{"id":39301,"date":"2024-01-27T07:49:30","date_gmt":"2024-01-27T02:19:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/?p=39301"},"modified":"2025-04-24T08:14:01","modified_gmt":"2025-04-24T02:44:01","slug":"india-and-france","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/india-and-france\/","title":{"rendered":"India and France deepen ties"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2>What\u2019s in today\u2019s article?<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>Why in news?<\/li>\n<li>Indo-France Bilateral Relations<\/li>\n<li>What are the key pillars of India-France Cooperation?<\/li>\n<li>News Summary: India and France deepen ties<\/li>\n<li>What are the key outcomes of the visit of French President Emmanuel Macron?<\/li>\n<li>Key announcements made during the visit<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Why in news?<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>French President Emmanuel Macron visited India as the Chief Guest for the 75th Republic Day celebrations.<\/li>\n<li>During this visit, India and France made significant decisions with the primary focus on enhancing collaboration in the defence sector.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Indo-France Bilateral Relations<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>Since the establishment of diplomatic ties in 1948, India and France have enjoyed 75 years of close and friendly relations.<\/li>\n<li>In 1998, India and France elevated their diplomatic relationship to Strategic Partnership which completed 25 years in January, 2023.<\/li>\n<li>This Strategic Partnership, first for France outside the EU, has been instrumental in the comprehensive growth of India-France relationship.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Key Pillars of India-France Cooperation<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>Defence Cooperation: The Agreement on Defence Cooperation signed in 2006 and renewed for another 10 years in 2016 gives the framework for all defence cooperation activities between India and France.\n<ul>\n<li>A DRDO office was opened in the Embassy in 2023 for strengthening technology cooperation.<\/li>\n<li>The procurement of Rafale jets as part of India\u2019s air power is a testament to the deep defence ties.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>Space Cooperation: ISRO and the French Space Agency, CNES have been carrying on various joint research programmes and collaborating in satellite launches.\n<ul>\n<li>For example, on 22 June 2022, GSAT-24 communication satellite of New Space India Ltd (NSIL) was successfully launched on-board Ariane-5 from Kourou, French Guiana.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>Civil Nuclear Cooperation: An agreement on civil nuclear cooperation was signed between India and France in 2008.\n<ul>\n<li>France is involved in the construction of the Jaitapur Nuclear Power Project. However, the progress here has been slow (the first pact was agreed in 2008).<\/li>\n<li>The two sides have also agreed to establish a partnership on Small Modular Reactors (SMR) and Advanced Modular Reactors (AMR).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>Economic Cooperation: They have important bilateral investments and trade and commercial cooperation, particularly in sectors involving IT corridors, smart-cities, railways, capital and trade exchanges, skill development, etc.\n<ul>\n<li>Bilateral trade reached an impressive $13.4 Bn in 2022-23, marking a significant 7.72% increase from the previous year.<\/li>\n<li>France has emerged as the 11th largest investor in India, with FDI inflow of $10.5 Bn from April 2000 to March 2023.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>Digital Cooperation: India-France Roadmap on Cyber security and Digital Technologies was one of the outcomes of the visit of the PM of India to France in 2019.\n<ul>\n<li>In July 2023, Unified Payments Interface (UPI) was launched from the Eiffel Tower, offering secure and convenient transactions for Indian visitors and NRIs.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>Culture and Tourism Cooperation: There are many Indo-French cultural associations which organise various events across France.\n<ul>\n<li>For example, the Government of India organised \u2018Namaste France\u2019 cultural festival in several cities of France in 2016.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>Marine and Maritime Cooperation: Indo-French Maritime Cooperation is based on the India-France Roadmap on Blue Economy and Ocean Governance adopted in 2022.<\/li>\n<li>Community in France: The Indian community, including NRIs in mainland France number around 109,000, largely originating from French enclaves of Puducherry, Karaikal, Yanam, Mahe and Chandernagore.\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>News Summary: India and France deepen ties<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>French President Emmanuel Macron was on a two-day State visit to India. He was also the Chief Guest for India&#8217;s Republic Day.\n<ul>\n<li>The 2nd Infantry Regiment of the French Foreign Legion also participated in this year\u2019s Republic Day Parade.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>This year, we are celebrating the 25th anniversary of the India-France Strategic Partnership.\n<ul>\n<li>PM Modi was the Guest of Honour at the Bastille Day Parade held on 14 July 2023 in Paris.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Key outcomes of the visit<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>Roadmap for India-France Defence Industrial Partnership\n<ul>\n<li>The main goal of this roadmap is to find areas to work together on making military equipment.<\/li>\n<li>This includes designing, developing, and producing things together, as well as creating supply chains for defence goods between the two countries.<\/li>\n<li>It aims to foster collaboration in cutting-edge technologies, including robotics, artificial intelligence (AI), autonomous vehicles, platforms, and cyber defence.<\/li>\n<li>The defence roadmap will cover both <u>air and space technologies, maritime technology, including underwater domain awareness<\/u>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>Defence-space partnership\n<ul>\n<li>The two sides also signed a new agreement for a defence-space partnership that will see them collaborate on space situational awareness.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>Airbus-TATA chopper deal\n<ul>\n<li>Tata and Airbus Helicopters have entered into an industrial partnership for the production of H125 helicopters, fostering collaboration in the defence sector.<\/li>\n<li>Two mega multi-billion-dollar defence deals in the pipeline between the two countries are currently in the cost negotiation phase. These are:\n<ul>\n<li>The 26 Rafale-M fighter jets for the Indian Navy\u2019s aircraft carriers, and<\/li>\n<li>Three additional Scorpene-class conventional submarines.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>Cooperation in satellite launches\n<ul>\n<li>An MoU was sealed between New Space India Ltd and France&#8217;s Arianespace, signifying cooperation in satellite launches and advancing space exploration initiatives.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>Introduction of the Young Professional Scheme\n<ul>\n<li>The scheme facilitates:\n<ul>\n<li>the exchange of individuals between 18-35 years of age, and<\/li>\n<li>extension of visa validity to five years for Schengen visas for Indian students pursuing master&#8217;s degrees in France.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>Other areas of cooperation\n<ul>\n<li>Both sides also agreed on cooperation in healthcare, which would include education, training and research, and the use of AI in healthcare.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Key announcements made during the visit<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>Year 2026 as the India France Year of Innovation.<\/li>\n<li>Operationalization of UPI at Eiffel Tower.<\/li>\n<li>Setting up of a Solar Academy in Senegal under the STAR-C program of International Solar Alliance (ISA).\n<ul>\n<li>STAR-C programme aims to boost solar power ecosystems in the poorest countries.<\/li>\n<li>The initiative is run by ISA in partnership with the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>Establishment of India\u2019s Consulate in Marseille and French Bureau de France in Hyderabad<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<hr \/>\n<h3>Q1)\u00a0What is NewSpace India Limited (NSIL)?\u00a0<\/h3>\n<p>NewSpace India Limited (NSIL) is a Public Sector Undertaking (PSU) of the Government of India. It is the commercial arm of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO).<\/p>\n<h3>Q2) What is Eiffel Tower?<\/h3>\n<p>The Eiffel Tower is a 300-meter-tall iron tower in Paris, France. It&#8217;s one of the most recognizable monuments in the world and is a symbol of France.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><strong>Source: <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.indiatoday.in\/india\/story\/india-france-ties-republic-day-defence-space-macron-modi-2493990-2024-01-26\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\"><u>India and France deepen ties: Joint defence roadmap, space cooperation, and more<\/u><\/a><u> | <\/u><a href=\"https:\/\/www.mea.gov.in\/incoming-visit-detail.htm?37535\/List+of+Outcomes+State+Visit+of+President+of+the+French+Republic+to+India+January+26+2024\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\"><u>MEA<\/u><\/a><u> | <\/u><a href=\"https:\/\/www.mea.gov.in\/incoming-visit-detail.htm?37534\/India++France+Joint+Statement+on+the+State+Visit+of+HE+Mr+Emmanuel+Macron+President+of+French+Republic+to+India+25++26+January+2024\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\"><u>MEA<\/u><\/a><u> | <\/u><a href=\"https:\/\/timesofindia.indiatimes.com\/india\/pm-modi-macron-unveil-roadmap-for-military-weapon-mfg-space-ties\/articleshow\/107175346.cms\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\"><u>Times of India<\/u><\/a><u> | <\/u><a href=\"https:\/\/indianexpress.com\/article\/india\/india-france-roadmap-on-defence-industrial-ties-9129221\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\"><u>Indian Express<\/u><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In 1998, India and France elevated their diplomatic relationship to Strategic Partnership.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":39302,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-39301","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-upsc-mains-current-affairs","8":"no-featured-image-padding"},"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39301","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=39301"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39301\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/39302"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=39301"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=39301"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=39301"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}