#ModiInFrance: Eight things you need to know about the India-France deal
Prime Minister Narendra Modi's foreign trips have always been filled with glamour and attraction. The main talking point of his recent trip to France is the Rafale jet deal. According to the deal, India would buy 36 of the fighter planes in flyaway condition. Interestingly, Subramanian Swamy, senior BJP leader, has threatened to move court against the government's decision, and suggested that it would have made more economic sense to buy Dassault, the company which manufactures Rafale jets. However, media coverage of Modi's trip has only been limited to the Rafale deal. Here is a list of wide issues on which India and France have agreed to work together.
1. Development of Smart Cities: France will partner India on the smart cities development scheme and will implement its best technological solutions and share its experience in the field of integrated sustainable cities, in particular in urban planning, urban grids, water and sanitation, sustainable mobility and digital technologies.
2. Security in Indian Ocean: India and France will enhance cooperation in the maritime domain, in particular in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR). France will engage more closely in the affairs of the Indian Ocean Rim Association and will continue to work closely with India in realisation of the objectives enshrined in the charter of the association.
3. Space technology: India and France signed a program for reinforced cooperation between their space agencies in space activities addressing joint realisation of third earth observation mission, earth observation applications, planetary exploration; MoU on Ka-band propagation experiment; and a document to extend the utilisation of Indo-French Joint Satellite, Megha Tropiques, for two more years.
4. Investment in renewable energy: French companies have set a target to develop 8 to 10 GW of solar energy in India by 2020-2022. Agence Française de Développement (AFD) will provide a credit line of 1 billion euros over the next three years for sustainable infrastructure and urban development in India, in implementation of the following projects launched by India for development of renewable sources of energy:
a. Extension of credit facility by Agence Française de Développement for India's Energy Efficiency Services Limited (EESL) promoting use of LED lighting in select Indian municipalities
b. Arrangement on renewable energy cooperation between the Indian ministry of new and renewable energy and the French ministry of ecology, sustainable development and energy
5. Cooperation in railways development: France will cooperate and support in modernisation of the railways and in high speed and semi-high speed rail projects, in urban transportation and in roads and welcomed the development of the cooperation between Indian and French railways through the agreement between Indian Railways and the French National Railways (SNCF) to co-finance an execution study by SNCF for a semi-high speed project on upgradation of the Delhi-Chandigarh line to 200 kmph and for redevelopment of Ambala & Ludhiana Railways Stations.
6. Promotion of Hindi in France: India will support the organisation of a Regional Hindi Conference, for the first time, in Paris in view of the growing interest in France in Hindi.
7. Jaitapur nuclear plant: France and India have pressed for an early conclusion of techno-commercial discussions on the proposal for construction of six 1650 MWe nuclear power plants at Jaitapur, with due consideration to project viability and in the framework of an ambitious partnership for large and critical components. The nuclear project, which has attracted strong opposition on environmental and safety grounds, was launched in December 2010, with India and France's signed agreement for the construction of two reactors and supply of nuclear fuel for 25 years, but it has just gathered dust in the past five years.
8. National Institute of Marine Biology and Biotechnology: The Department of Biotechnology (DBT), under the Indian Ministry of Science and Technology, the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS) and the Université Pierre et Marie Curie (UPMC) have concluded a MoU to collaborate towards the establishment of a National Institute of Marine Biology and Biotechnology in India.
As evident, Modi has convinced France to play a greater role in India's development with many mutual agreements and areas of cooperation, which is further expected to strengthen India.