7-Dec-2022: India Germany strengthen partnership on the skills agenda

To propel economic growth by empowering the youth with the right skills and providing them the access to right opportunities, 12th meeting of the Indo-German joint working group was held today in New Delhi to encourage Vocational Education and Training (VET). The deliberations at the meeting were aimed at institutionalizing a standard mechanism for VET to meet the skill requirements in priority sectors as per the German standards. A skill mapping exercise will be undertaken to assess the skill gaps and based on the same, bridge courses and upskilling programmes will be designed for skill training of Indian workers.

Dr. KK Dwivedi, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Skill Development & Entrepreneurship, Government of India and Mr. Alexander Hochradel, Senior Policy Officer of division 222: ERASMUS; International Cooperation in Vocational Training, Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) co-chaired the meeting.

During the meeting, the two partner countries discussed on establishing a framework for employer connect and get an understanding on how skilled certified workers could participate in economic development Mutual accreditation of training providers in both countries through G2G, G2B and B2B tie-ups with relevant institutions which have international standards for training, assessment, and certifications will also be undertaken

Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) and Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) discussed aggregation of demand requirements and employer mandates to NSDCI including job description, eligibility criteria, foreign language training and curricula details. BMBF and BMZ may also provide technical support for Training of Trainers (ToT), Trainers of Assessors (ToA), foreign language training, development of industry-relevant content and curriculum.

Shri Dr. KK Dwivedi stated that Germany is one of India’s most important partners in Europe owing to the strength of bilateral relations that we have. And the deliberations that have taken place in today’s meeting will further strengthen the ties between the two nations and will ensure that we propel the economy by providing the right support and talent through vocational education and training. There is great potential for workforce mobility from India to Germany. The fact that almost one-third of Germany's Blue Card recipients in 2021 have hailed from India, is a testimony to the vast complementarities which exist between the requirements of skills and talents in Germany and the vast reservoir of young, educated, and skilled persons in India, who can contribute positively to India´s multi-dimensional cooperation with Germany.

Apprenticeship being one of the most sustainable models of skill development, India proposes for virtual/physical exchange programmes in academic and vocational domain focused on apprenticeship training where students will be able to earn while they through on the job projects across both countries, he further added.

Mr. Alexander Hochradel, Senior Policy Officer of division 222: ERASMUS; said that India has an added advantage of large pool of young talent pool that has the potential to meet the requirements of skilled manpower in our country for various trades. Undoubtedly, VET has become paramount in today’s dynamic ecosystem that has seen tremendous changes post the pandemic and skilled manpower can only be the answer to address this change in today’s World of Work. Under the current system of recently announced German Immigration Act, recognition of the equivalence of professional qualifications is crucial for bringing in synergies between two countries.  Further, it is envisioned to undertake mapping exercise of skill gaps in the key sectors in Germany, basis which an action plan may be designed for bridge courses for skill training of Indian Workforce for mobility to Germany.

Earlier India has collaborated with Germany on projects like Indo-German Vocational Education Training, SINADE, IGnITE (Indo- German Initiative for Technical Education), QualIndia and iMOVE to boost overseas mobility of the Indians. Therefore, moving towards standard mechanism for skill gap mapping and global skill harmonization framework is significant to improve incomes of migrating workforce and remittance transfers.

BMBF has funded a complementary project on strengthening company models of dual VET in industrial clusters in Northern India through a bottom-up approach (SINADE). The aim of the project is to develop a corporate blueprint for dual vocational training that can be deployed to other clusters later on.

NSDCI has recently conducted study to analyse workforce demand in 16 destination countries (2022-2027). Acute shortage of skilled workforce is poised to become the key challenge for Germany in the near future which highlights the need for global skill mapping to capitalize on the emerging trends in different industries. The demand for skilled workforce will be the most in manufacturing, healthcare, wholesale and retail, science and information technology and construction.

16-Nov-2022: Prime Minister’s meeting with Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany on the sidelines of G-20 Summit in Bali

Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi met the Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany, H.E. Mr. Olaf Scholz on the sidelines of the G-20 Summit in Bali today.

This was the third meeting between the leaders this year; the previous meetings took place during PM’s visit to Berlin on 2 May 2022 for the 6th India-Germany Inter-Governmental Consultations, which was followed by Prime Minister’s visit to Schloss Elmau in Germany, as partner country for the G7 Summit at Chancellor Scholz’s invitation.

The leaders discussed the wide range of bilateral cooperation between India and Germany, which entered a new phase with the signing of the Partnership on Green and Sustainable Development by Prime Minister and Chancellor during the IGC. They also agreed to deepen trade and investment ties and further increase cooperation in the areas of defence and security, migration and mobility, and infrastructure.

Both leaders agreed to enhance cooperation and coordination in multilateral forums including G20 and the UN.

7-Nov-2022: Indo-German Week of the Young Researchers 2022 inaugurated to foster collaboration among researchers

The Indo-German Week of the Young Researchers 2022, which was inaugurated today, brought young researchers from the two countries together to share their research interests and build long-term research partnerships.

“Germany, with its long history of collaboration with India, is among the country’s top research collaborators in science, and Indian research students and young scientists visiting Germany has increased four times in the last decade,” Dr. Akhilesh Gupta, Secretary Science and Engineering Research Board (SERB) and Senior Advisor, Department of Science and Technology (DST) pointed out while inaugurating the week-long programme.

During the programme, an initiative jointly organised by the SERB, India, and German Research Foundation (DFG), 30 promising young researchers from India and Germany will discuss and interact closely on various contemporary matters in chemical sciences.

The interaction will be the first of its kind among the researchers of two countries in the post-pandemic world. Each participant would deliver a research lecture and get an opportunity to interact closely with other participants. The main goal of the conclave is to foster collaboration among early and mid-career researchers and scientists who will be setting the agenda of scientific cooperation in the near future. The conclave is led by Prof Vinod K Singh from IIT Kanpur and Prof Burkhard König from University of Regensburg, Germany.

The event was also addressed by Prof Vinod K Singh from IIT Kanpur and Prof Burkhard König from University of Regensburg, and an overview was given by Dr. Praveen kumar Somasundaram from DST / SERB and Dr. Daniel Pursche from DFG.

27-Oct-2022: Meeting between Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate change and the Committee on Environment of German Federal Parliament

Union Minister of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Shri Bhupender Yadav held fruitful meeting with the Committee on Environment of German Federal Parliament headed by Honourable Member of Parliament (MdB) Mr. Harald Ebner, today, at Indira Paryavaran Bhawan, New Delhi.  In the meeting, they discussed global environmental, climate change and other related challenges, and how Germany and India can work together to find sustainable solutions to these challenges.

In the meeting, issues related to sustainable lifestyle, circular economy, e-wastes, conservation of water bodies, drinking water, problem of fertilisers, urban migration, sectoral climate action plans and achievements were discussed. The German delegation appreciated the concrete environment and climate actions taken by India despite the huge size and population. The German delegation mentioned that Germany fully supports India’s G-20 Presidency.

The Union Environment Minister acknowledged the support given by Germany to India for addressing challenges relating to environment and climate change. He appreciated Germany’s support in Ganga Rejuvenation and stated that India and Germany must work together to address global environment challenges.

The Union Environment Minister highlighted that India has been undertaking numerous concrete climate actions under the leadership of Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi, both domestically and globally. These include NCAP, Biofuel, Kalyan Yojana, Amrit Sarovar, 500 GW target of RE, BS-VI, etc. India always endeavours to be part of the solution, and not part of the problem, Shri Yadav said.

Shri Yadav elaborated on India’s global commitment for addressing climate change, by spearheading global initiatives like ISA, CDRI, and LeadIT, and he specially thanked Germany for joining ISA. He emphasised the need for mindful consumption and circular economy, and that India is promoting circular economy from three aspects-Legal, Capacity and Market economy.

While responding to the questions raised by the German delegation, the Union Minister stressed that India’s climate actions are based on the principle of CBDR-RC. He stated that India achieved the targets mentioned in the 1st NDC on renewable energy and energy intensity before time. Further, India has enhanced these targets along with the launch of Mission LiFE.

Concluding the meeting, both sides acknowledged the contribution of the Indo-German Bilateral Cooperation on environment and climate, and agreed to further strengthen the same and also explore how both countries can work together in areas like conservation of water bodies, circular economy, and e-waste.

7-Jul-2022: Joint efforts of India and Germany are necessary to improve product quality and safety: Secretary, Consumer Affairs Ministry

The Department of Consumer Affairs and German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action (BMWK) organised two days event on Quality Infrastructure (QI) which started here today. On the first day, experts discussed QI and emerging topics such as circular economy. The event will conclude on Friday, 8th July.

During his address, the Secretary, Department of Consumer Affairs, Shri Rohit Kumar Singh, underlined the importance of the Indo-German partnership, which was emphasised with the visit of Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi to the G7 meeting. He also underscored the importance of consumer protection through standards and certification processes. Joint efforts are necessary to improve product quality and safety, such as through the various technical exchanges during the Indo-German QI-Days. The Secretary welcomed the focus on emerging topics such as artificial intelligence, smart farming and circular economy, which are priorities for the Indian government. He urged involvement of all relevant stakeholders in the discussions on the various aspects of QI, to contribute to the success and the tangible results of this cooperation.

Dr Ole Janssen, Deputy Director General for Innovation and Technology Policy at BWMK, the co-chair from the German delegation, in his address, highlighted the importance of the bilateral cooperation on quality infrastructure and noted that the Indo-German QI-Days provided an important platform for dialogues to share information and expertise on issues of mutual interest to support bilateral trade and economic activities. Dr Janssen emphasised that the delegation visit to India has underlined the strategic partnership between Germany and India for innovation, and digital and green transformation.

The visit of the delegation from the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action (BMWK) to India underlines the importance of Indo-German Working Group on Quality Infrastructure for trade, product safety and consumer protection and provides an excellent opportunity to the experts from both the sides to improve the mutual understanding of the German and Indian approaches to quality infrastructure (QI).

Quality infrastructure is a system that covers everything needed to ensure safe, high-quality products and services: from standardisation, conformity assessment (testing, inspection and certification) and accreditation to metrology and market surveillance. These elements form the system and processes that protect people, health and the environment. Quality infrastructure plays a vital role for business, innovation and trade – both nationally and across borders.

It is therefore important for a country to have a well-designed and coherent  QI system which is also in line with international best practices to play a vital role in global trade. They reduce time, cost and business uncertainty for companies as well as ensure consumer safety.

The two-days event will see an expert exchange on market surveillance wherein both the sides will exchange different aspects for a robust market surveillance system. In addition, the 1st Indo-German Forum on Technical Regulation and Conformity Assessment, in which Indian and German experts will discuss how India and Germany can work together to improve the ease of doing business as well as the involvement of the relevant stakeholders in technical regulation. The strategic dialogue aims to improve the preparedness of the industry on upcoming regulatory changes. At the same time, it intends to enhance the effectiveness of regulations through the exchange on approaches to technical regulation in Germany and India as well as good regulatory practices.

The 3rd Indo-German Forum on Standardisation, during which standardisation bodies will discuss approaches and criteria for emerging topics, such as Artificial Intelligence, electromobility, circular economy, hydrogen and smart agriculture. The forum was established in 2019 and enables both countries to collaborate on issues of mutual interest that are relevant for the standard bodies, industry as well as consumers. During a panel discussion, Indo-German experts will also discuss role of standardisation roadmaps and integration of research in standard development processes.

An expert exchange on Circular Economy, which will discuss the role of QI in enabling and supporting the ecological transformation of our economies considering the developments and priorities in QI and at the national and international policy level. In the panel discussion, experts emphasised the role of standards and certification for the transition to a circular economy across different sectors. 

The Indo-German QI-Days will be attended by German and Indian stakeholders including Indian ministries (DPIIT, MeitY, MoEFCC), NITI Aayog, standardisation and accreditation bodies (BIS, DIN, DKE, NABCB, DAkkS, BAM), industry and their associations (FICCI, CII, VDMA, IGCC), research bodies (Frauenhofer-Gesellschaft).

3-May-2022: India and Germany agree to work together with focus on Artificial Intelligence (AI) Start-Ups as well as 'AI' research and its application in Sustainability and Health care

India and Germany have agreed to work together with focus on Artificial Intelligence ('AI') StartUps as well as AI research and its application in Sustainability and Health care, said Dr Jitendra Singh, Minister for Science & Technology and Earth Sciences after his "bilateral" talks with German Minister for Education & Research, Bettina Stark-Watzinger.

Both the Ministers agreed that there is a lot of scope to work together in Artificial Intelligence for which experts on two sides have already met. An Indo-German call for proposals for this would be raised soon inviting proposals from researchers and industry.

Dr Jitendra Singh recalled that in November 2019, during Chancellor Merkel’s visit to Delhi, Germany and India had agreed to establish a joint research programme in Artificial Intelligence. They also decided on the extension of the Indo-German Partnership in Higher Education for another four years, with contributions of 3.5 Million Euros each.

Both India and Germany have expressed satisfaction on the ongoing Science & Technology Cooperation between the two countries which is one of the strategic pillars of our bilateral relationship. Academia, Research Institutions and Industries of both countries have strong bonding and are playing the role of catalyst in our strategic research and development partnerships.

On the third day of his official engagement in Berlin, Dr Jitendra Singh mentioned that both the countries are now working in frontier areas of science & technology, including Electric Mobility, Cyber Physical System, Quantum Technologies, Future Manufacturing, Green Hydrogen Fuel, Deep Ocean research and proposed to develop joint cooperation in these areas. Two countries have already started mapping each other’s strength in areas like application of Artificial Intelligence in Sustainability and Healthcare.

Both the Ministers expressed satisfaction on recently concluded MOU between Department of Science & Technology, Govt. of India and German Research Foundation (DFG) to support the International Research Training Groups (IRTG) program would further boost the cooperation towards capacity building targeting the training of Indian and German students for pursuing the PhD program. The maiden call for inviting proposals under this program from Indian and German research groups is already on.

Both Ministers felt delighted that several initiatives for human capacity developments in science and engineering have recently been worked out, which includes Women Involvement in Science and Engineering Research (WISER) to facilitate lateral entry of women researchers into ongoing S&T projects and Paired Early Career Fellowships creating an inclusive ecosystem for the Indo-German S&T cooperation with exchange of young researchers on both sides. Industrial Fellowships aimed at industrial exposure of young Indian researchers in a German industrial ecosystem.

Dr Jitendra Singh mentioned that the Government of India under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi gives great importance to innovation. The present Government puts emphasis on promoting the value chain of innovation, entrepreneurship and IP generation. Indian innovation system is more purpose driven rather than process driven with focus on affordability and accessibility.

Bettina Stark-Watzinger supported the idea to further strengthen bilateral scientific cooperation by partnering in emerging science & technology areas where both Germany and India have strength to work together and serve two societies.

2-May-2022: List of agreements signed on the occasion of 6th India-Germany Inter-Governmental Consultations

2-May-2022: Signing of a joint declaration with Germany on agro-ecology and sustainable management of natural resources

Initiatives have been taken between India and Germany on agro-ecology and sustainable management of natural resources. In this regard, the Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Shri Narendra Singh Tomar and Germany's Minister of Economic Cooperation and Development Ms. Svenja Schulze signed the declaration in a virtual meeting today.

Through this, joint research, knowledge sharing and innovation will be promoted between academic institutions of both countries and practitioners including farmers. The transfer of technology and scientific knowledge will be promoted by encouraging exchanges, partnerships and research collaboration with the private sector. Germany's Federal Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development intends to provide up to 300 million euros by the year 2025 for financial and technical cooperation for projects under this initiative. 

Germany will provide coordinated support for this lighthouse initiative, supporting the agro-ecological transformation process in India through the Technical Cooperation Project. For the changing agenda of agroecology, the two countries envisage the establishment of a joint research center supported by financial cooperation to develop and share cutting edge knowledge with practitioners from India, Germany and other countries, while facilitating value-added technology and scientific transfer.

To oversee the implementation, a working group will be set up with the concerned Ministries, namely, Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying and NITI Aayog.

2-May-2022: Joint declaration of Intent on Indo – German Green Hydrogen Task Force signed

Union Minister for Power and New and Renewable Energy Shri R.K Singh and German Minister for Economic Affairs and Climate Change HE Dr. Robert Habeck signed a Joint declaration of Intent on Indo- German Hydrogen Task Force virtually today.

Shri Singh informed that India has emerged as one of the world leaders in energy transition with the fastest rate of growth of renewable energy capacities in the world.  He told his German Counterpart that in India we have a transparent bidding system, an open market, an expeditious dispute resolution system, and we are globally acknowledged as one of the most attractive destinations for investment in RE.

Shri Singh emphasized that India has huge ambitions in energy transition.  It will add 500GW of non-fossil fuel capacity by 2030. India is coming out with bids for green hydrogen. The Minister further stressed on the need for developing storage for balancing RE such as pumped hydro and battery storage.  It will also need large capacities of electrolysers manufacturing for Green Hydrogen for which India is already planning bids. He invited German industry to come and compete for developing this ecosystem in India.

The German Minister appreciated India's ambitious plans for RE expansion and expressed his interest in opportunities for investment in offshore wind farms in India given German expertise in the same.

Under the agreement which was signed today both countries  will establish an Indo-German Green Hydrogen Task Force to strengthen mutual cooperation in production, utilization, storage and distribution of Green Hydrogen through building enabling frameworks for projects, regulations and standards, trade and joint research and development (R&D) projects.

India has launched the National Green Hydrogen Mission with the goal to make India the global hub of Green Hydrogen production and export. Germany also has developed an ambitious National Hydrogen Strategy with the aim to assume global leadership in hydrogen technologies. Blessed with abundant renewable energy potential and experience of implementing renewable energy projects, India can produce low-cost Green Hydrogen to progressively decarbonize a range of industry sectors, and also export it to meet global demand. With strengths in innovation and manufacturing, Germany is already implementing numerous hydrogen projects.

Trade of Green Hydrogen and/or its derivatives such as Green Ammonia / Green Methanol would form the cornerstone of the collaboration. Institutional collaboration in joint research, light house projects, innovation clusters and hydrogen hubs would catalyse the synergistic efforts of the two countries. The ambitious deployment targets would also create attractive investment and business opportunities for industries from both countries.

India and Germany share the common goal to decarbonize their economies. Both nations are committed to develop a national green hydrogen economy. The common long-term goal is to reduce emissions and protect the environment. This requires a global upscale of green hydrogen production and offtake. India and Germany therefore support the establishment of a global green hydrogen economy, to facilitate the achievement of the goals under the Paris Agreement. Both sides are convinced that common goals can be achieved better in close cooperation, building on individual strengths and capacities.

16-Feb-2022: Work Plan 2022 signed between India and Germany to strengthen Quality Infrastructure, reduce technical barriers to trade, enhance product safety and strengthen consumer protection

The 8th Annual Meeting of the Indo-German Working Group on Quality Infrastructure, led by the Indian Ministry for Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution and the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy was held virtually here today.

The Working Group meets annually since 2013, and identifies areas of cooperation to support and strengthen quality infrastructure in country taking into account needs and requirements of relevant stakeholders from diverse technology areas so as to support bilateral trade.

Shri Rohit Kumar Singh, Secretary, Department of Consumer Affairs said that Germany is as an important and trusted partner for India. He underscored the importance of a well-established and robust quality infrastructure which consists standardization, technical regulations and market surveillances for the success of the Government of India initiative to transform India into a Global manufacturing hub. He expressed hope that the Work Plan 2022 signed virtually during the meeting would pave the way forward for collaboration towards well-functioning and resilient systems of quality infrastructures. He urged involvement of all the relevant stakeholders such as different ministries, standardization bodies and Industry to learn from each other’s approaches on different aspects of quality infrastructure.

Dr. Deniela Bronstrup, Director General, Digital and Innovation Policy at the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action (BMWK), the co-chair from the German delegation, welcomed the Indian delegates to the virtual meeting and noted that despite of challenging period both sides continued cooperation under the framework of the Working Group. This is a great sign of strong relations between Germany and India and that both sides can draw benefits from exchange of information and expertise on issues of mutual interest to support bilateral trade.

The German side shared their initiatives at International Telecommunication Union (ITU) and requested support for the German candidate for the position of Director Standards at ITU.

A publication on “United in Quality and Safety” was released providing information about the quality infrastructure in Germany and the European Union and expressed that publication will be of great help to policymakers and trade partners in India to understand Quality Infrastructure regime in Europe and in Germany.

Outcome of the Global Quality Infrastructure Index (GQII) study conducted by the German side was also shared. As per the GQII report, India is placed at 7th position on standardization aspect, 9th for Accreditation activities and 19th for the Metrology related activities. India scored 95.6 out of 100 and is ranked at 10th place in the world for overall quality infrastructure environment in the country.

This was followed by a panel discussion on “digitalization and sustainability: key factors for an effective and modern Quality Infrastructure” and a session on “Focus areas for cooperation within the Indo-German Working Group in 2022”.

In the Panel discussion, the experts discussed on the relevance of Quality Infrastructure for digital and green transformation, its effects on the QI and how QI can support the industry especially SMEs. The experts emphasised need of a common understanding on these issues and benefits that could be drawn from the Indo-German Cooperation.

A Work Plan for the Year 2022 was agreed upon and signed by both sides which include collaboration in mobility, energy, circular economy, smart farming/ agriculture, medical devices, digitalization (AI, Industry 4.0 and other new technology areas), machinery safety, medical devices and equipment and market surveillance.

The meeting was joined over 150 German and Indian stakeholders including Indian ministries (DPIIT, MoP, MoRTH, DCPC, CPRI), industry associations (FICCI,CII, VDMA, VDA), standardization ad accreditation bodies (BIS, DIN, DKE, NABCB, DAkkS) and Indo-German Chamber of Commerce.

31-Oct-2021: Meeting between Prime Minister and H.E. Dr. Angela Merkel, Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany on the sidelines of the G20 Leaders' Summit

Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi met the Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany Dr Angela Merkel on the sidelines of the G20 Summit in Rome, Italy on 31 October 2021.

Recalling their longstanding cooperation and personal friendship, Prime Minister complimented the Chancellor Merkel for her leadership in not just Germany but also at the European and global level. He committed to maintain the close Strategic Partnership with Dr Merkel’s successor.

The two Leaders expressed satisfaction at the close bilateral cooperation between India and Germany and pledged to deepen their trade and investment relations. They also agreed to expand the scope of the India-Germany Strategic Partnership to new areas, including Green Hydrogen.

Prime Minister conveyed best wishes to Dr Merkel for the future and invited her to visit India.

9-Sep-2021: India and Germany discuss ways and means to further deepen their partnership on Energy and Climate.

A bilateral meeting was held between Union Minister of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Shri Bhupender Yadav and Mr. Norbert Barthle and Dr. Maria Flachsbarth, Parliamentary State Secretariates, German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) today at Indira Paryavaran Bhawan in New Delhi.

Both sides discussed at length on a wide range of environmental issues covering areas such as climate change, water scarcity, marine & air pollution, circular economy etc.

In the meeting, Shri Yadav acknowledged the importance of Indo-German bilateral cooperation on environment and appreciated efforts made by Germany in bringing new technologies in India.  He also highlighted the remarkable achievements India has made in tackling climate change under the visionary leadership of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi.

Both sides stressed on the importance of information exchange in bilateral programmes keeping climate and SDG indicators in focus-Agro-Ecology, Solar Partnership Inter resilience.

Mr. Yadav stated that India and Germany may explore strengthening bilateral cooperation especially on circular economy - treatment of solid waste (solar panels, batteries), wastewater etc.

7-Aug-2021: New Opportunity Initiated for Early Career Researchers to Obtain Doctoral Degrees through Indo-German Joint Research Programme

A new programme for the exchange of researchers and knowledge through joint collaborative projects between Indian and German researchers has been formalised with the signing of implementation guidelines between the two countries. This initiates an opportunity for early-career researchers to obtain doctoral degrees within the framework of a focused joint research programme as well as a structured training programme.

Department of Science & Technology (DST), India and German Research Office (DFG) signed the guidelines for the programme called International Research Training Group (IRTG), which will take forward the long-standing cooperation on basic and applied science between both the countries that has been in place since October 2004. Shri SK Varshney, Head of International Bilateral Cooperation Division, DST and Dr Ulrike Eickhoff, Head of Department, Coordinated Programmes and Infrastructure, DFG, signed the document on behalf of DST and DFG, respectively.

Under the joint programme, each IRTG will be run by two small teams of professors, one in India and another in Germany. Each team will have about 5 to 10 members with proven expertise both in the IRTG's main research topic will provide supervision to doctoral students. The programme will allow coordination of research and training of doctoral students in both countries.

The programme guidelines specify that professors participating in the IRTG programme should be based at a single institution in India and Germany. Both DST and DFG will provide funding for IRTG project for doctoral positions/fellowships, project-specific dissertation research projects, reciprocal research visits to the respective partner institutions, joint workshops, conferences and seminars.

India-German IRTG Programme will be supported for a maximum of 9 years, divided into two funding periods of 4.5 years each. It is a full-fledge research endeavor whose core is to bring an innovative research idea that focuses on one main topic, jointly with shared research interests and objectives reflected in a common framework.

19-Apr-2021: India and Germany sign agreement on ‘Cities combating plastic entering the marine environment’

The Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA), Government of India and Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH India on behalf of the German Federal Ministry of Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety signed an agreement on Technical Cooperation titled ‘Cities Combating Plastic Entering the Marine Environment’ at a virtual ceremony in New Delhi today. Speaking at the signing ceremony, Shri Durga Shanker Mishra, Secretary, MoHUA said, “2021 marks 63 years of fruitful development cooperation between our two countries. It gives me great pleasure to kickstart this new endeavour with our German partner. The project’s outcomes are completely in line with the objectives of Swachh Bharat Mission-Urban focusing on sustainable solid waste management and Hon’ble Prime Minister’s vision to phase out single use plastic by 2022”.

 Shri Kamran Rizwi, Additional Secretary, MoHUA, Dr Regina Dube, Director General, German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMU), Dr. Antje Berger, First Secretary, Climate & Environment, Embassy of the Republic of Germany and Dr. Julie Reviere, Country Director GIZ India attended the event. The virtual event also saw representatives from the state governments of Uttar Pradesh, Kerala and Andaman & Nicobar Islands and from the implementing cities of Kanpur, Kochi and Port Blair.

This project is envisaged under the contours of the Joint Declaration of Intent regarding cooperation in the field of ‘Prevention of Marine Litter’ signed between Republic of India and Federal Republic of Germany in 2019.The project, aimed at enhancing practices to prevent plastic entering the marine environment, will be undertaken at the national level (at MoHUA), select states (Uttar Pradesh, Kerala and Andaman & Nicobar Islands) and in the cities of Kanpur, Kochi and Port Blair for a period of three and a half years.

Marine litter threatens ecosystems and adversely affects fishery and tourism industries around the globe. In addition to negative economic impact, it affects public health with increased concerns about micro-plastic and risk of particles entering the food chain. In recent times, the level of plastic waste that has accumulated in our oceans and marine ecosystems through the increasing production and use of durable synthetic materials has alarmed the public and policy makers alike. It is estimated that 15-20% of all plastics are entering oceans via riverine ecosystems of which 90% are contributed by 10 of the world’s most polluting rivers. Two of these river systems are located in India, namely Ganga and Brahmaputra.

Whilst accurate data on plastic waste and marine litter in particular is largely unavailable for most parts of the country, this project will support the Swachh Bharat Mission-Urban’s implementation with special focus on preventing plastic litter entering the rivers and water bodies at source. To this end, cities will be enabled to improve collection, segregation and marketing of plastic waste, to prevent plastic disposal to water bodies, and to improve handling of port and marine waste. This will be combined with data management and reporting systems, civil society involvement and increased cooperation with recyclers and the recycling industry through a digital platform. This is expected to foster improvements in segregation, collection, transportation, treatment and disposal of waste in municipalities, thereby establishing an efficient system, that ensures no waste finds its way into rivers or oceans.

The new project is envisaged to be another successful collaborative effort under the Indo-German Bilateral Development Corporation working on sustainable urban transformation.

6-Jan-2021: India-Germany Leaders’ Video-Teleconference

Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi held a video-teleconference with his German counterpart, Federal Chancellor Dr. Angela Merkel today.

The Prime Minister appreciated the long-standing role of Chancellor Merkel in providing stable and strong leadership at the European and global stage, and thanked her for guiding the growth of the India-Germany Strategic Partnership.

The two leaders discussed key issues of mutual importance including the response to the COVID-19 pandemic, bilateral ties, regional and global issues, particularly India-EU relations.

The Prime Minister briefed Chancellor Merkel on the developments in India with regard to vaccine development and assured Chancellor Merkel of India’s commitment to deploy its capacities for the benefit of the world.  He conveyed his best wishes for early containment of the new wave of infections in Germany and other European countries.

The Prime Minister welcomed Germany’s decision to join the International Solar Alliance (ISA), and expressed his desire to further strengthen cooperation with Germany under the platform of Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI).

Noting that this year marks the 70th anniversary of setting up of bilateral relations between India and Germany and 20th anniversary of the Strategic Partnership, the two leaders agreed to hold the sixth Inter-Governmental Consultations (IGC) at an early date in 2021 and to set an ambitious agenda for the same.

25-Mar-2020: Cabinet approves MoU between India and Germany in Railway sector

The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi was apprised of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed between Ministry of Railways, Government of India with DB Engineering & Consulting GMBH of Germany for technological cooperation in Railway Sector. The MoU was signed in February, 2020.

Details:

This Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for technological cooperation in Railway Sector will enable cooperation in the following areas:

1. Freight operations (including cross-border transport, automotive transport and logistics,)
2. Passenger operations (including high-speed and cross-border traffic),
3. Infrastructure building and management (including dedicated freight corridors and development of passenger stations),
4. Development of a modern, competitive railway organization (including the improvement of organizational structures and railway reformation),
5. IT   solutions   for   railway operations, marketing   and   sales   as   well   as administrative purposes,
6. Predictive Maintenance,
7.  Private train operations, and
8. Any other area which may be mutually agreed in writing between the two parties.

Background: Ministry of Railways have signed Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs)/ Memorandums of Cooperation (MoCs)/ Administrative Arrangements (AAs)/ Joint Declarations of Intent (JDIs) for technical cooperation in the rail sector with various foreign Governments and National Railways in respect of identified areas of cooperation, which include high speed rail, speed raising of existing routes, development of world class stations, heavy haul operations and modernization of rail infrastructure etc.

24-May-2017: Cabinet approves Joint Declaration of Intent between Germany and India regarding cooperation in the sector of alternative medicine

The Union Cabinet has approved the Joint Declaration of Intent (JDI) between Germany and India regarding cooperation in the sector of alternative medicine.

The signing of the JDl will enhance bilateral cooperation between the two countries in the areas of traditional/alternative medicine. Initiation of collaborative research, training and scientific capacity building in the field of alternative medicine under the JDI between the two countries would contribute to the enhanced employment opportunities in the AYUSH sector.

There are no additional financial implications involved. The financial resources necessary to conduct research, training courses, conferences / meetings will be met from the existing allocated budget and existing plan schemes of Ministry of AYUSH.

Background:

India is blessed with well-developed systems of traditional medicine which hold tremendous potential in the global health scenario. Germany has considerable interest in Traditional Systems of Medicine. The Ministry of AYUSH as a part of its mandate to propagate Indian systems of Medicine globally has taken effective steps by entering into MoU with China, Malaysia, Trinidad & Tobago Hungary, Bangladesh, Nepal, Mauritius, Mongolia and Myanmar.

The Ministry has taken many initiatives for promotion of Ayurveda in Germany with the recommendation and cooperation of the Indian Embassy in Berlin. One of the major initiatives is the collaborative research Project between the Central Council for Research in Ayurvedic Sciences (CCRAS) and Charite University, Berlin on Osteoarthritis of the knee. The results of the trial are encouraging and the clinical trial demonstrates significant improvement in patients. The study has been completed successfully and is under publication.

A delegation led by Shri Shripad Yesso Naik, Hon'ble Minister of State, (Independent Charge). Ministry of AYUSH had visited Germany from 15-19 October 2016 to participate in the 2nd European World Ayurveda Congress (EWAC) and have interactions with the authorities in Germany. The Congress was supported by the Ministry of AYUSH. During the visit a bilateral meeting was held between Hon'ble MoS(IC), AYUSH with the Parliamentary State Secretary Ms. Ingrid Fischbach during which both sides had unanimously agreed to begin the process of drafting and negotiating a JDl in the field of AYUSH and Natural medicine. It is expected that the JDI would give a boost to India-Germany ties and enhance cooperation between the two countries.

24-Feb-2017: Agreement on Social Security between India and Germany

An Agreement on Social Insurance between India and Germany was signed on 8 October 2008 and came into force on 1 October 2009. As per the Agreement, detached workers of the two countries were exempted from making social security contributions in either countries so long as they were making such contributions in their respective countries. Subsequently a wider encompassing Agreement on Social Security (SSA) including Totalisation of benefits was negotiated and the SSA was signed by the competent authorities of the two nations on 12 October 2011.

Earlier today the two sides have exchanged instruments of ratification. The Provisions of the SSA mention that the Agreement shall enter into force on the first day of the third month following the month in which the instruments of Ratification have been exchanged. Therefore, SSA shall enter into force with effect from 1st May 2017. The entry into force of the agreement will integrate the provisions of the agreement on posting of 8 October 2008, which will then cease to be in force.

The new agreement establishes the rights and obligations of nationals of both countries and provides for equal treatment of the nationals of both countries and unrestricted payment of pensions even in the case of residence in the other contracting state (benefits export principle). The requirements to be entitled to a pension can be met by aggregating the periods of insurance completed in India and Germany, whereby each country pays only the pension for the insurance periods covered by its laws. The period of posting will be up to 48 calendar months.

As on date, India has signed and operationalized Social Security Agreements (SSAs) with 18 countries - Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Japan, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Sweden, Switzerland, and South Korea. The comprehensive SSA between India and Germany when operational from 1 May 2017 will favorably impact the profitability and competitive position of Indian and German companies with foreign operations in either countries by reducing their cost of doing business abroad. The SSA will also help promote more investment flows between the two countries.