said India was read" to grant 0ulti,entr" and 0ulti,cit" visas to business0en fro0 Pa.istan$ )r$ Shar0a said there was a need to also open up 0ore land routes to allow 0ore people,to,people exchange and s0ooth entr" and exit of business co00unit" fro0 both nations$ India recentl" allowed Pa.istan nationals and co0panies to invest in India through the se0i,auto0atic approval route$ ?ilateral trade between India and Pa.istan stood at E2$2 billion in 2363,66$+aider *bbas Ri=vi' a 0e0ber of Pa.istan 1ational *sse0bl"' said that increase in trade and invest0ent would help both sides to resolve other 0atters$

India and -a5i*istan on ? September 2 12 signed si& agreements in the field of sports+ health+ culture+

education+ labour+ te&tiles and energy $ India and Ta&i.istan agreed to advance their ties to a strategic partnership in order to i0part greater strength to the relationship through all,round co,operation and engage0ent$ ?oth the countries identified infor0ation technolog"' biotechnolog"' 0ining' touris0' phar0aceuticals a0ong other sectors as high potential area$ *fter the agree0ents' it was decided that India would increase training slots for Ta&i.istan fro0 633 to 653 under India Technolog" and (co Training Progra00e$

#inister of State for :&ternal .ffairs of India : .hamed and (rime #inister of 0iue+ B. :. -o*e -alagi signed

a Joint CommuniCue on the establishment of ,iplomatic Delations between India and 0iue+ at Coo* Islands. 1iue is a Pacific island countr"' which is a 0e0ber of regional bodies such as the Pacific Island !oru0 and the Pacific /o00unit" and also of 41(S/O' %TO and !*O$ Since 2332' India has intensified its cooperative relations with all countries in pacific island region$ 1iue' is an island of 6;33 inhabitants' which is also .nown as the world8s first H%i,!i nationI' in which free wireless Internet access is provided throughout the countr"$ 1iue is also .nown as the NRoc. of Pol"nesia8' and is situated 2;33 .0 northeast of 1ew Kealand $

India and (a*istan on 8 September signed the much)awaited new liberalised visa agreement to boost people,to,

people contacts between the two nations$ The new pact' signed between (xternal *ffairs )inister S) Krishna and Pa.istan Interior )inister Reh0an )ali.' replaces a @C,"ear,old restrictive visa agree0ent$ The new visa polic" will ease restrictions on visitors fro0 both the countries$ In addition' senior citi=ens will be granted visas on arrival at the *ttari and %agah border in India and Pa.istan respectivel"$ 4nder the new arrange0ent' senior citi=ens will be granted a visa on arrival valid for ;5 da"s$ !or the first ti0e' group touris0 will be part of the new pact which will also have other new categories' including 0ultiple cit" one,"ear visas for business0en and visa,on,arrival for people aged >5 "ears$

Oct 2012

India+ $.S. and Japan on its third trilateral meet on 2D October 2362 discussed trilateral cooperation in 0ariti0e

securit" and a route through 0iddle or north of )"an0ar leading up to +anoi$ The other 0a&or area of discussion was on exchanging of proposals for doing pro&ects together in *frica as well as cooperating on the econo0ic side in *fghanistan$ The three countries were on c"cle of tal. which the" co0pleted following this 0eet$ The tal. began with their first 0eeting in %ashington in #ece0ber 2366 which was followed b" next 0eeting in To."o in *pril 2362$Tal.ing of 0ariti0e securit" the three countries discussed so0e specific areas of cooperation which will be productive in the next c"cle of tal.s that is going to begin after the 4$S$ Presidential elections and with the settling down of next 4S ad0inistration$

(ach side gave a strategic overview of the *sia Pacific$ %hile :apanNs ?riefing was pri0aril" focused on dispute with /hina over

the Sen.a.u islands$India with discussing issues on )"an0ar had ta.en up a trilateral connectivit" initiative with )"an0ar and Thailand that touched on a route through upper )"an0ar that would lead into -ietna0$ *lso' 4S briefing was about its 0uch,tal.ed about polic" of Apivot to *siaA' which is a 0ove driven b" the allure of e0erging *sian econo0ies' especiall" /hina and India$

*n Rs 6'233 crore proposal for procuring 1 +

anti)tan* guided missiles for the .rmy from Dussia was cleared on

2! 1ctober by the Cabinet Committee on Security "CCS%. The //S cleared the proposal to ac<uire Russian,origin 63'333 Kon.urs,) anti,tan. guided 0issiles for the )echanised Infantr" and Infantr" battalions of the *r0"$ The Kon.urs,) are part of the weapon s"ste0s being procured b" the force to aug0ent the anti,tan. arsenal in the *r0"$ The /abinet /o00ittee had last wee. cleared the purchase of 25'333 Invar 0issiles for the T,D3 tan. fleet under a Rs 2'333 crore proposal$ The Kon.urs are part of the anti,tan. weapon fa0il" of the force which includes the )ilan anti,tan. guided 0issiles which India has been bu"ing fro0 !rance and also license,producing it at the ?harat #"na0ics Bi0ited facilities here$

8ritish Bigh Commissioner to India James 8evan called on 7u5arat Chief #inister 0arendra #odi on 22

1ctober to EEengage inEE and EEstrengthenEE diplomatic and business ties with the 7u5arat government. The 0eeting follows the ?ritish govern0ent decision about a fortnight bac. to resu0e relationship with 7u&arat which had been in a deep free=e since 2332 7odhra riots$

#inistry of Commerce F Industry+ 7overn0ent of India in association with the Confederation of Indian Industry

"CII% and the :mbassy of India+ 8ei5ing is organi=ing the 2India Show3 concurrently with Ath China International .uto parts :&po fro0 2>,2C October' 2362 in ?ei&ing$ The event is organi=ed during this "ear which has been announced as the MJear of India,/hina !riendship and /ooperationM' pledging to push the Sino,Indian strategic cooperative partnership to a new level$ *s part of India Show' /II will be leading a high,powered 6D 0e0ber /(OsG ?usiness delegation led b" )r S 7opala.rishnan' President #esignate /II F (xecutive /o, /hair0an Infos"s Technologies Btd fro0 25,2> October 2362$/II is also organi=ing the India /hina ?usiness Se0inar on 2>th October 2362 coinciding with the inauguration of India Show$ !urther' as part of the HIndia ShowI an Indian wine festival is being organi=ed b" *gricultural F Processed !ood Products (xport #evelop0ent *uthorit" (*P(#* and an Indian /ultural and #ance Perfor0ance b" Indian /ouncil for /ultural Relations (I//R $ The )inistr" of /o00erce F Industr"' 7overn0ent of India and /II attaches great i0portance to this show in enhancing the ties between two e0erging econo0ies and also in building H?rand IndiaI in /hina$

-$1ara"anasa0"' )inister of State (P)O F PP ' said India attaches highest i0portance to its relationship with

8angladesh$ +e welco0ed )r$ +ossain Toufi<ue I0a0' *dviser to Pri0e )inister' ?angladesh and appreciated the 0eeting with hi0 on the sidelines of the /o00onwealth *ssociation for Public *d0inistration and )anage0ent (/*P*) ?iennial /onference hosted b" India on 25 October 'in 1ew #elhi$ This 0eeting had a ver" fruitful dialogue with ?angladesh that covered co00ence0ent of unfettered 2;,hour access across the Tin ?igha corridor as well as dut",free i0port of all ite0s' except 25$ The )inister of State referred to the cultural identit" of the people of ?angladesh and India and the age old relationship between the two countries since 6D26$ +e also 0entioned on the co00onalit" between the two countries on health' education' and border issues$ 1ara"ansa0" loo.ed forward to a deeper engage0ent and

interaction with each other on various issues of ad0inistrative refor0s' pension' and best practices in the area of public ad0inistration and governance$

India and Spain on 2> October' signed an .udio visual Co)production .greement in 0ew ,elhi ' see.ing to i0prove

cooperation between the two countries in the audio visual sector$ The *gree0ent was signed between *0bi.a Soni' )inister for Infor0ation F ?roadcasting and )r$ :ose 7arcia )argallo J$ )arfil' )inister for !oreign *ffairs and /ooperation' Kingdo0 of Spain$ The agree0ent establishes a legal fra0ewor. for relations regarding cooperation between the two countries in the audio visual field thereb" facilitating the develop0ent of the audiovisual industr"$ The fra0ewor. for co production includes feature fil0s' docu0entar" and ani0ation fil0s$ The agree0ent provides opportunities for both the countries to pool their creative' artistic' technical' financial and 0ar.eting resources to co, produce fil0s$ The co,production would provide an opportunit" to create and showcase Nsoft power8 of our /ountr"$ /urrentl"' as part of the initiative' the 7overn0ent has signed co,production agree0ents with 7overn0ent of Italian Republic in 2335' with 7overn0ent of 4K of 7reat ?ritain and 1orthern Ireland in 2335' with !ederal Republic of 7er0an" in 2332' with !ederal Republic of ?ra=il in 2332' with Republic of !rance in 2363' with 7overn0ent of Republic of 1ew Kealand in 2366' with 7overn0ent of Republic of Poland in 2362$

)e0orandu0 of 4nderstanding between the Indian Dailways and D:09:)1peradora and .,I9 "Spanish Dailways

Infrastructure #anager% of Spain on technical cooperation in the field of Railwa" sector was signed b" the )inister of Road Transport F +ighwa"s and )inister of Railwa"s' #r$ /$P$:oshi and visiting Spain )inister of Public %or.s and Transport' )s$ *na Pastor :uliOn' in 1ew #elhi on 2> October$ 4nder this )O4' both the countries are to pro0ote cooperation and infor0ation exchange in the areas of +igh Speed Railwa"' upgradation of speed of passenger trains on existing lines' i0proving safet" of train operations' 0oderni=ation of Rolling Stoc.' construction and 0aintenance technologies for fixed infrastructure Trac.' ?ridges' Tunnels' O+(' Power Suppl" S"ste0s' Signaling and Teleco00unications and other cooperation in railwa" related technolog" develop0ents$

)e0orandu0 of 4nderstanding between India and Spain on Doads and Doad -ransport Sector was signed b" the

)inister of Road Transport F +ighwa"s and )inister of Railwa"s' #r$ /$P$:oshi and visiting Spain )inister of Public %or.s and Transport' )s$ *na Pastor :ulian in 1ew #elhi on 2> October$ The ob&ective of )O4 include pro0oting efficient and environ0entall" sustainable transport s"ste0s and to institutionali=e a technical and scientific cooperation in the fields of road infrastructure' construction' 0aintenance and 0anage0ent of roads$ It will also include exchange of infor0ation between 7overn0ent officials and specialists of the +ighwa" #epart0ents in the field of transportation b" road' and pro0ote and develop the relations between enterprises (consultanc"' engineering and road transport service provider co0panies to enable transfer of technolog" in the field of road and road transport$

The 7overn0ent of India and the 7overn0ent of Spain signed in 1ew #elhi on 2> October' the (rotocol for amending the

Convention and (rotocol between the 7overnment of the Depublic of India and the 7overnment of the Kingdom of Spain for avoidance of double ta&ation and the prevention of fiscal evasion with respect to ta&es on income and on capital. The Protocol has been signed b" the 4nion !inance )inister of India' P$ /hida0bara0 on behalf of India' while )inister for !oreign *ffairs and /ooperation of Spain' :ose )anuel 7arcia,)argallo" )arfil signed it on behalf of Spain$

India on 22 1ctober 2 12 held its first 2G2 dialogue with Japan for enhance0ent of cooperation in the .e" areas that

includes #aritime+ 1uter Space and Cyber Security at To."o' :apan$ #uring the tal.s' both the nations agreed to hold a dialogue on /"ber Securit" on 5 1ove0ber 2362$ The Indian #elegation to To."o was led b" the !oreign Secretar" of India Ran&an )athai and the #efence Secretar" Shashi Kant Shar0a and their counterparts fro0 :apan were #eput" !oreign )inister *.ita.a Sai.i and *d0inistrative -ice,#efence )inister +ironori Kana=awa$ *sho. )u.her&ee' Special Secretar" of )inistr" of (xternal *ffairs would lead the Indian tea0 to the /"ber Securit" dialogue between the two nations$ The scheduled dialogues between the two countries are the results of the action plan initiated in #ece0ber 233D for advance0ent of the securit" cooperation followed b" the 0eet of :une 2363 at 1ew #elhi$ The potential expansion of India,:apan defence relations too. a .ic.,start after the :apanese Pri0e )inister Joshihi.o 1oda lifted the national ban on ar0 exports following the new guidelines announced under 1ational #efense Progra0 7uidelines in #ece0ber 2363 in To."o$ :apan can now sell 0ilitar" e<uip0ent and weapons with the purpose of peace,building and peace .eeping operations$ It can also &oin hands in weapon and 0ilitar" technolog" develop0ent with partner nations$ ?esides the traditional partner Russia' India8s defence partners at present are 4S' !rance and Israel$

India and 8ulgaria will e&plore the possibilities of cooperation in -ourism Sector $ This was decided at a 0eeting

held between Touris0 )inister of ?ulgaria )r$ #elian #obrev and 4nion Touris0 )inister Subodh Kant Sahai on 65 October in 1ew #elhi$ It was decided in the 0eeting that both the countries will identif" areas for wor.ing together and explore new opportunities in Touris0 sector especiall" in the field of +ospitalit" Training' Pro0otion' )ar.eting' #evelop0ent and 0anage0ent of Tourist destinations$ ?oth sides also exchanged views to explore the possibilities of pro0oting invest0ent in the field of hotel industr" touris0 and infrastructural develop0ent$ India allows 633P !#I in +otel sector on auto0ated basis$ It was also agreed to explore the possibilities of enhancing air,connectivit" between both the countries as lac. of direct air connectivit" between India and ?ulgaria is one of the 0a&or reasons for s0all nu0ber of tourists traveling between the two countries$ )r$ #elian #obrev said ?ulgaria with its beautiful 0ountains' the ?lac.,Sea coast boasting of cities li.e -arna has beco0e an attractive destination for Indian fil0 Industr"$ )r$ #elian #obrev is on a visit to India in connection with the 62th session of the Indo,?ulgarian :oint /o00ission on (cono0ic' Scientific and Technical /ooperation of which he is the co,chair0an$

India and Indonesia on 1A 1ctober+ decided to significantly enhance their defence cooperation w ith the #efence

)inister Shri *K *nton" declaring his 0eeting with his Indonesian counterpart )r Purno0o Jusgiantoro as a Nturning point8 and an Nexcellent beginning8$ This was the first )inisterial level biennial defence dialogue between the two countries$ The two sides exchanged views on a whole range of issues relating to regional and global securit"' bilateral exercises involving Services' training' co,production of defence e<uip0ent and a00unitions and visits at high levels$ The defence dialogue 0echanis0 at the highest level was agreed upon during the visit of Indonesian President Susilo?a0bangJudho"ono to India in :anuar" last "ear$ The two sides noted with satisfaction that #efence /ooperation constitutes one of the principal focus areas of their diversified relationship$ (ncouraged b" the success of the first :oint (xercise on /ounter Terroris0 and :ungle %arfare in India earlier this "ear' *nton" proposed that the two countries should continue the &oint exercises between the two ar0ies on a 0utuall" agreed fre<uenc"$ Si0ilarl"' the two navies are regularl" conducting coordinated 0ariti0e patrols (/ORP*T $ +e also offered to Indonesia establish0ent of a for0al 0ariti0e do0ain infor0ation sharing arrange0ent between the two navies$

The Pri0e )inister of *ustralia )s$ :ulia 7illard on 62 October called on the President Pranab )u.her&ee and held wide

ranging discussions on bilateral and 0ultilateral issues$ The discussions covered issues relating to trade and invest0ent' energ"' suppl" of resources for India8s econo0ic develop0ent' education' and people to people contacts$ The two leaders also discussed cooperation in 0ultilateral foru0s such as 7,23 whose su00it *ustralia will host in 236;$ The President congratulated the Pri0e )inister on the launch of 1; fest in India and described it as a good initiative$ +e said India is co00itted to strengthen its strategic partnership with *ustralia$ The President expressed appreciation for *ustralia8s support for India8s candidature in an expanded 4nited 1ations Securit" /ouncil and said the two countries should wor. together in refor0ing the international financial architecture and e<uipping institutions li.e the %orld ?an. with the resources the" need$ The *ustralian Pri0e )inister infor0ed the President that she was gifting two saplings of 6ollemi (ine for the Dashtrapati 8havan $ This tree was discovered in *ustralia in 6DD; and its origins date bac. to ti0e when the #inosaurs roa0ed the earth$ She expressed the hope the" will flourish in the Rashtrapati ?havan$

India and .ustralia on 62 October 2362 announced the launch of nuclear negotiations for a civil nuclear deal that

will enable the sale of uraniu0 fro0 *ustralian /apital cit" /anberra to 1ew #elhi$ The deal was announced b" .ustralian (rime #inister Julia 7illard on her visit to India $ The deal is going to provide stretch in IndiaAs civilian nuclear a0bitions and will also strengthen bilateral ties between both the /ountries$ (arlier in 2366' the *ustralian Pri0e )inister :ulia 7illard' *ustralian Babour Part" refused to sell uraniu0 to India b" specif"ing that India had not signed the 1uclear 1on,Proliferation Treat"$ The actual Suppl" of uraniu0 is going to ta.e couple of "ears as negotiations for the safeguards agree0ent are co0plex and length"$ 8oth the Countries also signed four other agreements+ the 0ost i0portant of which is agreement on Student mobility and welfare in which the" agreed to hold annual 0eetings at the su00it level either bilaterall" or during 0ultilateral events$ India and *ustralia also agreed to launch a #inisterial)level ,ialogue on :nergy Security+ establish a 6ater -echnology (artnership and start negotiations for an *gree0ent on Transfer of Sentenced Persons$

Kapil Sibal' 4nion )inister of +u0an Resource #evelop0ent and Steven :o"ce' )inister for Tertiar" (ducation' S.ills and

(0plo"0ent' 1ew Kealand co,chairedthe first meeting of the India)0ew <ealand :ducation Council held on 1H 1ctober in 0ew ,elhi. The /ouncil has been constituted to draw up a fra0ewor. and devise 0echanis0s of co,operation and set the agenda for i0proving educational relations between the two countries$ ?oth leaders renewed their co00it0ent to collaboration and partnership in higher education$ India and 1ew Kealand expressed their co00it0ent to ear0ar. 4S E 6 0illion annuall" to enhance the cooperative activities through specific progra00es designed b" the India,1ew Kealand (ducation /ouncil$ The progra00es will include &oint research' student 0obilit"' facult" develop0ent' <ualifications fra0ewor. as well as vocational education and training' a0ong others$

Si& #o$s of cooperation between different institutions were also signed on during the meeting.

6$ )o4 between the )inistr" of Jouth *ffairs and Sports of the 7overn0ent of the Republic of India and Sport 1ew Kealand of the 7overn0ent of 1ew Kealand on /ooperation in the field of Sports$ The ob&ectives of this )o4 are to encourage and pro0ote an exchange of progra00es' experiences' s.ills' techni<ues' infor0ation and .nowledge$ 2$ (ducational Partnership *gree0ent between 4niversit" of #elhi' India and )ass" 4niversit" 1ew Kealand $ @$ )e0orandu0 of collaboration between Indira 7andhi 1ational Open 4niversit"(I71O4 ' India and the Open Pol"technic of 1ew Kealand$ ;$ )o4 between -ictoria 4niversit"' %ellington' 1ew Kealand and :awahar Bal 1ehru 4niversit" of India$ 5$ )o4 between %aiari.i Institute of Technolog" of 1ew Kealand and Pun&ab Technical 4niversit"' India$ >$ (ducational Partnership *gree0entG)O4 between 4niversit" of #elhi' India and Bincoln 4niversit"G*sia,Pacific !ootball *cade0" has alread" been signed$

Pa.istan8s )inister of Petroleu0 and 1atural Resources *si0 +ussain 0et /abinet )inister of Petroleu0 and 1atural gas of

India' :aipal Redd" in 1ew #elhi on 62 October 2362 on the sidelines of an event P(TROT(/+ 2362 and discussed avenues for energ" cooperation' including the trans,regional pro&ect T*PI$ *si0 +ussain tal.ed about the need of hastening wor. on the T*PI and the i0portance of de0onstrating political will$ +e also stressed for setting up the econo0ic 0odalit" b" establishing a Special Purpose -ehicle or consortiu0 dul" e0powered to ta.e all necessar" decisions$ The T*PI is the Trans,*fghanistan Pipeline pro&ect that is also .nown as Tur.0enistan*fghanistanPa.istanIndia Pipeline' -.( or -.(I. It is basically a proposed natural gas pipeline that is developed by the .sian ,evelopment 8an*$ The pro&ect was started on 65 )arch 6DD5 b" signing a 0e0orandu0 of understanding between the govern0ents of Tur.0enistan and Pa.istan for a pipeline pro&ect$ 4nder the Proposed plan' the pipeline will transport /aspian Sea natural gas fro0 Tur.0enistan through *fghanistan into Pa.istan and finall" to India$

-he ,efence #inister .K .ntony will embar* on a three)day visit to Indonesia+ beginning on 65 Oct 2362' to ta*e

part in the first #inisterial level biennial defence dialogue between the two countries $ The defence dialogue 0echanis0 at the highest level was agreed upon during the visit of Indonesian President Susilo?a0bangJudho"ono to India in :anuar" last "ear$ The defence ties between India and Indonesia have been progressing steadil" ever since the two sides signed the *gree0ent on #efence /ooperation in the "ear 2336$ The Indian 1av" and the Indonesian 1av" regularl" carr" out /oordinated Patrols along the International )ariti0e ?oundar" Bine (I)?B $ The *r0ies of the two countries held the first &oint exercise in India this "ear$ There are regular training interactions between the *r0ed !orces of the two countries$ ?esides 0eeting the )inister of #efence of Indonesia' Shri *nton" is also expected to call on President Judho"ono and 0eet the !oreign )inister of Indonesia$ The #efence )inister will return ho0e on 62 Oct 2362$

-he twelfth meeting of the India)Dussia Inter)governmental Commission on #ilitary -echnical Cooperation

was held in 0ew ,elhion 66 October$ The Indian delegation was led b" the #efence )inister Shri *K *nton" and the Russian delegation was led b" Shri *( Serd"u.ov' #efence )inister of the Russian !ederation$ The two sides expressed readiness to ta.e all necessar" 0easures to further expand the cooperation on a 0utuall" beneficial basis$ The /o00ission endorsed the Protocols of the 0eetings of the %or.ing 7roup on Shipbuilding' *viation and Band S"ste0s' (%7 S*BS and the %or.ing 7roup on )ilitar" Technical /ooperation (%7,)T/

which was held in 1ew #elhi on 22,2C *ugust 2362 and @3,@6 *ugust 2362 respectivel"$ The /o00ission appreciated the wor. done b" the /o,/hair0en and )e0bers of both the %or.ing 7roups and noted with approval the significant progress 0ade in pro0oting bilateral 0ilitar" technical cooperation between the two countries$

$nion #inister of $rban ,evelopment Kamal 0ath and #s. 0icole 8ricC+ #inister for 9oreign -rade+

7overnment of 9rance signed an .dministrative .greement in the field of Sustainable $rban ,evelopment in (aris on C October$ Spea.ing on the occasion' Shri Ka0al 1ath expressed appreciation for the related wor. in the field of Sustainable 4rban #evelop0ent carried out in !rance and felt that India could benefit i00ensel" fro0 the !rench experience$ Ka0al 1ath stated that both India and !rance would benefit fro0 the *gree0ent' as it would provide an enabling platfor0 for the officials' professionals' business leaders and local self,governing bodies to 0eet and share .nowledge and best practices in the urban sector$ +e expressed the hope that this :oint #eclaration would lead to enhanced cooperation and deepen the engage0ent between the two countries$ +e invited the international fir0s including !rench fir0s to participate in the process of 0a.ing cities greener and 0ore sustainable$ Ka0al 1ath also participated in a business roundtable organi=ed b" the )(#(! International$ The roundtable was attended b" leading infrastructure co0panies$ Spea.ing on the occasion' the )inister highlighted the i00ense challenges and opportunities that exist in the urban sector in India toda"$ +e infor0ed that India would soon launch the next phase of the :awaharlal 1ehru 1ational 4rban Renewal )ission (:114R) and that the 7overn0ent of India is .een to encourage Public,Private Partnership (PPP in urban sector' especiall" in larger cities' which would ease the process of invest0ent and involve0ent in the burgeoning urban sector in India$

. trade mission+ led by 6ashington governor Christine 7regoire+ signed a I5oint statement of interestJ with

the .ndhra (radesh ".(% government for collaboration on trade+ commerce and culture between the two states. The current trade 0ission' which is on a reciprocal visit to a 25,0e0ber delegation8s visit fro0 *ndhra Pradesh to %ashington to pro0ote ?rand +"derabad in particular and the state in general in 2363' co0prised 53 0e0bers' including 63 co0panies that are into the infor0ation technolog" (IT services business$ The signing of the state0ent of interest is ai0ed at forging relationships in IT' biotechnolog"' s.ills develop0ent' agriculture' horticulture' clean energ"' and health and h"giene$ *s part of the 0ission' 7regoire visited the )ani.onda ca0pus of Infotech (nterprises Bi0ited' a +"derabad,based provider of engineering services and Solutions /o0pan"$ The co00ercial port cit" of Seattle in %ashington state is ho0e to 0ultinationals li.e aircraft 0anufacturer ?oeing' which is one of the clients of Infotech' )icrosoft' Starbuc.s /offee /o0pan" and e,co00erce pla"er *0a=on$

Kisiting $S -reasury Secretary -imothy 7eithner and 9ederal Deserve Chairman 8en 8ernan*e on 1 1ctober

met corporate India leaders and discussed the recent *0erican polic" 0easures li.e the <uantitative easing and the econo0ic cli0ate in the countr"$ * 0a&orit" of the business leaders 0entioned that the recent decision of the !ederal Reserve to in&ect third round of li<uidit" in&ection and its i0plications were discussed$ ?usiness leaders said that ?ernan.e explained what the strateg" for Q(@ (<uantitative easing @ was and assured us that the i0plications are not going to be as large as people fear$ !inance )inister P /hida0bara0 during interactions with 7eithner had expressed his concerns over the i0pact of the Q(@ on co00odit" prices' as that will have a direct bearing on the govern0entAs and the R?IAs efforts at controlling inflation and boosting growth here$ )ortgage 0a&or +#!/ /hair0an #eepa. Pare.h said the recent spate of refor0s in the countr"' the need for the govern0ent do to reduce subsidies and boost growth were also discussed$ Others present at the 0eeting included /II #irector 7eneral /handra&it ?aner&ee' Kota. groupAs 4da" Kota.' -enu Srinivasan of T-S 7roup' Ishaat +ussain of Tata Sons and the 4S /onsul 7eneral in )u0bai' Peter +aas$ ?oth the visiting 4S officials had a series of 0eetings with top govern0ent officials' including Pri0e )inister )an0ohan Singh and !inance )inister P /hida0bara0 on D October in 1ew #elhi apart fro0 industr" bodies and will be winding up their India visit with a series of 0eetings in the financial capital$

Japan and India on 1 1ctober 2 12 launched a 5oint research pro5ect into pricing structures in '07 mar*ets $

:apan8s industr" 0inister Ju.io (dano and #eput" chair0an of Planning co00ission of India )onte. Singh *hluwalia' signed the agree0ent on &oint research in To."o$ Resource,poor :apan is on the hunt for cheaper energ"' with the situation further worsened b" the shuttering of all but two of its nuclear reactors a0id public distrust following tsuna0i,spar.ed 0eltdowns at !u.ushi0a$ :apan is the world8s top i0porter of li<uefied natural gas$ IndiaAs expanding econo0" also de0and 0ore and 0ore energ" .eeping this in view both the countries agreed for a research pro&ect to stud" price structure$

#inister of Dailways and the #inister of Doad -ransport F Bighways+ ,r. C.(.Joshi and visiting 9ederal

#inister of -ransport+ Innovation F -echnology of .ustria ,oris 8urse signed a #emorandum of $nderstanding "#o$% on 6 october'in 1ew #elhi for strengthening long,ter0 relationship and bilateral cooperation on road infrastructure and road transportation technology matters $ Spea.ing on the occasion' the Railwa" )inister said that *ustrian co0panies have been involved in so0e 0a&or pro&ects in India' both in Road and Railwa" pro&ects$ Starbag' a construction 0a&or have done a pro&ect in 1ew #elhi and have secured a contract worth C@ 0illion (4ROs fro0 #elhi )etro Rail /orporation$The co0pan" along with its Indian counterpart *fcons has &ointl" been awarded the Rohtang pass tunnel worth 253 0illion (4ROs$ Bi.ewise *ustrian co0pan" is designing a railwa" arch bridge in :a00u F Kash0ir$#r$ :oshi said that a )e0orandu0 of 4nderstanding regarding Technologies Specific /ooperation in the field of Railwa"s was signed between the )inistr" of Railwa"s' India and !ederal )inistr" for Transport Innovation F Technolog" of Republic of *ustria in October' 2366$+e said that the areas of cooperation have been identified in the fields of Tunneling Technolog"' Training and upgrading of s.ills li.e a ps"chological <ualification test for loco0otive drivers' Trac. 0aintenance as well as trac. 0onitoring F 0echanised la"ing of trac.' Signaling F Teleco0 and Traction and Rolling Stoc.$

India

and

.ustria

signed

#o$

to

strengthen

bilateral

cooperation

on

Dail

and

Doad/

* 0e0orandu0 of understanding ()o4 was signed on 6 October 2362 between Indian and *ustria to strengthen the long,ter0 bilateral cooperation and relationship on rail and road infrastructure$ The )o4 was signed in between /$P$ :oshi, the )inister of Railwa"s and Road Transport of India and +ighwa"s and the #oris ?urse,the !ederal )inister of Transport' Innovation and Technolog" of *ustria during her visit to India$ The identified areas of cooperation as declared b" /$P$ :oshi are tunnelling technolog" enhance0ent' training and s.ill up gradation li.e loco0otive drivers8 ps"chological <ualification test' trac. 0onitoring as well as 0aintenance$ The 0e0orandu0 also includes provisions of 0echanised trac. la"ing' traction and rolling stoc. and teleco0 and signalling$ *s per the provisions of the )o4' there has been an agree0ent on establishing and encouraging relationship for co00unication and cooperation that is effective and continue for a long ter0$ The understanding also includes exchange of infor0ation related to infrastructural develop0ent for roads' their 0anage0ent'

ad0inistration' road safet" and different areas of 0utual interests that includes intelligent Transport S"ste0s related to road transport technologies$

Nov 2012

India and 'ibya on ? 0ovember signed a #emorandum of $nderstanding "#o$% in 0ew ,elhi+ for

cooperation in the field of election management and administration ' with Bib"an (lection /o00ission see.ing training and electoral assistance fro0 (lection /o00ission of India$ The )o4 was signed b" the /hief (lection /o00issioner of India' -$S$ Sa0path and the #eput" /hair0an of the +igh 1ational (lection /o00ission of Bib"a' )r$ 1a&eeb *bdessala0 )oha00ed *rrabiti$ The 0a&or ai0s of )o4 areL pro0otion of exchanges of .nowledge and experience in electoral processesR exchange of infor0ation' 0aterials' expertise and training of personnelR production and distribution of 0aterials pertaining to electoral s"ste0s' voting technolog"' voters8 education and awareness' and participation of wo0en and 0inorities in electoral process$ :lection Commission of India has so far signed si&teen #1$s with :lection #anagement 8odies and international organi;ations across the world $ So0e of the )o4 signed recentl" are with (g"pt' -ene=uela' Republic of Korea and 41#P$

. social security agreement between India and Sweden was signed in 0ew ,elhi on 2> 1ove0ber$ The agree0ent

was signed b" -a"alar Ravi' 4nion )inister of Overseas Indian *ffairs fro0 the Indian side and )r$ 4lf Kristersson' )inister for Social Securit" of Sweden fro0 Swedish side$ Spea.ing on the occasion' Ravi said this agree0ent will help both the countries in 0ore invest0ent and wor. opportunities for nationals of India and Sweden$ The )inister said this agree0ent will encourage 0ore and 0ore Indians to go to Sweden for e0plo"0ent opportunities$ )r$ Kristersson said that 65> Swedish co0panies are operating in India and expressed the hope that this agree0ent will encourage Swedish people to co0e in large nu0bers to India$ Be said+ India is the first .sian countries with which Sweden has signed this type of agreement. The Social Securit" *gree0ent will enhance cooperation on social securit" between the two countries$ The *gree0ent will provide following benefits to Indian nationals wor.ing in SwedenL a !or short ter0 contract up to two "ears' no social contribution would need to be paid under the Swedish law b" the detached wor.ers provided the" continue to 0a.e social securit" pa"0ent in India$ b The above benefits shall be available even when the Indian co0pan" sends its e0plo"ees to Sweden fro0 a third countr"$ c Indian wor.ers shall be entitled to the export of the social securit" benefit if the" relocate to India after the co0pletion of their service in Sweden$ d The self,e0plo"ed Indians in Sweden would also be entitled to export of social securit" benefit of their relocation to India$ There are about 6C'333 Overseas Indians in Sweden' 0ost of who0 are wor.ing as professional and self,e0plo"ed$ +owever' there is a huge potential for Indian wor.ers to ta.e e0plo"0ent in Sweden owing to the huge labour suppl" gap in the 0ar.et$ *s such' a bilateral Social Securit" *gree0ent with Sweden is a significant re<uire0ent fro0 the futuristic point of view to ta.e advantage of the e0erging e0plo"0ent opportunities and to strengthen the trade and invest0ent between the two countries$ India has singed similar agreements with 8elgium+ 7ermany+ 9rance+ Swit;erland+ 0etherlands+ 'u&embourg+ Bungary+ ,enmar*+ C;ech Depublic+ the Depublic of Korea+ 0orway+ 9inland+ Canada and Japan.

India)#aldives

Joint

#ilitary

-raining

:&ercise

:K$K:DI0

2 12

held

in

8elgaum

The fourth :oint )ilitar" Training (xercises between the Indian *r0" and the )aldives 1ational #efence !orce ()1#! , (K4-(RI1 2362 , was held in ?elgau0' India fro0 62 to 25 1ove0ber 2362$ * total of ;5 personnel fro0 the )1#! are ta.ing part in the exercises along with the personnel fro0 the Indian *r0"$ The bilateral annual exercises' which co00enced in 233D in ?elgau0' are alternatel" held in India and )aldives$ The ai0 of the exercises is to enhance the close 0ilitar" cooperation between the two countries$ In *pril 2362' both countries' along with Sri Ban.a' held &oint /oast 7uardG1aval exercises #OSTI SI , off the coast of )ale ()aldives to strengthen the bonds of friendship and enhance 0utual operational capabilit" and cooperation in the region$

-he

2nd

India)China

Strategic

economic

,ialogue

held

in

0ew

,elhi

The 2nd India,/hina Strategic (cono0ic #ialogue was held in 1ew #elhi on 2> 1ove0ber' 2362$ #uring the 2nd 0eeting of the #ialogue' India and /hina discussed a wide range of topics including greater cooperation at the global level' strengthening co00unication on 0acro, econo0ic policies' deepening and expanding trade and invest0ent and pro0oting bilateral cooperation in the financial and infrastructure sectors$ The proposals and reco00endations 0ade b" the five %or.ing 7roups were considered during the 2nd #ialogue and directions given for their future activities$

. delegation of Saudi L India 8usiness 0etwor* "SI80% which called on the #inister of State for Commerce

and Industry ,r. S Jagathra*sha*an in 1ew #elhi on 22 1ove0ber' showed *een interest on investing in India and forming 5oint ventures with Indian companies. The 65 0e0ber IS?1 delegation was led b" its President #r$ 7ha=i ?in=agar$ The Saudi delegation showed particular interest in petroleu0' petroche0icals' fertili=ers' infrastructure' food processing' health care' herbal and 0edicinal sectors$ *ddressing the delegation' #r :agathra.sha.an detailed the vast invest0ent potential available in India following the spate of new initiatives and liberali=ation$ +e said the proposed $S = 4! million Saudi L Indo Investment 9und+ 5ointly set up by the (ublic Investment 9und of Saudi .rabia and the Infrastructure ,evelopment 9inance Corporation "I,9C% will start in the near future. The fund focuses on channeli=ing Saudi invest0ents into Indian infrastructure pro&ects$ The )inister called upon the delegation to utili=e the services of IIndia InvestJ a 5oint venture special purpose vehicle of the ,epartment of Industrial (olicy F (romotion with 9ICCI and the State governments. NInvest India8 gives a fillip to invest0ent pro0otion and handholding services to foreign investors particularl" to the S0all and )arginal (nterprises (S)(s and fa0il" owned overseas enterprises in a structured 0anner$ #r$ :agathra.sha.an also invited the Saudi business co00unit" to participate in the onco0ing ;th 7//,India Industrial /onference (I7I/ to be held in :eddah' Saudi *rabia fro0 6Dth to 26st !ebruar" 236@$

India and Israel diplomatic relations were established in 1HH2. -o mar* the occasion of 2 years of diplomatic

relations+ India (ost has issued a set of two stamps "Joint Issue)each stamp of Ds. ! denomination%depicting the festival of lights+ ,eepavali F Banu**ah+ on !th 0ovember+ 2 12. Banu**ah+ is a :ewish holida" co00e0orating the rededication of the +ol" Te0ple in :erusale0 at the ti0e of the )accabeen Revolt of the 2nd centur" ?/$ +anu..ah is observed for eight night and da"s'

starting on the 25th da" of Kislev according to the +ebrew calendar b" lighting candles in windows or doorwa"s on each of the eight nights of +anu..ah$ The candles are lit in a uni<ue candelabru0' the nine,branched )enorah or +anu..ah$ Bi.e the Ndi"as8 of #eepavali' the +anu..ah candles s"0boli=e the triu0ph of good over evil and the victor" of &ustice over in&ustice$ The sta0ps are valid for postal use till the stoc.s last$ India Post /o00e0orates 1ational and International events b" releasing /o00e0orative and Special Postage Sta0ps$

4nion )inister of +ealth F !a0il" %elfare 7hulam 0abi .;ad laid the foundation)stone of ((, Secretariat

8uilding in ,ha*a on 62 1ove0ber$ *=ad is currentl" on an official tour to ?angladesh capital #ha.a in connection with the International /onference on H(vidence for *ctionL South,South /ollaboration for I/P# be"ond 236;I organi=ed &ointl" b" (artners in (opulation and ,evelopment "((,% and ?angladesh and also for attending PP# governance 0eetings$ ?angladesh is one of the 63 founding 0e0bers of PP#$ It has since 6DD> not onl" been hosting the Secretariat but has also created a conducive environ0ent for sea0less functioning of the Secretariat$ PP# was created in /airo in 6DD;' where during the land0ar. International /onference on Population and #evelop0ent' ten developing countries united to establish Partners in Population and #evelop0entR a uni<ue inter,govern0ental organi=ation to facilitate the i0ple0entation of the I/P# Progra0 of *ction in developing countries through South , South /ooperation$ PP# currentl" serves over 52P of the world population and is a per0anent observer to the 4nited 1ations$ Its 0e0bership has grown fro0 63 founding 0e0bers in 6DD; to 25 0e0ber countries in 2362 across the global south$ *part fro0 the Secretariat in #ha.a' ?angladesh' PP# has an *frica Regional Office in Ka0pala' 4ganda and a Progra00e Office in /hina$

Bamid Kar;ai+ the (resident of .fghanistan paid a state visit to India from H 0ovember to 1? 0ovember

2 12 following the invitation of the President of India Pranab )u.her&ee$ #uring his India -isit the *fghanistan8s President attended a business 0eet at )u0bai on 63 1ove0ber 2362 participated b" the business leaders of India$ On 62 1ove0ber 2362' he delivered a )aulana *bul Kala0 *=ad )e0orial lecture that was organised b" the Indian /ouncil of /ultural Relations (I//R in 1ew #elhi$ The good relations started between the two nations after the two signed a Strategic Partnership *gree0ent in October 2366 for creation of strong ties between both the nations$

India and Japan on 1A 0ovember in*ed two strategic agreements including one that will enable To."o to i0port rare

earth 0inerals that is vital for producing a range of high,tech products$ The agree0ents were in.ed in To."o b" :apanese foreign 0inister Koichiro 7e0ba and IndiaAs a0bassador to :apan #eepa %adhwa$ $nder the signed agreement+ Japan will import over >+ tonnes of rare earths a year from India $ This is its second deal this 0onth to diversif" suppl" fro0 /hina for the 0etals used in 0obile phones and h"brid cars to 0issile guidance s"ste0s$ :apan has in the past i0ported all its rare earth re<uire0ents fro0 /hina but has been scouting for alternatives after political turbulence hit its ties with ?ei&ing$ %ith rare earth production at full throttle' India could suppl" around ;'633 tons annuall"' e<uivalent to around 63 percent of :apanAs pea. annual de0and$ The production and exports will be conducted b" a &oint venture between :apanAs To"ota Tsusho /orp$ and IndiaAs state,run Indian Rare (arths Btd$ -he other deal is Social Security .greement which will i00ediatel" benefit about @3'333 citi=ens of both countries$ *bout 22'333 Indians wor.ing in :apan and about C'333 :apanese are e0plo"ed in India and their social securit" contributions wonAt be deducted in both countries$

India and Canada agreed on A 0ovember to boost cooperation in civil nuclear energy+ agriculture+

information technology and 5oint research and development in the defense field $ /anadian Pri0e )inister Stephen +arper arrived India on a six da" visit $/anadian Pri0e )inister Stephen +arper and his Indian P$) )an0ohan Singh felt that Menerg" cooperation' particularl" exports of /anadian oil and natural gas as well as renewable energ" cooperation' was an area with enor0ous potential$M+arper said the two sides welco0ed the conclusion of discussions for operationali=ing an agree0ent on civil nuclear energ" cooperation the" signed two "ears ago$The agree0ent provides /anadaAs nuclear industr" access to IndiaAs expanding nuclear 0ar.et cooperating with Indian civilian nuclear installations under international safeguards$India stressed that cooperation with /anada in the field of agriculture was crucial to its food securit" as it imported > percent of its pulses and 2! per cent of potash reCuirements from Canada.Indian and Canadian officials signed three agreements for avoidance of double social security contributions by wor*ers and cooperation in the areas of information technology+ electronics and 5oint research and development in the defense field and science and technology.Sources said' /anada is see.ing to boost its presence in *sia' and two,wa" trade touched E5$2 billion last "ear' up 0ore than 2C percent fro0 2363$ Total /anadian invest0ent in India was esti0ated about E;$@ billion$ ?oth sides expect the two, wa" trade to triple to E65 billion b" 2365$/anada 0ainl" exports vegetables' fertili=ers' 0achiner" and wood pulp' while its 0ain i0ports fro0 India are organic che0icals' .nit and woven apparel' precious stones and 0etals' electronics and 0achiner"$

-he first .S:.0)India #inisterial #eeting on cooperation in Denewable :nergy was held in the 0ew ,elhi on

2 1ove0ber$ #r$ !aroo< *bdullah' )inister of 1ew and Renewable (nerg" while inaugurating the 0eeting said that this 0eeting is a uni<ue opportunit" to catali=e the India,*S(*1 Renewable (nerg" fa0il"$ +e underlined the i0portance of Renewable (nerg" in India8s energ" securit"' for achieving its goal of providing reliable energ" suppl" and access through a diverse and sustainable energ" 0ix$ +e stated that *S(*1 0e0ber countries and India have several co00onalities in their <uest for targeting renewable energ"$ 7loball"' renewable energ" has started 0a.ing a positive i0pact on energ" suppl"$ -he 7lobal Denewable :nergy Status Deport 2 12 reveals that renewable energy has grown to supply 1A.4 per cent of the global energy consumption. #r$ !aroo< *bdullah stated that toda" India stands among the top five countries of the world in terms of renewable energy installed capacity and at present renewable power+ with over 2A 76 installed capacity+ represents about 62$5 percent of the total installed power generation capacit" in India$ +e further said that India ai0s to achieve about 55 7% of renewable power b" 2362$ Our renewable energ" progra00e is pri0aril" private sector driven and offers significant invest0ent and business opportunities$ The )inister infor0ed that the invest0ent in renewable energ" in India has now exceeded 4S E 63 billion per "ear$ It may be recalled that .S:.0)India partnership has completed 2 years of e&istance. -o celebrate this successful partnership+ the 7overnment of India hosted this meeting of the #inisters of Denewable :nergy of .S:.0 countries and India $ The 0eeting deliberated and discussed the polic" and regulator" fra0ewor. for pro0otion of renewable energ" in *S(*1 0e0ber countries and India$ The issues of financing of renewable energ"' cooperation in research and develop0ent' technolog" transfer were so0e of the issues that ca0e up for discussion$ Prior to this 0eeting' the )inistr" of 1ew and Renewable (nerg" ()1R( ' organi=ed an N*S(*1,India %or.shop on /ooperation in Renewable (nerg"8 of experts and polic" planners fro0 *S(*1 countries and India on 5,> 1ove0ber 2362 at -ig"an ?havan 1ew #elhi$

India and #alaysia have agreed to promote cooperation in renewable energy+ especially in the areas of

biomass and biogas+ micro hydropower+ solar energy and wind power. . #emorandum of $nderstanding "#o$% to this

effect was signed in 0ew ,elhi on C 1ove0ber$ The )o4 was signed b" #r$ !aroo< *bdullah' )inister of 1ew and Renewable (nerg" and #ata8 Sri Peter /hin !ah Kui' )inister of (nerg"' 7reen Technolog" and %ater' )ala"sia$ ?oth the countries also agreed to for0 a :oint %or.ing 7roup for better coordination through &oint research on sub&ects of 0utual interest' exchange and training of scientific and technical personnel' exchange of available scientific and technologies infor0ation and data' organi=ation of wor.shops' se0inars and wor.ing groups' transfer of .now,how' technolog" and e<uip0ent' on non,co00ercial basis etc$ #r$ !aroo< *bdullah briefed his )ala"sian counterpart on the progress 0ade b" India in renewable energ" with special reference to the 0ational Solar #ission launched in 2 1 under the 0ational .ction (lan on Climate Change.

Touris0 )inistr" reported that' in the 0onth of October' a total nu0ber of 6;52 (-isa on *rrivals -o*s were issued under -o*

Sche0e as co0pared to 62@; -o*s during October 2366 registering a positive growth of 6C$6 P$ #uring the period :anuar",October 2362' a total nu0ber of 6222@ -o*s were issued as co0pared to D2@D -o*s during the corresponding period of 2366' registering a growth of 2> P$ .s a facilitative measure to attract more foreign tourists to India+ 7overnment launched a Scheme of 2Kisa on .rrival3 "Ko.% in January 2 1 for citi=ens of five countries' vi=$ !inland' :apan' Buxe0bourg' 1ew Kealand and Singapore' visiting India for touris0 purposes$ This sche0e was extended for the citi=ens of six 0ore countries' na0el" /a0bodia' Indonesia' -ietna0' Philippines' Baos and )"an0ar fro0 :anuar" 2366$

-he 8angladesh #inister of .griculture+ 8egum #atia Chowdhury on 4 november+ called on the $nion

#inister of 6ater Desources+ Barish Dawat in 0ew ,elhi. ,uring the meeting+ discussions were held on matters of common interest including sharing of waters of -eesta and other common rivers+ irrigation pro5ects in 8angladesh+ -ipaimu*h Bydro):lectric (ro5ect+ dredging of rivers and other issues of cooperation $ Rawat reiterated India8s co00it0ent on signing the Interi0 %ater Sharing *gree0ent on river Teesta and stated that India is pursuing the 0atter with sta.eholders rigorousl" and is hopeful of resolving the issue shortl"$ Rawat also agreed to ?angladesh8s suggestion to help it build irrigation facilities in the South of ?angladesh$ It could also help ?angladesh in conservation of ground water' so as to prevent increasing salinit" in the coastal region$ On the re<uest of ?angladesh )inister to consider suppl" of a0phibian dredgers' Rawat assured full cooperation and re<uested that a for0al proposal be sent b" ?angladesh$ ?oth )inisters also agreed to 0ove ahead and expeditiousl" resolve other 0inor issues to benefit people of both countries$ !re<uent consultations G discussions at various levels between the countries were also e0phasi=ed$

.n agreement for loan of $S= 1 A million for (hase)I of the 6orld 8an* assistance for the 2IC,S Systems

Strengthening and 0utrition Improvement (ro5ect "ISS0I(%3 was signed at 0ew ,elhi on 5 1ove0ber between Prabodh Saxena (:oint Secretar"' #epart0ent of (cono0ic *ffairs on behalf of 7overn0ent of India and #r. 1nno Duhl+ Country ,irector+ 6orld 8an* "India% on behalf of the %orld ?an.$ Representatives fro0 )inistr" of %o0en and /hild #evelop0ent and officials fro0 the %orld ?an.' a0ong others' were present$ The overarching 7oal of the proposed two,phased Progra0 is to i0prove nutritional outco0es of children in India$ The Ob&ective of the Phase,I is to support 7overn0ent of India and participating states toL 6 Strengthen the Integrated /hild #evelop0ent Service (I/#S polic" fra0ewor.' s"ste0s and capacities' and facilitate co00unit" engage0ent' to ensure greater focus on children under three "ears of age$ 2 Strengthen convergent actions for i0proved nutrition outco0es$ The Phase,I of ISS1IP is for @ "ears$

India and 8ritain on 8 0ovember 2 12 decided to step)up cooperation in Cyber Security during the !oreign

)inister level tal.s of both the nations$ The representatives of both the nations' %illia0 +ague the ?ritish !oreign Secretar" and Sal0an Khurshid IndiaAs (xternal *ffairs )inister after agreeing on the issues of cooperation on c"ber cri0es' which included cooperation in defining the wa"s of tac.ling the c"ber cri0e' bilaterall" issued a &oint state0ent on the issues discussed$ The Bondon /onference on /"berspace of 2366 was attended at )inisterial level fro0 the Indian side and following the results of the conference' both the countries started its first dialogue on cooperation in October 2362$ India F ?ritain upgraded the relationship of strategic partnership in the "ear 233; and since then the foreign 0inisters of both the nations have been wor.ing on the areas of co00on interest in the c"ber do0ain$ 8ritain also allowed its citi;ens to visit Srinagar and Jammu by lifting the ban because of the changed ground realities of the land.

The 4nion !inance )inister' (. Chidambram will be arriving in #e&ico City+ #e&ico on ? 0ovember 2 12 in order

to participate in 7)2 9inance #inisters and Central 8an* 7overnorsJ meeting. The !inance )inister along with 7overnor' R?I #$Subba Rao will attend the session on 7lobal (cono0" and !ra0ewor.$ On 5 1ove0ber 2362' the !inance )inister /hida0bra0 along with 7overnor' R?I and Secretar"' #epart0ent of (cono0ic *ffairs' )inistr" of !inance will attend the second session on !inancial Regulation and !inancial Inclusion' third session on (nerg"' /o00odities and other issues including /li0ate !inance and #isaster Ris. and the last session on International !inancial *rchitecture$

India and $K signed a (rotocol amending the Convention between the 7overnment of India and the

7overnment of the $nited Kingdom of 7reat 8ritain and 0orthern Ireland for the .voidance of ,ouble -a&ation and the (revention of 9iscal :vasion with Despect of -a&es on Income and Capital 7ains ",-.C $ This Protocol a0ends the earlier /onvention that was assigned in 1ew #elhi on 25th :anuar"' 6DD@$ -he (rotocol was signed on ? th 1ctober 2 12 in 'ondon b" #r :ai0ini ?hagwati' +igh /o00issioner of India to the 4K on behalf of the 7overn0ent of India and )r #avid 7au.e )P' (xche<uer Secretar" to the Treasur" on behalf of the 7overn0ent of 4K$ The Protocol strea0lines the provisions relating to partnership and taxation of dividends in both the countries$ 1ow' benefits of the /onvention would also be available to partners of the 4K partnerships to the extent inco0e of 4K partnership are taxed in their hands$ !urther' the withholding taxes on the dividends would be 63P or 65P and would be e<uall" applicable in 4K and in India$ The /onvention' as a0ended b" this Protocol' will provide tax stabilit" to the residents of India and 4$K$ and will facilitate 0utual econo0ic cooperation between the two countries$ It will also sti0ulate the flow of invest0ent' technolog" and services between India and 4$K$

-he 7overnment of India is hosting a meeting of the #inisters of Denewable :nergy of .S:.0 countries and

India in 0ew ,elhi on 2th 1ove0ber 2362$ In the 0eeting' the )inisters in,charge of Renewable (nerg" of *S(*1 0e0ber countries and India would deliberate upon and discuss polic" and regulator" fra0ewor. for pro0otion of renewable energ" in *S(*1 0e0ber countries and I1#I*$ !inancing of renewable energ"' cooperation in research and develop0ent' technolog" transfer and resource assess0ent would be specific issues that would engage their attention$Prior to the )inisterial level 0eeting' a two,da" wor.shop on renewable energ" of experts and polic" planners fro0 *S(*1 countries and India is being organi=ed b" )inistr" of 1ew and Renewable (nerg" ()1R( ' #epart0ent of Science and Technolog" (#ST and 7lobal Innovation Technolog" *lliance (7IT* and is scheduled in 1ew #elhi on 5,> 1ove0ber 2362$

-he 9inance #inister of India+ (. Chidambaram and the #inister of Strategy and 9inance of the Depublic of

Korea+ #r. Jaewan 8ah* met in Seoul+ South Korea on 2 1ove0ber' for their ?rd 8ilateral #eeting $ The two 0inisters and their delegations discussed a wide range of issues ranging fro0 0acro,econo0ic trends and outloo.' fiscal cooperation' revision of the #ouble taxation avoidance convention (#T*/ ' expanding infor0ation sharing between the taxation authorities' cooperation in 0odernising the custo0s s"ste0 of each countr"' public procure0ent cooperation and 0easures to develop co,financing infrastructure pro&ects$ -he first bilateral meeting of 9inance #inisters of India and South Korea was held in Seoul in September 2 A and the second meeting in 0ew ,elhi in January 2 11.

India,Korea relations rest on deep historical ties based on a strong foundation of shared cultural heritage' co00it0ent to

de0ocrac" and desire to establish a long,ter0 cooperative partnership$ The cooperation between the two countries covers all areas of bilateral relations' na0el" political' econo0ic and co00ercial' defence' infor0ation technolog"' science and technolog"' cultural exchange' etc$ The bilateral 0eeting between the finance 0inisters is expected to further strengthen this relationship' increase 0utual cooperation' and lead to increased invest0ent opportunities in the two countries$

*griculture and !ood Processing Industries )inister' Sharad (awar is to inaugurate a world)class institution in food

processing sector L called 0I9-:# ) at *undli+ Baryana+ on 2th 1ove0ber$ +ar"ana /hief )inister ?hupinder Singh +ooda and a nu0ber of 4nion and State )inisters will be present at the inaugural function$ 0I9-:# or the 0ational Institute of 9ood -echnology :ntrepreneurship and #anagement has been conferred ,eemed $niversity status. The institute has begun its first acade0ic session this su00er$ It will confer ?$ Tech$ (!ood Technolog" and )anage0ent ' )$ Tech$ and Ph$ #$ in the area of !ood Technolog" and )anage0ent$ One i0portant aspect of its functioning is that it has Nthe0e centres8 on different sectors such as dair"ing' cereal,based products' ani0al protein' beverages' confectioner"' and fruit and vegetable based foods$ There are also the0es cutting across these sectors' e$g$ 0anage0ent' pac.aging' food standards and testing$

%ith India and China set to hold their annual Strategic :conomic ,ialogue "S:, in 1ew #elhi in the last wee. of

1ove0ber' both countries this wee. launched a renewed push to address a ballooning trade deficit which' officials sa"' is beginning to increasingl" strain the trade relationship$ %hile bilateral trade has soared fro0 a few billion dollars to E2; billion last "ear T when /hina beca0e India8s biggest trade partner T the trade i0balance has widened rapidl"' reaching E22 billion in 2366$

Dec 2012

,efence deals worth around => billion "Ds 22+ crore% were among 1 *ey pacts in*ed on 2> ,ecember+

between India and Dussia after co0prehensive tal.s including on differences over E@ billion invest0ent b" Russian teleco0 0a&or Siste0a' whose license was cancelled$ -isited Russian President -ladi0ir Putin and Pri0e )inister )an0ohan Singh undertoo. an extensive review of bilateral cooperation' especiall" in the field of nuclear energ" and discussed wa"s to expedite an agree0ent for nuclear reactor @ and ; at Kudan.ula0$ *ll .e" bilateral issues' including defence' space' trade and invest0ent' science and technolog"' education' culture and touris0 were discussed in the 0eeting which also witnessed Russians raising their concerns over the issue of Siste0a$Siste0a' with invest0ent of E@$6 billion' has 5>$>CP sta.e in Sh"a0 Siste0a Teleservices (SSTB whose 26 out of 22 licences were cancelled b" the Supre0e /ourt on !ebruar" 2 as irregularities were found in their allocation$ *bout their discussions on regional and international issues' P$) )an0ohan Singh said' MIndia and Russia share the ob&ective of a stable' united' de0ocratic and prosperous *fghanistan' free fro0 extre0is0' terroris0 and external interference$ %e reviewed the ongoing develop0ents in *fghanistan' and agreed to wor. together against threats posed b" extre0ist ideologies and drug traffic.ing$ @-he pacts include 9oreign 1ffice consultations protocol+ cultural e&changes+ science+ technology and innovation+ telecommunicationsM financing of pro5ects and promoting investments which envisages investments up to =2 billion in important bilateral pro5ects or companies+ privatisation and other opportunities$ The defence deals include contract for deliver" of 26 )i ,62-,5 helicopters and contract for deliver" of ;2 technological .its for S4,@3)KI aircraft licenced production$ The leaders also expressed satisfaction at the i0proved bilateral trade during 2366 and 2362 and agreed to enhance efforts to achieve the target of E23 billion bilateral trade b" 2365$ India welcomed DussiaEs recent accession to the 6-1 and both sides agreed that it provided further opportunities to aug0ent bilateral trade and invest0ent and business,to, business lin.ages$

-he much awaited 9ree -rade .greement "9-.% in investments and services was finalised between India and

.ssociation of Southeast .sian 0ations ".S:.0% on 23 #ece0ber 2362$ The actions would be beneficial in enhancing the trade to around 633 billion dollar b" 2365$ *lso' it will help in enhancing the econo0ic ties$!T* in the goods was operationalised in 2366 and since then both the sides were bus" in widening the pact b" also including invest0ents and services$ Trade between the two sides is at present C3 billion dollar$ India8s Pri0e )inister #r$ )an0ohan Singh declared that after i0ple0entation of !T* in the goods' the trade between the two sides increased b" ;6 percent in the "ear 2366,2362$ )an0ohan Singh announced at the su00it that two,wa" flows in ter0s of invest0ent grew rapidl" and reached the 0ar. of ;@ billion dollar over last 63 "ears$ ?ecause the invest0ents through *S(*1 in India grew' therefore the *S(*1 countries also e0erged as lucrative destination for the Indian co0panies$ The agree0ent would create new pathwa"s for greater econo0ic integration$ Post' !T* in invest0ents and services' India was also planning to hold 0ar.et opening negotiations li.e these with other 0e0bers of the group$ 9-. was already implemented with #alaysia and Singapore $ 1egotiations with Thailand and Indonesia were still on its wa"$ !inal legal paper wor. on invest0ent and services pact would be given a concrete shape b" !ebruar" 236@$ Signing of the agree0ent would ta.e place in *ugust 236@$

India and $*raine have agreed to forge a comprehensive partnership and have identified areas for co00ercial ties'

Pri0e )inister )an0ohan Singh announced on 63 #ece0ber$ *ddressing the 0edia after a 0eeting with visiting 4.raine President -i.tor Janu.ov"ch' the Pri0e )inister said that the" had identified a nu0ber of areas such as fertilisers' phar0aceuticals' infor0ation technolog"' 0ining and heav" 0achiner" for special attention$ The Pri0e )inister also conve"ed to Janu.ov"ch' India8s interest in visa arrange0ents to facilitate travel b" business0en' professionals' students and people$ -he two countries signed five documents during the visit+

including an agreement on co)operation in defence. The agree0ent will provide the fra0ewor. for expanding 0ilitar" technical co, operation on an institutionalised basis$ .n agreement was also signed between the .tomic :nergy Degulatory 8oard and the State 0uclear Degulatory Inspector of $*raine for exchange of technical infor0ation and co,operation on nuclear safet" and radiation protection$ The agree0ent envisages co,operation in so0e i0portant regulator" activities including legislative regulations' safet" guides and technical criteria on nuclear safet"' design' construction' operation deco00issioning of nuclear facilities waste 0anage0ent and environ0ental i0pact' a0ong others$

India and (a*istan 5ointly operationali;ed the new Kisa .greement on 6; #ece0ber 2362 in 1ew #elhi during

the visit of (a*istan interior minister .. Dehman #ali* to India $ +owever' the -isa,on,*rrival will co0e into effect fro0 65 :anuar" 236@ and the 7roup Tourist -isa fro0 65 )arch 236@$ 7overnment of India and the 7overnment of (a*istan had signed on 8 September 2 12+ a new Kisa .greement to facilitate travel for the citi;ens of both countries desirous of travelling to the other country and to promote people to people contact $)ain features of the India,Pa.istan new -isa *gree0ent are as followingL6 Places of visit allowable increased fro0 three to five places 2 In exceptional cases visitor visa for one "ear could be issued in the past$ @ (xe0ption fro0 Police Reporting for ?usiness visa granted to business0en with an annual inco0e above Pa. Rs$ 5 0illion or e<uivalent or annual turnover above Pa. @3 0illion rupees or e<uivalent$; 7roup Tourist -isa for @3 da"s 0a" be issued for travel in groups' with not less than 63 0e0bers and not 0ore than 53 0e0bers in each group' organi=ed b" approved tour operatorsGtravel agents (effective fro0 65 )arch 236@ $

* delegation led by ,r. 'ee Ju)ho+ #inister of :ducation+ Science and -echnology+ Depublic of Korea met ,r.

Shashi -haroor+ #inister of State in the #inistry of Buman Desource ,evelopment+ in 1ew #elhi on 62 #ece0ber$?oth leaders appreciated the ongoing cooperation between the two countries in the field of education and discussed the need to have 0ore arrange0ents for cooperation in the field of education and research$ ?oth sides appreciated the existing collaborations between the 4niversities fro0 both the countries and highlighted the need for 0ore collaborations in the areas of scientific research as well as research in social sciences and hu0anities$ . #emorandum of $nderstanding on :ducational Cooperation between the two countries was also signed during the meeting. ?oth the countries agreed to cooperate in education in different fields through (xchange of scholars' teachers' researchers R organi=ation of training progra00es for teaching professionalsR facilitating 0utual recognition of educational <ualificationsR exchange of acade0ic scholarships for higher educationR organi=ation of se0inarsR pro0otion of languages of both the countries and application of Infor0ation Technolog" and open educational education resources$ It was also agreed to form a Joint 6or*ing 7roup "J67% to monitor the implementation of the programmes envisaged in the #o$.

India and Japan on > ,ecember+ signed a currency swap agreement for up to 4S# 65 billion to address short,ter0

li<uidit" proble0s$ -he bilateral swap arrangement "8S.% between the Deserve 8an* of India and the 8an* of Japan enables both countries to swap their local currencies either :apanese "en or Indian rupee against 4S dollar for an a0ount up to 4S# 65 billion$ MThe arrange0ent ai0s at addressing short,ter0 li<uidit" difficulties and supple0enting the existing international financial arrange0ents' as one of the efforts in strengthening 0utual cooperation between :apan and India'M R?I said in a state0ent$ The arrange0ent to be effective fro0 #ece0ber ;' 2362 would be for a three "ear period$ (arlier' both countries had a si0ilar arrange0ent for an a0ount of up to 4S# @ billion for a period of @ "ears between :une 233C and :une 2366$ The arrange0ent was signed b" R?I 7overnor # Subbarao and ?an. of :apan 7overnor )asaa.i Shira.awa$

The )inister for +u0an Resource #evelop0ent #r ) ) Palla0 Ra&u has announced the )inistr"8s Iin)principleJ approval

for setting up the Indira 7andhi Centre for Sustainable ,evelopment at the Somerville College+ $niversity of 1&ford. The )inister said this after discussions with a delegation led b" #r$ *lice Prochas.a' Principal' So0erville /ollege in 1ew #elhi on 2 dece0ber$ *n Inter,)inisterial /o00ittee is alread" in place to discuss the proposal$So0erville /ollege' 4niversit" of Oxford had sub0itted a proposal to establish the centre$ The institution is a constituent college of 4niversit" of Oxford and is S0t$ Indira 7andhi8s al0a 0ater$ The Indira 7andhi /entre will honour the late Indian Pri0e )inister8s legac" to the world b" addressing .e" issues of sustainable develop0ent and will result in building up India8s intellectual capital and expertise in the area$ The proposed /entre will enhance scholarship opportunities at Oxford for the bright and talented students fro0 India in the field of sustainable develop0ent$ It will invest in intellectual capital and build a platfor0 for strengthening partnerships with Indian scholars and leading institutions thereb" creating a co00unit" of alu0ni engaged in lifelong learning$ The /entre is ai0ed at having a transfor0ational i0pact on the lives of future leaders' who will help to direct a new paradig0 of Sustainable #evelop0ent in India and be"ond$

Jan 2013-04-29

$nion #inister for -ourism K. Chiran5eevi held bilateral discussions with Spanish #inister for Industry+

-ourism F -rade #r Jose #anuel Soria 'ope; in #adrid on @6 :anuar"$ 8oth the countries agreed to set up Indo)Spain -ourism (romotion 9orum for building a dialogue between the sta.eholders of touris0' travel and hospitalit" industr" of India and Spain$ Spanish side showed .een interest to invest in +otel sector in India which has 633P !oreign #irect Invest0ent$ ?oth sides e0phasi=ed on direct air connectivit" between India and Spain$ * delegation led b" )s$ Isabel )aria ?arrege /ortes' Secretar" of State of Spanish Touris0 will visit India shortl" to ta.e forward these proposals$ 1ew #elhi will be hosting the 6st :oint wor.ing group 0eeting on touris0 co,operation between India and Spain in near future$

$nion -ourism #inister Chiran5eevi on 1 9ebruary+ met the Secretary 7eneral of $nited 0ation 6orld

-ourism 1rgani;ation -aleb Difai in #adrid+ Spain+ and discussed issues relating to touris0 cooperation$ M#uring the tal.s' the Secretar" 7eneral and the Touris0 )inister e0phasi=ed on the proactive approach to 0a.e touris0 an i0portant global political and econo0ic agenda'M a Touris0 )inistr" release said$ /hiran&eevi also told Rifai about efforts ta.en b" the Indian govern0ent to ease the visa regi0e$ /hiran&eevi also invited Rifai for 2!th Joint #eeting of $06-1 Commissions for :ast .sia and the (acific and South .sia. -he meeting will be held in Byderabad on 12th and 1?th .pril.

India and the $nited States inaugurated the first triangular 2India)$S).frica partnership3 in agricultural

training at the 1ational Institute of *gricultural (xtension )anage0ent ()*1*7( ' +"derabad' on > :anuar" 236@ for @3 trainees fro0 three *frican countries Ken"a' Biberia and )alawi$ -he three)year triangular partnership program aims to improve agricultural productivity+ strengthen agricultural value chains+ and support mar*et institutions in Kenya+ 'iberia+ and #alawi. Supported b" the 4$S$ 7overn0ent through the 4nited States *genc" for International #evelop0ent (4S*I# ' b" the )inistr" of (xternal *ffairs and the )inistr" of *griculture of India' and i0ple0ented b" two of India8s leading agricultural training institutes , 1ational Institute of *gricultural (xtension )anage0ent ()*1*7( ' +"derabad' and the /haudhar" /haran Singh 1ational Institute of *gricultural )ar.eting (1I*) ' :aipur' the progra0 will train 6C3 0id,level *frican 7overn0ent and private sector agriculture professionals fro0 Ken"a' )alawi' and Biberia in agricultural extension practices' agri,business' and agricultural 0ar.eting$ The training will include classroo0 sessions' group wor.' field trips' and interaction with industr" experts$ *fter their training' these professionals will go ho0e with new .nowledge' s.ills' and potential innovations to address their do0estic challenges in food and nutrition securit"$

-he 1>th Session of the India ) .ustralia Joint #inisterial Commission convened in 0ew ,elhi on 2H January+

2 1?. The /o00ission was co,chaired b" *nand Shar0a' )inister of /o00erce' Industr" and Textiles' India and the #r$ /raig (0erson )P' *ustralian )inister for Trade and /o0petitiveness and )inister *ssisting the Pri0e )inister on *sian /entur" Polic"$ )r$ Shar0a and #r$ (0erson e0phasised the i0portance of closer trade and invest0ent relations as a critical co0ponent of the strategic partnership$ -he #inisters underlined the importance of a solid institutional framewor* to facilitate future growth in bilateral trade and investment. In this conte&t+ they highlighted the priority they placed on the conclusion of a mutually beneficial Comprehensive :conomic Cooperation .greement (/(/* $ The )inisters recogni=ed the critical role pla"ed b" industr" in driving trade and invest0ent between the two countries$ In this regard' the" expressed their strong support for the initiatives of the India *ustralia /(O !oru0' co,chaired b" )r$ Bindsa" !ox */ and )r$ 1aveen :indal$ -he #inisters welcomed the launch of the Degional Comprehensive :conomic (artnership "DC:(% negotiations towards a modern+ comprehensive+ high Cuality+ and mutually beneficial regional economic partnership agreement $ The" discussed their 0utual co00it0ent to strengthening the (ast *sia Su00it ((*S as a foru0 that incorporated all the 0a&or econo0ies in the India,Pacific region$ The )inisters discussed the i0portance of consolidating the 723 as the pre,e0inent global econo0ic foru0$ The )inisters underlined their co00it0ent to reinforce the Indian Ocean Ri0 *ssociation for Regional /ooperation (IOR,*R/ ' both during IndiaAs re0aining period as chair and *ustraliaAs two "ear ter0 as chair fro0 1ove0ber 236@$ -he #inisters welcomed the inaugural #inisterial)level dialogue on energy security in ,ecember 2 12 as a significant step in developing a strategic relationship on energy and resources. )inisters also welco0ed the decision of the *ustralian 7overn0ent on uraniu0 exports to India' and the announce0ent to co00ence negotiations on a bilateral civil nuclear energ" cooperation agree0ent in )arch 236@$ -hey noted the significant growth in the bilateral agricultural cooperation+ including the establishment and first meeting of the Joint 6or*ing 7roup on .griculture held in 1ew #elhi in Septe0ber and the proposed first 0eeting of the :oint %or.ing 7roup on %ool and %oolen products in !ebruar" 236@$ The" announced plans for *ustralia and India to host a regional Sanitar" and Ph"tosanitar" (SPS wor.shop in 236@$ The" also co00ended the wor. b" both countries in i0proving 0ar.et access for 0eat and horticultural products$ -he #inisters warmly welcomed the success of 1; 9est+ .ustraliaEs largest ever cultural festival in India including educational and business events in 18 locations all over India. -he #inisters agreed that the ne&t Joint #inisterial Commission will be held in .ustralia in 2 1>.

,r. 9arooC .bdullah+ #inister for 0ew F Denewable :nergy on ?

January+ met Spanish delegation led by

#s. Carmen Kela 1lmo+ #inister of State for Desearch+ ,evelopment and Innovation. 8oth the leaders agreed to enhance research+ cooperation and technologies in the field of Denewable :nergy. 8esides+ research pro5ects in the area of forecasting of wind power and fabrication of cost effective solar cells will be considered for financing by the Indian and Spanish governments$ The Spanish )inister' )s$ /ar0en -ela Ol0o is currentl" on a @ da" visit to India$ #uring the 0eeting' the two ministers agreed to initiate a second call for research proposals so as to encourage 5oint research and development activities between research institutions as well as industry groups of both the countries $ The &oint Indo,Spanish progra00e for Technological cooperation in Renewable (nerg" was developed as a conse<uence of the visit of the )inister of 1ew F Renewable (nerg"' to Spain last "ear$ !ollowing the signing of the agree0ent in )a"' 2362' a &oint call for pro&ect proposals was published$ Proposals on various aspects on Renewable (nerg" involving industr" and R F # institutions in both the countries and covering all aspects of Renewable (nerg"$ India is the fifth largest country in the world in terms of wind power installed capacity $ In addition' India8s 1ational Solar )ission ai0s to facilitate the installation of 23333 )% of grid connected power capacit" b" 2323$ Spain is the >th largest producer of wind generated power and is top)ran*ed worldwide in terms of photovoltaic solar power capacity. -he Solar (latform of .lmeria "(S.%+ run under the Spanish #inistry of :conomy and Competitiveness is considered one of the largest and best DF, facilitates for Concentrating Solar (ower -echnologies.

India and 8angladesh on 2H January+ signed two landmar* agreements to e&tradite criminals and terrorists

and liberalise the visa regime$ +o0e )inister Sushil.u0ar Shinde and his ?angladesh counterpart' )uhiuddin Khan *la0gir' signed the agree0ents on the first of the two,da" +o0e )inisters8 0eeting in #ha.a$ +owever' refusal provisions have been built into the extradition treat"' which India waited for long$ If extradition of so0eone poses a threat to national securit"' either countr" 0a" refuse the deportation re<uest$ 0o political detainee will be brought within the purview of the treaty $ If a controvers" arose during an extradition process' officials explained' the 0atter would be settled as per the laws of the countr" concerned$ -he other agreement provides for a friendlier visa regime for 8angladeshis$ ?usiness0en will be given a five,"ear' 0ultiple,entr" visa$ Those travelling on 0edical grounds will get a two,"ear' 0ultiple,entr" visa' extendable for one 0ore "ear$ Three attendants of a patient will also be entitled to visa$ 4ntil now' India has been granting ?angladeshi tourists visas for up to six 0onths and has allowed one person to acco0pan" a patient$ (arlier in the da"' the ?angladesh /abinet approved the extradition treat" at its regular 0eeting presided over b" Pri0e )inister Shei.h +asina$ The Indian /abinet approved it on :anuar" 2;$

S0t$ Panaba.a Ba.sh0i' )inister of State for Petroleu0 F 1atural 7as on 22 :anuar"' has said that India will soon send a

delegation of e&perts to 0iger for e&ploring possibilities of cooperation between two countries in the hydrocarbon sector $ Responding to the proposal of her counterpart )r$ !ou0a.ore 7ado' )inister of (nerg" F Petroleu0 of 1iger' at a 0eeting in 1ew #elhi' S0t Ba.sh0i said Indian co0panies are interested to choose exploration bloc.s and invest in the oil )ar.eting infrastructure of the countr"$ She also offered to provide training b" PS4s li.e O17/' 7*IB' IO/ to the 1iger8s h"drocarbon sector personnel$ )r$ 7ado invited Indian

delegation of experts in the oil F gas sector to provide the0 technical expertise in the h"drocarbon value chain$ +e welco0ed Indian co0panies to invest in exploration bloc.s and other oil F gas sector activities$ )r$ !ou0a.ore 7ado led a high level delegation of 1iger at the 0eeting' which included )inister of *griculture' )inister of Transport and chair0an F !inance /o00ission of 1iger$

,efence #inister .K .ntony on 22 January called on the (resident of #yanmar $ -hein Sein in

0ay(yi-aw. *nton" conve"ed the i0portance placed b" India on enhance0ent of bilateral ties in all fields' including defence$ +e noted that the recent exchanges of visits between both countries at political and other levels had i0parted a new 0o0entu0 to the bilateral relationship$ In the case of defence in particular' the defence 0inister noted that the two sides were wor.ing to consolidate ties' in 0utual interest of both$ +e infor0ed that the visit of all three Service /hiefs of India to )"an0ar in the last 6C 0onths reflected the desire of the Indian govern0ent to strengthen ties$ These visits and other exchanges in the recent ti0es had provided each side a better understanding of 0utual concerns' needs and strengths$ *nton" stated that as neighbours which share a land and 0ariti0e boundar"' both sides should wor. together to address co00on concerns$ The )"an0ar President welco0ed the enhance0ent of bilateral ties between both countries in all fields$ +e stated that )"an0ar can also pla" the role of a bridge between India and South,(ast *sia$ -he (resident also assured that #yanmar will not allow its territory to be used by anti)India insurgent groups $ +e welco0ed the develop0ent of cooperation between the *r0ed !orces of both sides to deal with challenges along the land and 0ariti0e boundaries between both countries$

India and Sri 'an*a on 22 :anuar"' signed two separate agree0ents on co0bating international terroris0 and avoidance of

double taxation' e"eing elevation of HrobustI bilateral ties to building of a special econo0ic partnership$ The two .e" accords were signed after the Cth India,Sri Ban.a :oint /o00ission 0eeting held in 1ew #elhi' discussed enhanced cooperation in a range of areas including civil nuclear energ"$ *t the 0eeting' the Indian side was led b" (xternal *ffairs )inister Sal0an Khurshid while the Ban.ans were led b" his counterpart 7$B$ Peiris$ The two sides also discussed the e0otive issue of fisher0en and rehabilitation process of Ta0ils in Sri Ban.a besides the 6@th *0end0ent of the Ban.an constitution that gives autono0" to provinces$ India and Sri Ban.a are each other8s largest trade partners in South *sia$ Khurshid said H7iven the vast untapped potential' we have stressed the need for intensive consultations towards a 0ore co0prehensive fra0ewor. for econo0ic cooperation and building of a special econo0ic partnership'I$

$nited KingdomJs #inister of State for -rade and Investment+ 'ord 7reen called on ,r. .shwani Kumar+

$nion #inister of 'aw and Justice+ in 1ew #elhi on 6> :anuar"' and discussed various issues of 0utual interest$ 'ord 7reen is on a preparatory mission for the forthcoming visit of $nited KingdomJs (rime #inister+ #r. ,avid Cameron $ #uring the hour long 0eeting the two leaders discussed wa"s and 0eans for enhancing the Indo,4K business relationshipR strea0lining of the visa regi0e for Indians in the 4KR greater cooperation in the fields of science' health and education$ The possibilities of opening up of legal service sector between the two countries also ca0e in for discussion$ #r$ *shwani Ku0ar infor0ed Bord 7reen that India attaches great i0portance to the uni<ue and historical relationship between the two countries and that the 7overn0ent of India re0ains co00itted to carr"ing forward the process of econo0ic refor0s and to establish an overall at0osphere in the countr" conducive to foreign invest0ent$

Dailway officials from India and 8angladesh on 1A January decided to fast trac* some more rail lin*s between

the two countries. -hey also decided to study the feasibility of increasing the freCuency of #aitree :&press between Kol*ata),ha*a$ The three,da" inter,govern0ent 0eeting' which concluded on 62 :anuar"' discussed ongoing rail pro&ects and feasibilit" of a few 0ore rail connectivit" points$ !or so0e of the pro&ects' surve" has alread" been co0pleted while feasibilit" of new lin.s is to be studied$ The 0eeting also too. up issues li.e strea0lining of inter,countr" freight train operations$ H%ith a view to increasing people to people contact between India and ?angladesh' it was decided to expedite the pro&ects for opening rail lin.s between *.haura (?angladesh *gartala (India ' /hilahati (?angladesh +aldibari (India ' Shahba=pur (?angladesh )ahishashan (India and ?irol (?angladesh Radhi.apur (India and also exa0ine the feasibilit" of establishing a rail lin. between !eni (?angladesh and ?elonia (India 'I said Indian officials$ The 0eeting constituted a wor.ing,group to stud" feasibilit" of increasing the fre<uenc" of the bi,wee.l" )aitree (xpress$ The train8s around @25,.0 run fro0 Kol.ata to #ha.a has two stoppages for i00igration chec.' at 7ede (on Indian side and at #arshana (?angladesh side $ It ta.es 6366 hours to cover the stretch$

India+

Kietnam

signed

#o$

to

Strengthen

#icro+

Small

#edium

:nterprises

India and -ietna0 on 65 :anuar" 236@ signed a )e0orandu0 of 4nderstanding ()o4 which is directl" 0eant for building capacit" and developing institutional fra0ewor. and identif"ing thrust areas and opportunities for 0icro' s0all and 0ediu0 enterprises in -ietna0$The )o4 was signed during the ; da" state visit of -ice President +a0id *nsari to -ietna0$

-he Commerce+ Industry and -e&tiles #inister .nand Sharma+ who is on a two day visit to #auritius+ had a

meeting with the Bon. 0avinchandra Damgoolam+ the (rime #inister of the Depublic of #auritius on H January+ at (ort 'ouis$ )r$Shar0a infor0ed the Pri0e )inister of )auritius that there was a need for deepening and diversif"ing trade and invest0ent ties between the two countries$ Towards this end' he stressed upon the need for 0a.ing the )auritius India ?usiness /ouncil ()I?/ a robust institutional 0echanis0 for giving a boost to trade and invest0ent ties b" identif"ing the priorit" sectors and sectors of engage0ent$ The identified sectors can be touris0' infrastructure' 0anufacturing and light engineering' phar0aceuticals' biotechnolog"' health and life sciences' Infor0ation and /o00unications Technolog" (I/T and textiles$ It was agreed that a Joint 6or*ing 7roup on trade and investment would meet before .pril+ 2 1? to wor* out the modalities for broadening and deepening the economic engagement between the two countries. *nand Shar0a assured of full support for the develop0ent of the textiles sector in )auritius$ +e stated that the three draft )O4s in the textiles sector proposed b" the 7overn0ent of )auritius involving cooperation of the 1orthern India Textile Research *ssociation (1ITR* and the *pparel Pro0otion /ouncil of India with the )auritian institutions would be finali=ed soon$ +e further stated that a delegation fro0 India in the textiles sector will visit )auritius shortl" to establish institutional lin.ages$ The /o00erce' Industr" and Textiles )inister announced that @5 scholarships would be 0ade available b" India annuall" 65 in the Institute of *pparel )anage0ent (I*) ' 63 in the 1ational Institute of !ashion Technolog" (1I!T and 63 in the *pparel Training and #esign /entre (*T F #/ $ +e further announced that 6333 trainees fro0 )auritius would be provided training for s.ill develop0ent in the textiles sector and 63 factories in )auritius would be ta.en up b" the *pparel (xport Pro0otion /ouncil (*(P/ for co0pliance with the re<uire0ents of <ualit" certification$ *nand Shar0a than.ed the Pri0e )inister of )auritius for consistentl" supporting India8s candidature for a per0anent seat in the Securit" /ouncil$ Shar0a announced that in addition to the existing Bine of /redit of 4S E 253 0illion (which was announced during the visit of the Pri0e )inister of )auritius in !ebruar"' 2362 ' bu"er8s credit to the tune of 4S 633 0illion would be provided to )auritius$

-he 1 th meeting of the India)Ka;a*hstan Inter)7overnmental Commission "I7C% on -rade+ :conomic+

Scientific+ -echnological+ Industrial and Cultural was held during 8)H January 2 1? in 0ew ,elhi. #r$ )$ -eerappa )oil"' )inister of Petroleu0 and 1atural 7as' led the delegation fro0 India$ The Ka=a.h side at the I7/ 0eeting was led b" )r$ ?ulat *.chula.ov' -ice )inister of Oil and 7as' Republic of Ka=a.hstan$ -he two #inisters signed I7C (rotocol after conclusion of the India) Ka;a*hstan I7C meeting. The two sides reviewed progress with regard to various decisions ta.en at the Dth Inter,7overn0ental /o00ission 0eeting held in *stana on 62th October 2366$The discussions too. place in 23 sectors of cooperation li.e (nerg"' Trade' *griculture' IT' Science F Technolog"' )ines etc$ ?oth the sides agreed that the current level of bilateral trade is not co00ensurate with the potential existing between the two countries and called for conscious efforts to increase Indo,Ka=a.h trade through the :oint %or.ing 7roup on Trade and (cono0ic /ooperation and the India Ka=a.h :oint ?usiness /ouncil$ -he meeting of the Joint 6or*ing 7roup on cooperation in hydrocarbon sector was held along with the I7C meeting $ The next 0eeting of the :oint %or.ing 7roup will be held in Ka=a.hstan$ The dates will be agreed through diplo0atic channel$ ?oth sides also agreed that touris0 provides the opportunit" to strengthen the lin.s between the two countries at hu0an and cultural level$ ?oth sides agreed that the 66th 0eeting of the I7/ will be held in *stana' Ka=a.hstan$

The Indian #iaspora has 0ade the countr" proud through the significant contributions that the" have 0ade to the develop0ent

of the nations which the" have chosen to 0a.e their ho0es$ ,elivering the valedictory address at the 11th (ravasi 8haratiya ,ivas held at Kochi during January 4)H+ (resident (ranab #u*her5ee said that it is a 0atter of pride that there are at least 5 +eads of States and over 23 senior political leaders such as #eput" +eads of State' Spea.ers and )inisters in various countries who can trace their roots to India$ +ighlighting the Indian (cono0"' )u.her&ee said that India is the third largest econo0" in the world on the basis of Purchasing Power Parit" basis$ It too is the second fastest growing econo0" after /hina$ It has 0anaged to grow at a rate above C per cent$ #ue to the slowdown in the global econo0" and other factors' the growth rates have declined' fro0 C$; per cent in 2363,66 to >$5 per cent in 2366,62' and further to 5$; per cent in the first half of 2362,6@$ +e expressed hope the econo0ic growth bac. to the level of C to D per cent$ +e called upon 1RI8s to invest in India$ *ddressing on the occasion' the )inister of Overseas Indian *ffairs )r$ -a"alar Ravi said that Pravasi ?harati"a #ivas has over the "ears' grown not onl" in si=e but also in its contents$ )eeting under the overall the0e of H(ngaging #iaspora, the Indian 7rowth Stor"I this "ear a wide,ranging and interesting discussions were held in various sessions such as the Se0inar on 1RIs in the 7ulfR on S.ill #evelop0entR on +eritage and #iasporaR on engaging the "oung Overseas IndiansR on India8s 7rowing Soft PowerR and' on Science' Innovation and Technolog"$ 1n the occasion of the centenary year of the 7hadar movement+ a stamp was released by the (rime #inister.

Feb 2013-04-29

#r.#a&ime 8ernier+ #inister of -ourism+ Canada called on $nion -ourism #inister K Chiran5eevi in 0ew

,elhi on 2A 9ebruary. 8oth sides resolved to strengthen cooperation in tourism sector. It was also decided that both the countries will identify areas for wor*ing together and e&plore new opportunities in tourism sector especially in the field of human resource development+ e&change of tour operators+ investment in the tourism sector and e&change of information related to tourism sector$ The possibilit" of signing an agree0entG)o4 between India and /anada was also discussed$ It was also agreed that Tour Operators and Travel *gents of both the countries will interact with each other in order to pro0ote two wa" touris0 between India and /anada$ The possibilities of pro0oting 0ore pac.age tours in either of the countries could also be explored b" the travel trade of two countries$ ?oth sides also explored the possibilities of pro0oting &oint venture invest0ent in the field of hotel industr" and touris0 infrastructural sector$ 1ow that +otels and Touris0 sector has been opened for !oreign direct invest0ent up to 633P on auto0atic routes' /anadian invest0ent in touris0 infrastructure in India could be one of the 0a&or areas of cooperation$ /anada is one of India8s pri0ar" source 0ar.ets$ !oreign tourist arrivals fro0 /anada to India have increased considerabl" over the past few "ears$

-he $nion #inister of Steel+ 8eni (rasad Kerma recently led a delegation to 8ra;il to strengthen cooperation

between the two nations in steel F mining. ,uring the visit+ a 'etter of Intent "'oI% was signed b" the Secretar"' )inistr" of Steel on behalf of 7overn0ent of India and b" the (xecutive Secretar" ()ines F (nerg" on behalf of the 7overn0ent of ?ra=il on 2th !ebruar"$ -he 'oI inter)alia aims to promote and e&pand bilateral relations between the two countries in the mineral sector with focus on strengthening the supply chain for the growth of the steel industry in both the countries $ The Better of Intent ai0s to encourage invest0ent opportunities in iron F steel related businesses b" the Indian and the ?ra=ilian co0panies in India and ?ra=il' facilitate exchange of technical .now,how in developing the iron and steel production and other steel related raw 0aterials' including pelletisation plants and other associated industries$ ?oth the 7overn0ents would &ointl" wor. for developing the steel industr" and to exchange technicall" <ualified 0anpower for sustainable growth of the iron F steel industr"$ The possibilit" of signing a )e0orandu0 of 4nderstanding during the forthco0ing visit of the President of ?ra=il to India is also being explored$ ?oth India and ?ra=il have been showing robust growth in the consu0ption of steel and are globall" viewed as the two large e0erging 0ar.ets after /hina in ter0s of their growth potential$

-he Bealth #inisters of India and 8angladesh signed an #o$ on Bealth in 0ew ,elhi on 62 !ebruar"$ %hile

7hula01abi *=ad' 4nion )inister of +ealth F !a0il" %elfare signed on behalf of 7overn0ent of India' #r$ *$ !$ )$ Ruhal+a<ue' +ealth )inister signed on behalf of 7overn0ent of ?angladesh$The salient features of the )o4 between India and ?angladesh are as followsL The 0ain areas of cooperation between the two 7overn0ents will include the followingL 6$ (xchange of 0edical doctors' other health professionals and expertsL 2$ #evelop0ent of hu0an resources$ @$ (xchange of infor0ation on health$ ;$ )edical and health research develop0ent$ 5$ Regulations of phar0aceuticals' 0edical devices and cos0etics$ >$ +ealth pro0otion and disease prevention$

2$ !ostering cooperation for the develop0ent of culturall" sensitive and effective public and professional awareness ca0paign including clinical are practices and best practices guidelines for healthcare providers and careta.ers to benefit individuals and fa0ilies touched b" *utis0 Spectru0 #isorders and #evelop0ental #isabilities C$ *n" other area of cooperation as 0a" be 0utuall" decided upon$

India and Japan have resolved to strengthen cooperation in tourism sector. This was decided at a 0eeting between

the visiting :apanese Senior -ice,)inister of Touris0' )r$ +iroshi Ka&i"a0a and 4nion Touris0 )inister K /hiran&eevi in 1ew #elhi on 62 !ebruar"$ It was also decided that both the countries will identif" areas for wor.ing together and explore new opportunities in touris0 sector especiall" in the field of hu0an resource develop0ent' exchange of tour operators' invest0ent in the touris0 sector and exchange of infor0ation related to touris0 sector$ The possibilit" of signing an agree0entG)o4 between India and :apan was also discussed$India and :apan are i0portant touris0 0ar.ets to each other$ :apan is one of the top ten tourist generating 0ar.ets for India as for as inbound touris0 is concerned$ There is a strong interest of :apanese Tourists in places connected with ?uddhis0 in India$ :I/* (:apan International /ooperation *genc" has extended loan of 2@@6 0illion :apanese Jen (Rs$2DD /rore for #evelop0ent of *&anta (llora /onservation and #evelop0ent Progra00e Phase II $ )inistr" of Touris0 will be holding road shows in To."o on 6Cth and Osa.a on 23th of this 0onth

. #emorandum of $nderstanding "#o$% was signed in 0ew ,elhi on 1> 9ebruary+ between the #inistry of

Dailways+ 7overnment of India and the SociNtN 0ationale des Chemins de 9er 9ranOais "S0C9%+ the 9rench 0ational Dailways+ for -echnical cooperation in the field of Dailways. The )o4 was signed b" -ina" )ittal' /hair0an' Railwa" ?oard' fro0 Indian side and )r 7$Pep"' /hair0an and /(O S1/! fro0 the !rench side$ -he #o$ was signed in the presence of B.:. 9rancois Bollande+ the (resident of 9rance $!our areas of cooperation have been identified in the )o4$ These areL 6$ +igh speed and se0i,high speed railR 2$ Station renovation and operationsR @$ )odernisation of current operations and infrastructureR ;$ Suburban trains$ 4nder the +igh Speed /ooperation Progra00e' the Parties have decided to carr" out &ointl" an Noperations and developmentJ feasibility pro5ect on the #umbai).hmedabad Bigh)Speed Dail. -his pro5ect will be funded by S0C9 with a support from the 9rench #inistry of 9inance. The )o4 is valid for a period of 5 "ears and is extendable b" 6 "ear with 0utual consent$ Specific cooperation pro&ects would be underta.en under the )o4 as agreed b" both the parties$

India and 9rance on 1> 9ebruary 2 1? agreed to strengthen counter terrorism and intelligence cooperation

between the two countries during the visit of !rench President !rancois +olllande to India$ ?oth nations exchanged views on a nu0ber of bi,lateral' regional and 0ultilateral issues$ India and 9rance also reviewed progress on the Jaitapur 0uclear (ower (ro5ect and reiterated our commitment to its early implementation as soon as the co00ercial and technical negotiations' which have 0ade good progress' are co0pleted$ 8oth the nations also concluded negotiations on the short range surface to .ir missile to be co) produced in India. The" also agreed on the need to reinvigorate econo0ic engage0ent between the two countries$ )oreover' the" had in, depth discussion on the defence cooperation issue including sub0arines and 0issiles$

1ther Important India)9rance .greements

6$ ?oth the nations agreed to strengthen cooperation in the fields of the 0odernisation of the railwa"' high speed corridors and networ. upgradation of railwa" stations$ 2$ Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO and !ranceAs /1(S under the space cooperation progra00e' &ointl" identified the 0eans to pursue further cooperation$ @$ * pact was changed to increase exchanges between the sportspersons' artists' architects' researchers' teachers' students to i0prove people, to, people contacts$ ;$ The cooperation between various Indian and !rench educational institutions was finalised$ 5$ )o4 was signed between Indian Institute of Science' ?angalore and !ranceAs /1RS (/entre 1ational de la Recherche Scientifi<ue C9."Credit 9acility .greement% was signed for the 8angalore #etro Dail (ro5ect+ (hase)1 between #epart0ent of (cono0ic *ffairs' )inistr" of !inance and the !rench #evelop0ent *genc"(*!#

6.

(rime #inister of 8hutan+ 'yonchhen Jigmi P. -hinley was on the home visit to India from 4 9ebruary to H

9ebruary 2 1?$ #uring his visit to India he 0et with President of India' Pranab )u.her&ee at Rashtrapati ?havan' -ice,President of India, +a0id *nsari' Pri0e )inister, )an0ohan Singh' )inister of !inance,P /hida0bara0 and !oreign Secretar",Ran&an )athai$ +is visit was ai0ed at i0proving India,?hutan bilateral relationship$ Thinle" is the Pri0e )inister of the Ro"al 7overn0ent of ?hutan fro0 233C' after ?hutan beca0e a de0ocratic countr"$ ?hutan beca0e the "oungest de0ocrac" of the world on > 1ove0ber 233C$ B"onchhen served as the Pri0e )inister of ?hutan twice before introduction of #e0ocrac" in the nation and the period included :ul" 6DDC to :ul" 6DDD and *ugust 233@ to *ugust 233;$

. delegation led by the $nion #inister of Steel+ 8eni (rasad Kerma met with the (resident of $ruguay+ #r.

Jose #u5ica in #ontevideo on Ath 9ebruary+ 2 1? $ The 4nion )inister of Steel and the President of 4rugua" discussed points to i0prove co,operation in the 0ining sector between the two countries$ *lso present during the 0eeting were the )inister of Industr"' (nerg" and )ining' 7overn0ent of 4rugua" )r$ Roberto Krei0er0an and other 0inisters$ The President of 4rugua" welco0ed the Indian Steel )inister and than.ed hi0 for visiting 4rugua"$ 8oth e&pressed their strong desire to increase trade turnover in the coming years$ The Steel )inister invited the 4rugua"an Trade and Industr" to participate in the Indian Trade (xhibitions and conduct roadshows

for 0ore &oint ventures' transfer of technolog" and inviting Indian invest0ent for setting up production facilities in 4rugua" for exports to other Batin *0erican countries$ The Steel )inister than.ed the President of 4rugua" for showing interest to collaborate with India in the 0ining sector$ Bater on the sa0e da" the )inister of Steel 0et with the )inister of Industr"' (nerg" and )ining' 7overn0ent of 4rugua"' )r$ Roberto Krei0er0an in )ontevideo$ The two 0inisters discussed various aspects of &oint exploration and production of 0inerals in the Batin *0erican countr"$ Spea.ing on the occasion )r$ -er0a said' HThere is a huge potential for 0ining of iron ore' granite' gold and dia0ond' which can be explored b" Indian co0panies in 4rugua"$ I believe the two countries can collaborate to utili=e each others strength in areas of 0ineral exploration$I ,uring the visit a 'etter of Intent "'oI% was signed between #r ,.D.S. Chaudhary+ Secretary Steel+ 7overnment of India and #r Doberto Kreimerman+ #inister+ Industry+ :nergy F #ining+ 7overnment of $ruguay to e&plore and encourage investment opportunity in iron and steel sector and to facilitate e&change of technical *nowhow in iron ore and steel related raw materials $ The visit of the Indian delegation was successful in establishing a fir0 base for 0ineral exploration and production b" Indian fir0s in 4rugua"$

India and .ustria on ! 9ebruary 2 1? in*ed a social security pact at Kienna+ under which the Indian professionals

wor.ing in *ustria would be exe0pted fro0 pa"ing the social securit" contribution of the countr"' if such pa"0ents are alread" 0ade in India$ Overseas Indian *ffairs )inister -a"alar Ravi and *ustrian )inister for Babour and Social Securit"' Rudoulf +undstorfer signed the pact$ The pact of social securit" between the two countries would also boost cooperation of the labour 0ar.et expansion in *ustria' the countr" that is a ho0e for 0ore than 62333 Indian professionals$

-he $nion Cabinet on 4 9ebruary+ gave its approval for formation of the Special (urpose Kehicle "S(K% for the

-ur*menistan).fghanistan)(a*istan)India "-.(I% (ipeline (ro5ect and to permit 7.I' India 'td. to 5oin the S(K. The four countries involved in the T*PI 7as pipeline pro&ect' signed an Inter,7overn0ental *gree0ent along with a 7as Pipeline !ra0ewor. *gree0ent (7P!* $ To accelerate the pro&ect' parties have for0ed the )inister Bevel Steering /o00ittee and Technical %or.ing 7roup (T%O $ Suitable provisions for securit" F safet" of the pipeline have been 0ade in the Inter,7overn0ental *gree0ent (I7* and 7as Pipeline !ra0ewor. *gree0ent (7P!* $The SP- would ta.e up the !easibilit" Stud" and #esign wor. of the T*Pl pipeline to 0eet the agreed ti0elines for the pro&ect' as well as search for a consortiu0 lead$ Tur.0enistan and Pa.istan agreed to the for0ation of T*Pl Btd$ considering it to be in consonance with the 7P!*$ *fghanistan also agreed to the for0ation of T*Pl Btd$ so long as there was consensus a0ongst the Parties$ T*Pl Btd$ is re<uired to have an initial contribution of 4S# 23 0illion that is 4S# 5 0illion fro0 an identified entit" fro0 each of the four participating countries$ 7.I'+ being a 0avratna Company+ is empowered to ma*e an investment of this level for India$ 7*IB has agreed to 0a.e an invest0ent up to 4S# 5 0illion in the proposed SP- that is T*PI Btd$ ?ased on an Ain, principleA approval of the /abinet on 6Cth )a"' 233>' India &oined the Tur.0enistan,*fghanistan,Pa.istan (T*P Pro&ect in *pril' 233C and thereafter' the na0e of the pro&ect stood a0ended to Tur.0enistan,*fghanistan,Pa.istan,India (T*Pl 7as Pipeline Pro&ect$

Ma 2013-04-29

7hulam 0abi .;ad+ $nion #inister of Bealth F 9amily 6elfare+ 7overnment of India met B.:. :dward

Sse*andi+ Kice (resident of the Depublic of $ganda on 2! #arch+ 2 1? during his visit to Kampala+ $ganda to chair the 22nd :&ecutive Committee #eeting of the (artners in (opulation F ,evelopment "((,%+ an alliance of 2! member countries from .sia+ .frica and 'atin .merica $ Recalling the close and historical ties between the two countries' both the dignitaries stressed upon the need to further strengthen and deepen bilateral cooperation during the 0eeting$ +on -P recalled his ver" recent visit to India' stating that he was ver" well received there and was able to appreciate the advances 0ade b" India in fields such as teleco0' petroche0icals and health F 0edicine$ +e stated that not onl" people fro0 4ganda but also fro0 developed countries were now traveling to India for health care$ *=ad stated that several initiatives had been ta.en in the recent past in health F 0edicine and expressed the hope that India and 4ganda would be able to collaborate for 0utual benefit' especiall" to further i0prove 0aternal and child health$ +e stated that a large nu0ber of Indians were settled in 4ganda and were contributing to the econo0ic progress of 4ganda$ The progressive policies of the 7overn0ent of 4ganda under (resident #useveni had helped in econo0ic growth of the countr"$ India would be able to assist 4ganda in opti0u0 develop0ent of its abundant resources' especiall" in agriculture' agro,processing' h"dro,electric power' oil exploration and refineries$ ?oth dignitaries welco0ed the opportunities to renew age old relationships' which were 0ultifarious' enco0passing political' econo0ic and cultural ties$ $

India and 'iechtenstein have signed a -a& Information :&change .greement "-I:.% on 2C )arch at ?ern'

Swit=erland$ The *gree0ent was signed b" )s /hitra 1ara"anan' Indian *0bassador in Swit=erland fro0 Indian side and )ada0e #oris !ric.' *0bassador of Biechtenstein in Swit=erland on behalf of Biechtenstein$ Salient features of the agreement "-I:.% with 'iechtenstein are 6$ It is based on international standard of transparenc" and exchange of infor0ation$ 2$ Infor0ation 0ust be foreseeable relevant to the ad0inistration and enforce0ent of the do0estic laws of the /ontracting Parties concerning taxes covered b" the agree0ent$ @$ There is a specific provision that the re<uested Part" shall use its infor0ation gathering 0easures to obtain the re<uested infor0ation even though that Part" 0a" not need such infor0ation for its own tax purposes$ ;$ There is a specific provision for providing ban.ing and ownership infor0ation$ 5$ It provides for the representatives of the co0petent authorit" of the re<uesting Part" to enter the territor" of the re<uested Part" to interview individuals and exa0ine records$ >$ The *gree0ent has specific provisions for protecting the confidentialit" of the infor0ation obtained under the *gree0ent$ Infor0ation is to be treated as secret and can be disclosed to onl" specified person or authorities' which are tax authorities or its oversight bod"$ +owever' the infor0ation 0a" be used for other purposes with the express consent of the /o0petent *uthorit" of the suppl"ing State$ 2$ The *gree0ent shall enter into force one 0onth fro0 the later of the notification$ On entering into force' infor0ation can be exchanged if it pertains to taxable periods beginning on or after 6st *pril' 236@$

C$ The *gree0ent provides for the exchange of docu0ents or infor0ation created in or derived fro0 a date preceding 6st *pril' 236@' that are foresee abl" relevant to a re<uest relating to tax "ears beginning on or after 6st *pril' 236@$

-he $nion #inister for Commerce+ Industry and -e&tiles .nand Sharma on 2H #arch met the (rime #inister

of <imbabwe+ #r. #organ -svangirai during his visit to Barare for the India)<imbabwe Joint -rade Committee "J-C% #eeting$ Shar0a briefed the Ki0babwean Pri0e )inister on the fruitful discussions held at previous da" between the two sides in the :T/ 0eeting$ Shar0a infor0ed the Pri0e )inister of Ki0babwe that India has offered various capacit" building progra00es' including scholarships and dedicated courses in ba0boo craft develop0ent and handicrafts' that Bines of /redit (BO/ proposals worth 4S# ;33 0illion fro0 the Ki0babwean side will be considered and Ki0babwe could also avail the N?u"ers /redit Sche0e8 and the Npilot 2 P Interest subvention sche0e8 for pro&ects in Ki0babwe$ Shar0a agreed to the re<uest of )r$ Tsvangirai for providing assistance in revival of its textile industr" and in developing its nascent dia0ond industr"$ The India,Ki0babwe :oint Trade /o00ittee (:T/ 0eeting was co,chaired b" Shar0a and the Prof$ %elsh0an 1cube' )inister of Industr" and /o00erce of Ki0babwe$ #uring the :T/ 0eeting' the two sides reviewed the bilateral trade and invest0ent relations and held discussions on the following areas of cooperationL Textiles Sector' *groGfood Processing Sector' 7e0s and :eweller"' industrial cluster initiatives' Bines of /redit' capacit" building progra00es' establishing of /o00odit" (xchange in Ki0babwe$ #uring the 0eeting' both the )inisters e0phasi=ed that the present levels of bilateral trade and invest0ent were 0uch below the potential$ In the "ear 2362' the India,Ki0babwe bilateral trade was 4S# 6>> 0illion' with balance of trade heavil" in favor of India$ The Ki0babwean )inister sought invest0ents and technical assistance fro0 India to enable Ki0babwe in revival of its 0anufacturing sector' and to achieve greater value addition and beneficiation of natural resources' which will also enable Ki0babwe to increase the value of its exports$ In his address during the J-C meeting+ Sharma announced that India had approved a 'ine of Credit "'1C% worth $S, 28.A million for $p)gradation of ,e*a (umping Station and the Diver 6ater Inta*e System in <imbabwe. !urther' India is activel" considering two 0ore BO/ proposals received fro0 Ki0babwe' na0el"' the Rehabilitation of S0all Ther0al Power Stations and the 7aire=i +"dro (lectric Pro&ect' and ?ulawa"o Power Station 4pgrade Pro&ect$ Shar0a 0entioned that India has been engaged in capacit" building and hu0an resource develop0ent efforts in Ki0babwe and is setting up a !ood Testing Baborator"' a Rural Technolog" Par. and a -ocational Training /entre in Ki0babwe under the India,*frica !oru0 Su00it decisions$ India has also set up three co0puter learning stations in Ki0babwe for children in high,densit" areas$ The nu0ber of annual scholarships to Ki0babwe under India8s IT(/ progra00e is now 0ore than 253$

South .ustralia on 2! #arch rolled out a 1 )year strategy to enhance trade ties with India by holding its first

meeting of South .ustralia)India Council in .delaide $ State Trade )inister To0 Ken"on said the strateg" identified .e" sectors of the econo0" that could ta.e advantage of IndiaAs rapid develop0ent and create local &obs$ *ccording to an official state0ent' MThe S*,India /ouncil is holding its first 0eeting in *delaide on 25 )arch as part of the State 7overn0entAs long,ter0 strateg" to beco0e a significant trade and invest0ent partner with India$ The council is being supported b" an India tea0 within the #epart0ent for )anufacturing' Innovation' Trade' Resources and (nerg" (#)ITR( $This tea0 will focus on the industr" sectors identified in the India strateg" , aerospace and defense' energ" and natural resources' education and training and clean technolog"$

India+

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In a bid to deepen ties and strengthen econo0ic bonds' India and (g"pt on 6D)arch signed seven .e" pacts' including one on c"ber securit"' after Pri0e )inister )an0ohan Singh and (g"ptian President )oha0ed )orsi held bilateral tal.s in 1ew #elhi$ The two leaders also agreed to enhance cooperation in defence and at international foru0s li.e 41$ 4nderlining that India and (g"pt have enor0ous potential for deepening cooperation across the full spectru0 of ties' Singh said econo0ic partnership has Hrich possibilitiesI$ I%e agreed that infor0ation technolog"' services' electronics' s0all and 0ediu0 enterprises' 0anufacturing' fertili=ers' and renewable energ" constitute i0portant areas of cooperation$ (g"pt8s location' as a bridge between *sia and *frica' astrides a 0a&or global trade route and together with its s.illed hu0an resources 0a.es it an attractive business destination for India'I he said$

India and 8hutan on 8 #arch 2 1? signed a currency swap agreement for up to 1

million $S dollars to

strengthen economic co)operation between both the countries. The currenc" swap arrange0ent was signed between the Reserve ?an. of India and the Ro"al )onetar" *uthorit" of ?hutan (R)*? $The *gree0ent enables R)*? (Ro"al )onetar" *uthorit" of ?hutan to 0a.e withdrawals of 4S dollar' euro or Indian rupee in 0ultiple tranches up to a 0axi0u0 of 633 0illion dollars or its e<uivalent$ The swap agree0ent is intended to provide a precaution line of funding for S**R/ 0e0ber countries to 0eet an" balance of pa"0ents and li<uidit" crisis till longer ter0 arrange0ents are 0ade or if there is need for short,ter0 li<uidit" due to 0ar.et turbulence$ The arrange0ent would be for a three,"ear period and would help bring financial stabilit" in the region$ (arlier' In )a" 2362' R?I had announced it would offer swap facilities aggregating 2 billion dollars' both in foreign currenc" and Indian rupee' to S**R/ 0e0ber countries T *fghanistan' ?angladesh' ?hutan' )aldives' 1epal' Pa.istan and Sri Ban.a$

8ritain and India on 1> #arch+ have clinched a multi)million)pound agreement to support industry and

businesses by wor*ing together on the commerciali;ation of research in *ey areas li*e energy and healthcare. *s part of the deal' 7lobal Innovation and Technolog" *lliance (7IT* sponsored b" the Indian govern0ent8s #epart0ent of Science and Technolog" and 4K8s Technolog" Strateg" ?oard (TS? will support 4K and Indian businesses and acade0ics in &oint RF# and innovation pro&ects over a three,"ear period$ HThese progra00es not onl" help build and strengthen lin.s between countries but will help build the international partnerships between businesses so vital in toda"8s global econo0"'I said Iain 7ra"' /hief (xecutive' TS? after signing the NProgra00e of /o, operation8 at the Innovate 4K conference in Bondon$ ?ritain8s 0inister for universities and science' #avid %illetts was also present at the occasion$ -he latest agreement is the first)ever international partnership the -echnology Strategy 8oard "-S8%+ 8ritainJs government)sponsored innovation agency+ has signed outside :urope. 7I-.+ a not)for)profit ((( company+ is promoted 5ointly by the Confederation of Indian Industry "CII% and the -echnology ,evelopment 8oard of the Indian governmentJs ,epartment of Science and -echnology.

-he 9oreign #inister of (ortugal+ (aulo de Sacadura Cabral (ortas visited India $ This was his first official visit$

Paulo de Sacadura /abral Portas was acco0panied b" )inister of State for /ulture of Portugal and a business delegation$ The 0inister visited 7oa and )u0bai with the delegation$ ,uring his visit+ the 9oreign #inister of (ortugal held discussions with the IndiaJs :&ternal .ffairs #inister+ Salman Khurshid. India and (ortugal discussed bilateral+ regional and global issues during the visit$ The visit held i0portance because it would strengthen the friendl" ties between India and Portugal$

India has proposed the idea of a hydrocarbon pipeline with Ka;a*hstan that would bring fuel through a five)

nation route$ India unveiled the concept of the pipeline' which in future could be extended to Russia' during a 0eeting between (xternal *ffairs )inister Sal0an Khurshid and his visiting Ka=a.h counterpart (rlan Idrissov in 1ew #elhi on > )arch$ The two )inisters will revisit the idea when the" will 0eet twice in the co0ing 0onths T first on the sidelines of the Istanbul process 0eeting on *fghanistan in *l0at" and later during a stand,alone visit b" )r$ Khurshid to the Ka;a*h capital of .stana. -he proposed pipeline would cover about 1+! *ms "no study has yet been done%+ thus ma*ing it longer than the planned -ur*menistan).fghanistan)(a*istan) India "-.(I% pipeline which will serve as the role model. It will head fro0 the for0er Sil. Road caravanserai cit" of Sh"0.ent' .nown toda" for oil refining' and enter 4=be.istan$ !ro0 there it will go to *fghanistan and then follow the route to be ta.en b" the T*PI pipeline into India via Pa.istan$ Officials said currentl" 0ost h"drocarbon pipelines fro0 /entral *sia are on an east,west axis$ This pipeline will' li.e T*PI' be on a north,south axis' providing a new route to South *sia for h"drocarbons extracted fro0 /entral *sia$

-he (resident of India (ranab #u*her5ee and the (rime #inister of 8angladesh Shei*h Basina on ! #arch

2 1? 5ointly inaugurated the locomotives and tan* wagons being supplied to 8angladesh under the 8 million $S ,ollar line of credit that was provided by India. -he freight train was inaugurated at ,ha*a cantonment railway station $ The freight train co0prised of twent" broad gauge tan. wagons' two loco0otives and one bra.e van$ Inauguration of the railwa" wagons as well as loco0otives in #ha.a was a part of the i0ple0entation of 6; pro&ects which were approved under the C33 0illion 4S dollar credit line provided b" India to ?angladesh$ Out of the total of 6; pro&ects' 62 are the railwa" pro&ects $ The President of India' Pranab )u.her&ee was on a three,da" visit to ?angladesh and returned bac. on 5 )arch 236@$

. Social Security .greement "SS.% was signed between India and (ortugal on ; )arch 236@ at 1ew #elhi$ The

agree0ent was signed b" -a"alar Ravi' the )inister of Overseas Indian *ffairs and Paulo Sacadura /abral Portas' )inister of State of !oreign *ffairs of Portugal$ -he bilateral social security agreement would help in ta*ing advantage of the emerging employment opportunities and strengthening the trade and investments between the two countries. *t present about 25333 Indians are living in Portugal and it includes self,e0plo"ed people as well as wor.ing professionals$ India has signed the Social Security .greement with 14 countries of the world and the" are ?elgiu0' 7er0an" (Social Insurance ' +ungar"' Swit=erland' !rance' The /=ech Republic' Republic of Korea' 7er0an" (/o0prehensive SS* ' Buxe0burg' The 1etherlands' :apan' #en0ar.' 1orwa"' !inland' /anada' Sweden and *ustria$

. #emorandum of $nderstanding "#o$% was signed between India and $K to strengthen their cooperation

in :arth Sciences and environmental research on 6 )arch 236@ in 1ew #elhi$ The )o4 will allow the two countries to share infor0ation on 0eteorolog"' h"drolog" and cli0ate variabilit"$ This )o4 will allow the two countries to share infor0ation on 0eteorolog"' h"drolog" and cli0ate variabilit"$ The )o4 will also help in pro0oting exchange of scientific and technical capabilities$ *nd it will facilitate India and 4K to identif" new opportunities for collaborative activities as well as co,funding new environ0ental research$ The )o4 was signed between the (arth S"ste0 Science Organisation of the )inistr" of (arth Sciences and 1atural (nviron0ent Research /ouncil of 4K$ Science and Technolog" )inister of India' S :aipal Redd" was also present$ -he #emorandum of $nderstanding will help India in improving the forecasting capability of various weather and climate)related phenomena by sharing the e&pertise and *nowledge$ This advance forecasting will help people associated with the agriculture sector' which is the 0ain sector of the India8s econo0"$

Ap 2013-04-29

India and 7ermany on 11 .pril+ in*ed si& *ey #o$s including that for putting together 4 million for ne&t four

years towards 5oint research in the field of Bigher :ducation and a pact for a soft loan of 1 billion for strengthening the green energy corridor. . pact to promote 7erman as a foreign language was also signed b" the two sides following the 2nd round of inter,govern0ental consultations in ?erlin$ 4nder pacts signed' both 7er0an" and India have co00itted to @$5 0illion each towards wor.ing on &oint research and innovation progra00es$ *ccording to officials' under the strengthening of 7er0an language collaboration' currentl" @3'333 children in Kendri"a -idalia are learning 7er0an and under the pact the" will tr" to increase the capacit"$ . pact regarding the establishment of green energy corridor was also signed besides one in agriculture and establishment of a wor*ing group in infrastructure+ cooperation in standardi;ation+ conformity assessment and product safety $ 4nder the pact for the green energ" corridor' the grid s"ste0 in several states will be used to trans0it energ" produced b" renewable and non, conventional 0eans$ .nother pact for India)7erman civil security research was also signed. )inister for hu0an resources develop0ent Palla0 Ra&u' who is acco0pan"ing Pri0e )inister )an0ohan Singh on three,da" bilateral visit in ?erlin' said the two countries .new each otherAs strengths and have identified so0e areas for the &oint research$

:&ternal .ffairs #inister of India+ Salman Khurshid visited Japan on 2A)24 #arch+ 2 1? to co)chair the 4th

annual IndiaLJapan Strategic ,ialogue with the Japanese 9oreign #inister $ ?oth nations reviewed all aspects of the India,:apan Strategic F 7lobal Partnership including bilateral' regional and international issues$ India and :apan also discussed the possibilit" of convening the *nnual Su00it between the Pri0e )inisters of India and :apan in the co0ing 0onths$ India and :apan also agreed to expand cooperation in the *sia,Pacific region$ It was agreed during this visit that India and :apan will coordinate their actions 0ore closel" within the (ast *sia Su00it process$

-he 7overnment of India and 7overnment of Dussian 9ederation have signed on .pril 1 + 2 1? in #oscow a

Degulation defining the structure+ functions and procedure of the Joint Commission which has been established by an .greement signed on ,ecember 21+ 2 1 in 0ew ,elhi in the field of :mergency #anagement. Sushil.u0ar Shinde' 4nion )inister of +o0e *ffairs and )r$-ladi0ir Puch.ov' )inister of the Russian !ederation for /ivil #efense' (0ergencies and (li0ination of /onse<uences of 1atural #isasters have singed this agree0ent$ -he agreement will enable both the countries to help each other in the field of prevention and elimination of the conseCuences of emergency situations. It will further strengthen the bond of friendship between the two countries and enhance the Indo,Russian /o,operation$ The Indo,Russian /o00ission will ensure the i0ple0entation of the *gree0ent which was signed on #ece0ber 26' 2363 in 1ew #elhi for catal"=ing cooperation in the field of (0ergenc" )anage0ent and contribute to the well being and safet" of the people of both the countries in the event of disasters and also to exchange 0utuall" beneficial scientific and technical infor0ation in the area of (0ergenc" )anage0ent$ The 0eetings of the :oint /o00ission will be alternativel" held in India and Russia$

#inister of Information F 8roadcasting+ #anish -ewari on 11 april met the 8angladesh #inister for

Information F 8roadcasting #r. Basanul BaC Inu in 0erw ,elhi and had e&tensive discussions on critical issues related to Information and 8roadcasting Sector. ,uring the discussions+ both the #inisters agreed to consider a 5oint collaboration for production of a mega film depicting the 26ar of 'iberation3. In this context' it was agreed to wor. towards a road0ap to finali=e the proposal shortl"$ In this context' the Infor0ation )inister of ?angladesh also re<uested that the 7overn0ent of India could consider providing the na0es of the soldiers who had laid down their lives during the %ar of Biberation$ +e reiterated that the 7overn0ent of ?angladesh would li.e to recogni=e their contribution 0ade during this historical event$ #uring the discussions' both the #inisters also agreed to e&plore the possibility of setting up of a Joint 6or*ing 7roup on the critical sectors of the Information and 8roadcasting domain. The %or.ing 7roup would provide a road0ap for future collaborations between the two countries$ The ?angladesh Infor0ation )inister also re<uested the )inister for Infor0ation and ?roadcasting to facilitate the down lin.ing of ?angladesh T- /hannels through the private distribution networ.$ ?oth )inisters also agreed to intensif" the collaboration between Prasar ?harti and ?angladesh State Television in view of the )e0orandu0 of 4nderstanding signed between the two entities in 2366$ The )o4 had focused on 0utual cooperation in the broadcast of television progra00es between the two broadcasters$ It was also 0entioned that both countries could consider exchange of progra00es and also explore the possibilit" of executive T- co,production$ #uring the discussions' both )inisters also agreed to facilitate the exchange of archival 0aterial between the two countries$

-wo #o$s were signed between India and 7ermany on 11 .pril+ ) a #emorandum of $nderstanding "#o$%

for cooperation in the field of Bigher :ducation and a Joint ,eclaration of Intent "J,I% regarding (romotion of 7erman as a 9oreign 'anguage in India $ The )o4s were signed b" the +u0an Resource #evelop0ent )inister' #r$ )$)$ Palla0 Ra&u at the 2nd Inter 7overn0antal /onsultations held at ?erlin$ The +R) is acco0pan"ing the Pri0e )inister #r$ )an0ohan Singh during his visit to 7er0an"$ The /hancellor of 7er0an"' Prof$ #r$ )s$ :ohanna %an.a' !ederal )inister for (ducation and Research of 7er0an" was also present on the occasion$ The )o4 for cooperation in +igher (ducation envisages devising 0echanis0s of co,operation and sets the agenda for i0proving educational relations between the two countries$ The )o4 chiefl" supports a new &ointl" funded progra00e entitled HIndo, 7er0an Strategic Partnerships in +igher (ducation (I7SP I to intensif" institutional lin.ages and to open up new and innovative areas of cooperation$ India and 7er0an" have co00itted to ear0ar. @$5 0illion (uros fro0 each side for an initial period of four "ears (236@,236> to support progra00es under I7SP$

India and #auritius on 12 .pril+ have signed a #emorandum of $nderstanding "#o$% in 0ew ,elhi+ for

cooperation in the field of election management and administration $ The )o4 was signed b" the /hief (lection /o00issioner of India' -$S$ Sa0path and the (lectoral /o00issioner of )auritius' )r$ )oha00ad Irfan *bdool Rah0an$ (lection /o00issioners of India' +$ S$ ?rah0a and #r$ 1asi0 KaidiR diplo0ats and senior officials of the (lection /o00ission of India and 7overn0ent of India were present at the signing cere0on"$ The 0a&or ai0s of )o4 areL pro0otion of exchanges of .nowledge and experience in electoral processesR exchange of infor0ation' 0aterials' expertise and training of personnelR production and distribution of 0aterials pertaining to electoral s"ste0s' voting technolog"' voters8 education and awareness' and participation of wo0en and 0inorities in electoral process$ :lection Commission of India has so far signed seventeen #1$s with :lection #anagement 8odies and international organi;ations across the world.So0e of the )o4 signed recentl" are with (g"pt' -ene=uela' Republic of Korea and 41#P$

. -reaty on #utual 'egal .ssistance in Criminal #atters was signed between India and .;erbai5an on ;th *pril'

236@ in 1ew #elhi$ The Treat" was signed b" Sushil.u0ar Shinde' +o0e )inister' on behalf of the Republic of India and b" )r$!i.rat )a00adov' )inister of :ustice' on behalf of the Republic of *=erbai&an$ )utual Begal *ssistance Treat" is one of the significant legal instru0ents to i0prove and facilitate effectiveness of the contracting states in investigation and prosecution of transnational cri0e including terroris0 b" providing the necessar" legal fra0ewor. for renderingGreceiving legal assistance in cri0inal 0atters$

,r. .shwani Kumar+ $nion #inister of 'aw F Justice and 9i*rat #ammadov+ #inister of Justice of Depublic

of .;erbai5an+ on > .pril signed a -reaty in 0ew ,elhi+ between the two nations on 'egal and Judicial Cooperation in Civil and Commercial #atters$ The two sides also had delegation, level tal.s$ The two )inisters hailed the close cooperation between India and *=erbai&an and hoped that the bonds between the two countries will strengthen further$ This Treat" between the two countries in /ivil 0atters is a co0prehensive agree0ent for reciprocal arrange0ent with foreign countries for service of su00ons' for issuing Betters of Re<uest' for ta.ing of evidence' for execution of civil decrees and for enforce0ent of arbitral awards$ *s per provisions of the Treat"' re<uests for legal assistance shall be 0ade through the /entral *uthorities of the /ontracting Parties$ In India' the /entral *uthorit" is the )inistr" of Baw and :ustice and in the Republic of *=erbai&an' the /entral *uthorit" is the )inistr" of :ustice$ The Treat" ai0s to benefit the citi=ens of the respective States see.ing Begal *ssistance in /ivil and /o00ercial )atters in the re<uested State irrespective of an" gender' class or inco0e bias$ This Treat" will open the avenues of cooperation between both the countries in other sectorsGspheres also$ Similar -reaties on Civil and Commercial #atters have already been signed with 9rance+ $...:.+ Dussia+ 8ahrain+ Kuwait+ #ongolia+ 8ulgaria and Ka;a*hstan.

India and Singapore on 2 .pril 2 1? signed a new #emorandum of $nderstanding "#o$% on bilateral air

services arrangement during the visit of Civil .viation #inister+ .5it Singh to Singapore. It rationali=es the capacit" entitle0ents of both countries in ter0s of seats per wee. in each direction with a route specific cap for Singapore on each route$ The )o4

also enhances' b" 63P' the capacit" entitle0ent with India now entitled to operate 2D';33 wee.l" passenger seats fro0 India to Singapore and the designated airlines of Singapore entitled to operate 2C'233 wee.l" passenger seats fro0 Singapore to India$ 1o additional point of call has been given to Singapore$ India also did not agree to the de0and of Singapore for additional point of calls fro0 Pune and )adurai$

7overnment of India and the 7overnment of -an;ania signed a 'etter of Intent"'oI% on A .pril 2 1? at ,e res

Salaam during the visit of $nion Steel #inister 8eni (rasad Kerma to the latter. -he 'oI aims to promote and e&pand bilateral relations between the two countries in the mineral sector with focus on strengthening supply chain for growth of the steel industry in both the countries. The BoI ai0s to encourage invest0ent opportunities in India and Tan=ania in the iron F steel related businesses' facilitates exchange of technical .now,how in developing iron and steel production and other steel related raw 0aterials' including pelletisation plants and other associated industries$ BoI ai0s that both the 7overn0ents &ointl" wor. for developing the steel industr" and exchange technicall" <ualified 0anpower for sustainable growth of iron F steel industr"$ The BoI will not onl" strengthen relations between India and Tan=ania$ It will also give added thrust to the possibilit" of exploration and develop0ent of 0ineral assets in the countr"$