9-Jul-2021: BRICS countries agree to STI led Innovation Cooperation Action Plan proposed by India
All BRICS countries have agreed to the STI-led BRICS Innovation Cooperation Action Plan (2021-24) proposed by India during 12th Meeting of BRICS S&T Steering Committee.
Indian had proposed the plan to facilitate sharing of experiences of each other’s innovation ecosystem and networking of innovators and entrepreneurs.
The Details of the Action Plan would be worked out by BRICS Science, Technology Innovation Entrepreneurship partnership (STIEP) Working Group. It was agreed that the proposal may be forwarded to BRICS STIEP working group through the respective country's STI focal point.
Department of Science and Technology (DST), India, hosted the 12th Meeting of BRICS S&T Steering Committee on 8th July, 2021. Scientific ministries and agencies of all BRICS countries participated in it.
The BRICS officials discussed in detail about the thematic areas for this year’s call for proposals at the meeting and unanimously agreed for collaboration in ten thematic areas. The thematic areas included Transient Astronomical Events and Deep Survey Science, Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR): Technologies for Diagnosis and Treatment, Simulation and Big Data Analytics for Advanced Precision Medicine and Public Healthcare, HPC and Big Data for Sustainable Development: Solving Large Scale Ecological, Climate and Pollution Problems, Innovation and Entrepreneurship on Photonic, Nanophotonics, and Metamaterials for Addressing Bio-medicine, Agriculture, Food Industry and Energy Harvesting Issues, Materials Science and Nanotechnology for Addressing Environmental, Climate Change, Agricultural, Food, and Energy Issues, Renewable Energy including Smart Grid Integration, Ocean and Polar Science and Technology Water Treatment Technology Research in Aeronautics and Aerospace. These areas have been recommended by different thematic Working Groups.
Further, all countries agreed to thematic areas proposed by India for 6th edition of BRICS Young Scientist Conclave, which will be held in Bangalore during 13-16 September 2021. The three themes to be discussed at the conclave include Healthcare; Energy Solutions, Cyber-Physical System (CPS), and their applications.
India’s new proposal regarding inviting BRICS partnership in India’s Technology Summit, which got positive support from all countries, was suggested to be sent through BRICS Sherpa office for suggestions from all stakeholders. Accordingly, India's proposals will be circulated through the Ministry of External Affairs to BRICS counterpart for their consideration. From the Indian side, Mr. Sanjeev Kumar Varshney, Advisor & Head International Cooperation, coordinated the meeting.
6-May-2021: Statement on the US support for TRIPS Waiver
In view of the global health crisis and the need to combat the Covid 19 pandemic, India and South Africa proposed in WTO on 2nd Oct, 2020 a relaxation in the norms of the agreement on TRIPS, to ensure quick and affordable access to vaccines and medicines for developing countries. As a result of proactive outreach by India and other like-minded countries, the proposal has received the support of more than 120 countries.
During his recent phone call on 26 April 2021 with the US President Biden, Prime Minister informed him about India’s initiative at the WTO which was aimed at the benefit of humanity.
We welcome the statement of the US government of 5th May announcing their support for this initiative. We are hopeful that with a consensus based approach, the waiver can be approved quickly at the WTO. The waiver is an important step for enabling rapid scaling up of manufacture and timely availability of affordable Covid 19 vaccines and essential medical products.
17-Sep-2020: India has Air Bubble Agreements with 10 Countries
India has entered into Air Bubble agreements with 10 countries viz. USA, Canada, France, Germany, UK, Maldives, UAE, Qatar, Afghanistan and Bahrain, till 13.09.2020.
The essential details of Air Bubbles agreements are as follows:
- These are temporary agreements between two countries aimed at restarting commercial passenger services when regular international flights are suspended as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
- They are reciprocal in nature i.e. airlines from both countries enjoy similar benefits.
- Tickets for the flights are sold through the airlines' website, travel agents and Global Distribution Systems.
In view of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, there are restrictions on international flight operations to/from India. The Indian aviation and health infrastructure is currently trying its best to efficiently handle the large scale Vande Bharat Mission and Air Bubble operations. Limited quarantine and other related health facilities to be provided by the State Governments is a factor that has to be taken into account before regular commercial scheduled international operations are allowed.