4-Jan-2023: Ms. Jenista Joakim Mhagama, MoS in President’s Office Good Governance and Public Services, Tanzania calls on Union Minister Dr. Jitendra Singh in his office in North Block today

A five-member delegation led by Ms. Jenista Joakim Mhagama, Minister of State in the President’s Office for Public Service Management and Good Governance of the United Republic of Tanzania called on Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) Science & Technology; Minister of State (Independent Charge) Earth Sciences; MoS PMO, Personnel, Public Grievances, Pensions, Atomic Energy and Space, Dr Jitendra Singh at North Block today.

Lauding India's governance practices, Joakim Mhagama said, she was accompanied by a high level Tanzanian delegation which looked forward to learning from India's vast and varied experience in governance.

While extending a warm welcome to the Tanzanian Delegation, Dr Jitendra Singh observed that many of India’s best practices in governance are being emulated by other countries of the world. He said that under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, a number of best practices like Mission Karmayogi and CP-GRAMS have evolved in the last 7-8 years.

Dr Jitendra Singh said that India and Tanzania share multifaceted relations which in the recent years have evolved into a modern and pragmatic relationship with sound political understanding, diversified economic engagement, and people to people contacts in the field of education and healthcare and development partnership in capacity building training, concessional credit lines and grant projects.

Dr. Jitendra Singh assured Tanzanian Minister that India would be happy to support Tanzania to design and develop "Performance Management Information System and Public Employee Performance Management Information System" in order to improve efficiency and effectiveness of public services in the East African country.

The Union Minister said that India and Tanzania enjoy traditionally close and friendly relations in all spheres. He noted that the Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Tanzania in July 2016 was a great success. He also highlighted strong economic ties between the two countries and said that the bilateral trade has witnessed an impressive growth and it stands at USD 4.5 billion for 2021-22. He stated that with Indian exports at USD 2.3 billion and Tanzania’s export at USD 2.2 billion, the two nations are having a balanced trade. Dr. Singh also highlighted the fact that India is one of top 5 investment sources in Tanzania with investment of USD 3.68 billion.

Dr Jitendra Singh noted that Tanzania is India’s biggest development partner in Africa with USD 1.1 billion of Lines of Credit (LOC)s , 450 Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation (ITEC) annual scholarships and 70 annual long-term Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) scholarships. Contracts for USD 500 million for water sector projects under LOCs were signed on 6 June 2022 in the presence of H.E Samia Suluhu, the President of Tanzania. He further said that IIT Madras has been tasked to set up an IIT campus in Tanzania, which is a landmark development and once completed, IIT Tanzania can be the best engineering college in the whole continent.

Dr. Jitendra Singh said that the defence ties between the two countries are very strong and that India is ready to export state of art defence equipments to Tanzania along with help in enhancing capacity building and training programmes for TPDF.

The Union Minister recalled that during the visit of the Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Tanzania in 2016, India donated radiation therapy machine, ‘Bhabhatron II” to Bugando Medical Centre and grant of essential medicines worth USD 2 million were handed over to the Government of Tanzania in 2018 and 2020. Under India for Humanity programme, an artificial limbs fitment camp was organised in 2019 which benefitted 520 Tanzanians. It is worthy to note that Tanzania has about 50,000 people of Indian origin and about 10,000 NRI’s working in Tanzania. The purpose of the visit of Ms. Jenista Joakim Mhagama is that Purpose of the visit: Tanzania wants to understand the management of Centralised Public Grievance Redress and Monitoring System (CPGRAMS), Implementation of biometric system of attendance in central government offices in India, Mechanism of implementation of Aadhaar, E-office system implemented in government offices in India. They are also keen to learn about the reforms being upgraded in the bureaucracy and the training of the bureaucracy aimed at good governance and bureaucratic accountability.

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26-Aug-2022: Raksha Mantri Shri Rajnath Singh & his Tanzanian counterpart Dr Stergomena Lawrence Tax hold bilateral talks in New Delhi

Raksha Mantri Shri Rajnath Singh held bilateral talks with Tanzanian Minister of Defence and National Service Dr Stergomena Lawrence Tax in New Delhi on August 26, 2022. A wide range of issues concerning bilateral, regional and defence industrial cooperation were discussed during the meeting. The two Ministers reviewed the existing military-to-military activities and discussed ways to enhance cooperation in all domains with a focus on defence industry cooperation.

Both the Ministers agreed to the formation of a Task Force to prepare a Five Year Future Road map for enhancing defence cooperation between both the countries and to hold the next Joint Defence Cooperation meeting in Tanzania at an early date. The Raksha Mantri also invited his Tanzanian counterpart to the India-Africa Defence Dialogue and DefExpo which is scheduled to be held in Gandhinagar, Gujarat between 18-22 October, 2022.

Earlier in the day, the Tanzanian Minister of Defence and National Service visited the National War Memorial and paid homage to the fallen heroes by laying wreath at the monument. She was accorded a Ceremonial Guard of Honour before her bilateral meeting with Shri Rajnath Singh.

Dr Tax would be visiting Wargaming Development Centre and Information Fusion Centre – Indian Ocean Region before departing for Hyderabad for interaction with the Indian Defence Industries.

23-Dec-2022: 9th Session of India Russia Working Group on Modernization & Industrial Cooperation of the India-Russia Intergovernmental Commission on Trade, Economic, Scientific, Technological and Cultural Cooperation held

The 9thSession of the India Russia Working Group on Modernization & Industrial Cooperation of the India-Russia Intergovernmental Commission on Trade, Economic, Scientific, Technological and Cultural Cooperation was held on December 23, 2022 in New Delhi. Shri Anurag Jain, Secretary, Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade, Ministry of Commerce and Industry co-chaired the Indian side; while H. E. Mr. Alexey Gruzdev, Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade of the Russian Federation, co-chaired the Russian side.

The working group meeting was held as a part of series of meetings between the two countries under the India Russia Inter governmental Commission on Trade, Economic, Scientific, Technological Cooperation mechanism.

The Working Group reviewed the results of the eighth session of the working group in the focus sub-groups identified, namely modernization, mining and mineral fertilizers & chemicals.

The two sides highlighted the excellent bilateral relations between the two countries and reiterated their commitment to deepen and strengthen mutual cooperation in several areas. This visit was an opportunity to consolidate the partnership between India and Russia.

26-Sep-2022: Shri Devusinh Chauhan holds a bilateral talk with his Russian counterpart, Ms. Bella Cherkesova on the sidelines of Plenipotentiary Conference 2022

The Minister of State for Communications, Shri Devusinh Chauhan held a bilateral talk with Deputy Minister of Digital Development, Communications and Mass Media of the Russian Federation, Ms. Bella Cherkesova on the sideline of Plenipotentiary Conference 2022 of International Telecommunication Union (ITU), in Bucharest, Romania today.

During the discussion, the Minister apprised his counterpart regarding India’s success in spreading the digital infrastructure across the country, particularly, in rural and remote areas, recent 5G spectrum and impending commercial 5G launch in India.  Shri Chauhan mentioned that entire country will be covered with 5G services in a couple of years. India has indigenously developed 4G stack and is on the cusp of development of indigenous 5G stack. Under the leadership of Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi, the Government of India has taken several steps to be self-reliant in advanced telecom technology including development of chipsets.  Under the Atmanirbhar Bharat initiatives, India has emerged 2nd largest handset manufacturer in the world.  

Shri Chauhan stated that the Government of India has formed a Technology Innovation Group for design and development of 6G technology by 2030. He said that there are many areas where Russia and India can collaborate which include development of 5G use cases, design 6G technology, IoT, M2M, Cyber Security and developing reliable last mile solution. The Russian Deputy Minister appreciated the growth of telecom in India and she said that success story of India in the field of telecom is a great case study for the entire world. She showed keen interest in deepening the collaboration with India in the field of advanced telecom technology, security, and developing 5G use cases.

Earlier, Shri Chauhan participated in the Heads of Delegation meeting, where India has been elected as one of the Vice Chairs of the Credential Committee to facilitate elections of ITU Council and various functionaries of ITU. He also attended a very impressive and colorful inaugural ceremony  of Plenipotentiary Conference 2022, presided over by the Deputy Prime Minister of Romania.

6-Dec-2021: 21st India – Russia Annual Summit

President of the Russian Federation, H.E. Mr. Vladimir Putin, paid a working visit to New Delhi on 06 December 2021 for the 21st India – Russia Annual summit with Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi.

President Putin was accompanied by a high level delegation. Bilateral talks between Prime Minister Modi and President Putin were held in a warm and friendly atmosphere. The two leaders expressed satisfaction at the sustained progress in the ‘Special and Privileged Strategic Partnership’ between both countries despite the challenges posed by the Covid pandemic. They welcomed the holding of the first meeting of the 2+2 Dialogue of Foreign and Defence Ministers and the meeting of the Inter-Governmental Commission on Military & Military-Technical Cooperation in New Delhi on 6 December 2021.

The leaders underscored the need for greater economic cooperation and in this context, emphasized on new drivers of growth for long term predictable and sustained economic cooperation. They appreciated the success story of mutual investments and looked forward to greater investments in each other's countries. The role of connectivity through the International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC) and the proposed Chennai - Vladivostok Eastern Maritime Corridor figured in the discussions. The two leaders looked forward to greater inter-regional cooperation between various regions of Russia, in particular with the Russian Far-East, with the States of India. They appreciated the ongoing bilateral cooperation in the fight against the Covid pandemic, including humanitarian assistance extended by both countries to each other in critical times of need.

The leaders discussed regional and global developments, including the post-pandemic global economic recovery, and the situation in Afghanistan. They agreed that both countries share common perspectives and concerns on Afghanistan and appreciated the bilateral roadmap charted out at the NSA level for consultation and cooperation on Afghanistan. They noted that both sides shared common positions on many international issues and agreed to further strengthen cooperation at multilateral fora, including at the UN Security Council. President Putin congratulated Prime Minister Modi for India’s ongoing non-permanent membership of the UN Security Council and successful Presidency of BRICS in 2021. Prime Minister Modi congratulated Russia for its ongoing chairmanship of the Arctic Council.

The Joint Statement titled India-Russia: Partnership for Peace, Progress and Prosperity aptly covers the state and prospects of bilateral ties. Coinciding with the visit, several Government-to-Government Agreements and MoUs, as well as those between commercial and other organizations of both countries, were signed in different sectors such as trade, energy, science & technology, intellectual property, outer space, geological exploration, cultural exchange, education, etc. This is a reflection of the multifaceted nature of our bilateral partnership.

President Putin extended an invitation to Prime Minister Modi to visit Russia for the 22nd India-Russia Annual Summit in 2022.

14-Jul-2021: Cabinet approves Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between India and Russian Federation on cooperation regarding coking Coal, which is used for Steel making

The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has approved the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Ministry of Steel of the Republic of India and the Ministry of Energy of the Russian Federation on cooperation regarding coking Coal, which is used for Steel making.

Benefits:

• The MoU shall benefit the entire steel sector by reducing their input cost.  This may lead to reduction in cost of steel in the country and promote equity and inclusiveness.
• The MoU will provide an institutional mechanism for co-operation in the coking coal sector between India and Russia.
• The objectives of the MoU is to strengthen cooperation between Govt. of India and Govt of Russia in the steel sector. The activities involved in the cooperation are aimed at diversifying source of coking coal.

11-Jun-2021: Three Indian S&T led enterprises selected for joint R&D and technology transfer with Russia

Three Indian S&T-led small-to-medium enterprises/ Start-ups have been selected to undertake joint R&D and technology transfer projects under the India-Russia Joint Technology Assessment and Accelerated Commercialization Program.

Two of the selected companies – Prantae Solutions and Jayon Implants are being funded under joint R&D Projects, and the third company, Ananya Technologies, has been funded for technology adoption from Russia.

Prantae Solutions is being funded for the development of a platform for rapid point of care diagnosis of Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) by a technique called multiplex immunofluorescence analysis based on disposable cartridges. The company aims to create a portable Point-of-Care technology for rapid identification of RA to circumvent the difficulties associated with ELISA-based serological diagnosis.

Support for Jayon Implants will help in the development of prosthetic technologies and manufacturing ceramic endoprostheses for hand and foot joints, adjacent joints, large joints, as well as dental implants. The key aim of the project is to create and commercialize unique, innovative medical devices for patients with rheumatoid arthritis, degenerative lesions, injury, and arthrosis of the joints of the upper limbs of a person.

Ananya Technologies is being funded for joint development of Integrated Standby Instrument System and associated test equipment with their Russian counterpart.

The India-Russia Joint Technology Assessment and Accelerated Commercialization Program is a joint initiative of the Department of Science & Technology (DST), Govt. of India, and the Foundation for Assistance to Small Innovative Enterprises (FASIE). On the Indian side, the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FICCI) is implementing this program on behalf of DST.

Prof. Ashutosh Sharma, Secretary, Department of Science and Technology, Govt. of India, stressed that the India-Russia Joint Technology Assessment and Accelerated Commercialization Programme is in line with our Prime Minister's  "ATMA NIRBHAR  BHARAT" policy. The jointly selected projects being funded by the Department of Science & Technology and Foundation for Assistance to Small Innovative Enterprises (FASIE) of the Russian Federation is another step towards strengthening the Science, Technology, and Innovation ties between the two countries.

Shri SK Varshney, Head, International Division, DST, said that these projects will provide new bilateral cooperation between India and Russia - techno-entrepreneurial cooperation and motivate other entrepreneurs to explore common grounds of working together.

The India-Russia Joint Technology Assessment and Accelerated Commercialization Program was launched in July 2020 as a bilateral initiative between India and Russia to foster collaboration in Science, Technology and Innovation. Several joint proposals were received against the maiden call of the programme, out of which three proposals have been selected for funding after a rigorous evaluation process.

24-Jul-2020: DST launches INR 15 Crore fund to support India-Russia collaboration joint R&D and cross-country technology adaptation

The Department of Science and Technology has launched the India-Russia Joint Technology Assessment and Accelerated Commercialization Programme in partnership with the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) and Foundation for Assistance to Small Innovative Enterprises (FASIE) of the Russian Federation. The programme will connect Indian, and Russian Science & Technology (S&T) led SMEs and Start-ups for joint R&D for technology development and for cross-country technology adaptation.

Speaking at the launch on July 23, 2020 here, Prof. Ashutosh Sharma, Secretary, Department of Science and Technology, Govt. of India said that India and Russia have a long-standing bilateral scientific cooperation. The launch of the India-Russia Joint Technology Assessment and Accelerated Commercialization Programme is another step towards strengthening the Science, Technology and Innovation ties between the two countries. This initiative is very timely, wherein we can leverage joint intellectual and financial resources to develop technologies that would provide the solutions for tomorrow. He wished the programme a huge success.

Shri  D.B. Venkatesh Varma, Indian Ambassador to the Russian Federation, said “India has one of the largest startup ecosystems in the world, the number of unicorns is testament to the tremendous talent the country possesses. S&T-led innovation and entrepreneurship are priorities of both countries and will be a key point on the agenda as President Putin visits India later this year. There is a history of scientific cooperation between the countries, and with this initiative; we take the next step of commercialization.”

Shri Sergey Polyakov, General Director, Foundation for Assistance to Small Innovative Enterprises (FASIE), Russia said “We are extremely happy to launch the India-Russia Joint Technology Assessment and Accelerated Commercialization Programme. We are aware of the knowledge and expertise of India in the larger science, technology, innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystems and our extremely happy to partner with India on this programme. We hope the innovations and technologies supported through this programme will be help us face and overcome the challenges in this new normal.”

Shri Dilip Chenoy, Secretary-General, FICCI stated “The launch of the India-Russia Joint Technology Assessment and Accelerated Commercialization Programme today is a testimony of both country's commitment to further strengthen the S&T cooperation. This initiative will create an ecosystem for Indian and Russian S&T-led SMEs and startups to come together to develop new technological solutions. We are glad to announce the launch of this programme as we are certain that collaborations such as these will help both countries move towards revival of the economies leading to sustainable growth.”

Shri SK Varshney, Adviser & Head, International Cooperation DST stated that both countries have been working for many decades in areas of science & technology cooperation resulting into knowledge generation, proto-type development and institution built up. There was a need to convert knowledge into products, and such a program would connect Indian and Russian scientific & production houses, researchers, entrepreneurs to address societal challenges, not only of two countries but globally.

The programme will run through two annual cycles with up to five projects to be funded under each cycle. Projects are being sought on leading S&T focus areas, including but not limited to, IT & ICT (including AI, AR, VR), Medicine & Pharmaceuticals, Renewable Energy, Aerospace, Alternative Technologies, Environment, New Materials, Biotechnologies, Robotics and Drones. On behalf of DST, FICCI will implement the program in India.

Over a period of two years, the Department of Science and Technology will fund up to INR 15 Crores to ten Indian SMEs/Start-ups and FASIE will provide similar funding to the Russian projects. The programme will provide access to partial public funding for jointly selected projects with the participation of at least one start-up/SME from India and one SME from Russia. The selected projects will be required to bear partial funding as well, either through own funds or alternate sources of funding. In addition to the financial support, the teams will also be supported through capacity building, mentorship and business development.

The programme is accepting applications under two broad categories, i.e. Joint Partnership Projects and Technology Transfer/Adaptation. The last date to apply for the first round of the call is September 30, 2020. A dedicated portal www.indiarussiainnovate.org has been developed for this purpose.

17-Jun-2020: India to send Tri-Service contingent to participate in 75th Victory Day Parade of World War II in Moscow

On the occasion of the 75th anniversary of the victory in the Second World War, there will be a military parade in Moscow to honour the heroism and sacrifices made by the Russian and other friendly people. It may be recalled that  Prime Minister  Shri  Narendra  Modi  had  written to President of the Russian  Federation Mr Vladimir Putin a congratulatory message on the  occasion  of the Victory  Day -  May 9, 2020. Raksha Mantri Shri Rajnath Singh has also sent a congratulatory message to his counterpart Mr. Sergei Shoigu on the occasion.

Defence Minister of Russia has invited an Indian contingent to take part in the Victory Day Parade scheduled to be held on June 24, 2020 in Moscow. Raksha Mantri has agreed to send a 75-member Tri-Service contingent to participate in the parade, where contingents of other countries are also expected to participate. The participation in the parade will be a mark of tribute and solidarity with the people of Russia at a time when they remember their heroes of the Great Patriotic War.

6-Feb-2020: 14 MoUs were exchanged between the Russian OEMs and the Indian companies

The 5th round of India-Russia Military Industrial Conference (IRMIC) was conducted on 6th February 2020 on the sidelines of Defexpo-2020 at Lucknow. The conference was co-chaired by Dr. Ajay Kumar, Defence Secretary from the Indian Side and Mr. Oleg Ryazantsev, Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade of Russian Federation.

Dr. Ajay Kumar, in his opening remarks brought out that the Inter-Governmental Agreement (IGA) on Joint manufacturing of spares in India has been signed at Vladivostok, Russia on 4th September, 2019. The IGA provides framework for partnership of Russian OEMs with Indian industry for manufacturing of spare parts of Russian origin equipment in use by the Indian Defence Forces. Dr Ajay Kumar further elaborated that the Indian side has taken a number of steps to expedite the collaboration between the Indian and Russian Companies and looks forward for expeditious commencement of manufacturing in India. The Russian Deputy Minister, Mr. Oleg Ryazantsev highlighted that the Russian side would actively participate in the collaborations under the ambit of the IGA and would take all necessary steps to facilitate manufacturing of parts in India.

A large number of delegates from Indian and Russian defence sector companies participated in the conference and discussed the way forward to achieve the objectives of Inter-Governmental Agreement under the Make in India initiative.

During the conference a total of 14 MoUs were exchanged between the Russian OEMs and the Indian companies. The first ‘Request for Proposal’ for manufacturing of parts in India under the provision of IGA was also handed over by the Indian Navy to the identified Indian industry. The sides acknowledged that this would pave way for more cases and contracts for joint manufacturing of spares parts, in the days ahead.

4-Sep-2019: India, Russia ink proposal on developing Chennai-Vladivostok sea route

India and Russia are against “outside influence” in the internal matters of any nation, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said after talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin during which they discussed ways to bolster cooperation in trade and investment, oil and gas, nuclear energy, defence, space and maritime connectivity.

Mr. Modi, on his two-day visit will attend the Eastern Economic Forum (EEF), and he is the first Indian Prime Minister to visit to the Russian Far East region.

Russia has backed India’s move on Jammu and Kashmir, saying that the changes in the status are within the framework of the Indian Constitution. The two leaders held the delegation-level talks at the India-Russia 20th Annual Summit after a two-hour tete-a-tete on board a ship, aimed at strengthening the special and privileged relationship between the two sides.

Maritime route between Chennai and Vladivostok: Prime Minister Modi said a proposal had been made to have a full-fledged maritime route between Chennai and Vladivostok. A Memorandum of Intent was signed in this regard.

Due to the increasing localisation of nuclear plants being formed with the cooperation of Russia in India, we are also developing a true partnership in this field. The India-Russia friendship is not restricted to their respective capital cities. We have put people at the core of this relationship.

Russia would help train Indian astronauts for the manned space mission — the Gaganyaan project.

The two sides signed 15 agreements/MoUs in areas such as defence, air, and maritime connectivity, energy, natural gas, petroleum and trade.

The bilateral trade between the two countries grew by almost 17 per cent and mounted to $11 billion. There is every condition that it will grow further up. It was the common goal of the two sides to reach an agreement to establish a free trade area between India and the Eurasian economic union.

The flagship joint project was the cooperation in the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant. The first two units are already operational. The work for the third and fourth unit are going as per schedule.