17-Nov-2022: Indo-Norway joint effort for Sustainable and environment friendly ship recycling
MoPSW (Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways) is working diligently to develop the Maritime Sector as a goal of MIV 2030. In this regard 8th Norway-India Joint Working Group Maritime meeting was held on17th November,2022 in Mumbai. The meeting was Co-Chaired by Mr. Rajesh Kumar Sinha, Additional Secretary, MoPSW in presence of Mr. Amitabh Kumar, Director General of Shipping, Directorate General of Shipping, Mr. Kumar Sanjay Bariar, Addl. Director General of Shipping, Directorate General of Shipping Mr. Ajith Sukumaran, Chief Surveyor (I/c), Directorate General of Shipping Mr. Madhu Nair, Chairman and MD, Cochin Shipyard Limited along with other MoPSW senior officials. The Norwegian delegation was led by Director General Mr. Ottar Ostnes from the Ministry of Trade, Industries and Fisheries.
Fruitful discussions were held on the Norway-India cooperation on green maritime future. Both governments presented their visions and plans for a green maritime sector.
Additional Secretary MoPSW highlighted that the maritime trade with Norway is dating back since 1600. While Norway has the technical expertise in Maritime sector and India has huge potential for development of Maritime sector and large pool of trained seafarers, which make both countries natural complementary partners.
India-Norway Joint Working Group on Maritime meetings are being held on a regular basis. The 7th JWG on Maritime was held in Oslo in November, 2019. During the 7th Meeting issues regarding cooperation in Shipbuilding, enhancing skills of seafarers and environment friendly ships were discussed.
In 8th JWG Maritime Meeting held on 18.11.2022 discussion was held on use of alternative fuels like green ammonia and hydrogen for futuristic shipping. Norwegian Green Shipping Programme has been successful and the experience and expertise was shared in the meeting. Norway stated that it is committed to India for zero emission solutions.
India Norway is part of Green Voyage 2050 project, both parties agreed on willingness, devotion, partnership and capacity building for achieving common goals.
India is a signatory to Hongkong Convention for Recycling of Ships. In today’s meeting India requested that EU regulation should not hinder to recycling non-European countries which is compliant as per International Convention. Norway was requested not to prolong Ship recycling to India as lot of investment has been made by Indian recyclers.
India has pressed upon cooperation in the field of Maritime Training in latest maritime technology e.g. MASS etc. The Indian side has requested Norway to extend Ship Board training and Ship Board training in the area of Polar Water Navigation.
“We also discussed how to further develop training and recruitment of seafarers. We need skilled and motivated seafarers to man our ships, and we need to get women on board”, added Norway’s Consul General to Mumbai, Mr. Arne Jan Flølo.
“Ministry of Ports Shipping and Waterways has prepared Maritime India Vision 2030 identified more than 150 initiatives across various maritime sectors like ports, shipping and waterways focusing on capacity augmentation, operational efficiency improvement, growth in sectors related to Ship building, recycling and repair, quality maritime education and also supporting growth of nascent sectors like cruise tourism in the country” said Addl. Secretary , MoPSW.
The Norwegian delegation will also take part in INMARCO, the Green Shipping Conclave, and the Maritime ShEO conference. The Maritime ShEO conference is supported by Norway and focused on maritime diversity and sustainability, including gender equality in the maritime industry.
Mr. Ottar Ostnes Director General, Department of Maritime Policy and Coastal Development invited Indian delegation to Norway for next proposed 9th JWG meeting.
12-Oct-2022: India- Norway Joint Working Group on S&T discusses extension of co-operation to new areas
The India-Norway Joint Working Group on S&T discussed the extension of S&T co-operation between the two countries to include areas like quantum science and technology, electric mobility, green hydrogen, ocean science, cyber-physical system, blue economy, information and communication technology and strengthening existing areas of co-operation like polar sciences, bio-economy, renewable energy, nano-science and technology and anti-microbial resistance, at a meeting on October 12, 2022.
The meeting decided on furthering activities like bilateral workshops, support for on-going joint research projects, new joint R & D Project call with industry participation, human capacity development, focusing on areas which has more relevance or impact to society as well as industrial R & D programmes.
“The co-operation will help in enhancing quality and relevance of R&D, technology translation, taking it to market, connecting industry, startups, MSMEs to R&D Labs and academia, societal connect, science for people, diversity and inclusion (Youth, Women, Rural, SC/ST), aligning S & T with national priorities, water, energy, environment, transport, health, manufacturing, waste processing and so on,” said Shri S K Varshney, Advisor & Head, International Cooperation, Department of Science and Technology (DST), India who led the delegation from the Indian side.
Ms. Anne Line Wold, Director General, Ministry of Education and research who headed the delegation from the Norway side underlined that India is among the 9 priority countries outside Europe in S&T co-operation for Norway and emphasized on strengthening co-operation on priority areas like ocean, health, energy, climate and security.
Hans Jacob Frydenlund, Ambassador of Norway to India highlighted the successful areas of S&T co-operation between the two countries and expressed the hope that the meeting would expand to the areas of increasing relevance like green hydrogen, anti-microbial resistance, renewable energy and so on.
The representatives from the Scientific and Education Ministries as well as the Ministry of External Affairs of India and their counterparts from Norway discussed in details the thematic areas in which the co-operation can be taken forward and the mechanisms to do so.
The Indo-Norwegian S&T Cooperation was formalized through an Inter-governmental agreement signed in Tromso, Norway in 2006 and was activated through a Programme of Cooperation (POC) signed in Oslo in May 2009. A Joint Working Group constituted under the framework of Inter-Governmental agreement met for 6 times so far, alternately in India and Norway.
The activities so far included support for joint workshops on ICT and Bio-economy during 2016-2017, joint projects under ICT and projects under Bio-economy. A joint call on renewable Energy was launched in 2017-2018. Joint projects on energy storage, microgrids and solar cell applications were supported. During 2018-2019 a joint call on Nanoscience and Technology was launched and 7 joint projects were supported.
11-Oct-2022: Meeting of India-Norway Joint Working Group on Higher Education held
India hosted the 6th meeting of the India-Norway Joint Working Group on Higher Education on 11th October 2022 in New Delhi.
The meeting was chaired by Ms. Neeta Prasad, Joint Secretary, International Cooperation, Ministry of Education from Indian side and by Ms. Anne Line Wold, Director General, Ministry of Education and Research from Norwegian side. The Ambassador of Norway to India also participated in the meeting.
The Joint Working Group was established to monitor and oversee the implementation of the MoU on Cooperation in the field of Higher Education signed between India and Norway on 25th April 2022.
The two sides reviewed the progress made under the Indo-Norwegian Cooperation Programme developed under the ambit of the previous India-Norway MoU signed in 2014 and deliberated upon overall higher education policy and priorities, student/faculty mobility and cooperation in the field of skill development.
29-Jun-2022: Issues like Blue Economy, integrated ocean management, marine pollution, green shipping, Ocean based renewable energy came up during bilateral dialogue
India’s Minister for Science and Technology and Earth Sciences Dr Jitendra Singh held a bilateral meeting with the Minister for Climate and Environment of Norway Mr. Espen Barth Eide on the side-lines of the UN Ocean Conference Lisbon, Portugal and discussed several issues of mutual interest.
The meeting comes close on the heels of the 5th India-Norway Task Force meet in New Delhi last week on Blue Economy between Norwegian Ambassador to India, Hans Jacob Frydenlund and the Secretary, Ministry of Earth Sciences Secretary Dr M Ravichandran. The Task Force Meet agreed on new projects and a roadmap for connecting ocean industries on both sides. Both the Countries agreed to explore more cooperation on Green Maritime, Sustainable Ocean Management, Deep Ocean Technology and Offshore Wind.
Dr Jitendra Singh and Mr. Espen Barth Eide expressed satisfaction over the progress made so far in the5th India-Norway Task Force meet. The two sides also reviewed the dialogue and progress on issues like integrated ocean management, marine pollution, green shipping, ocean based renewable energy etc.
The two Ministers appreciated the ongoing close cooperation between the two countries and hoped that the partnership grows from strength to strength in future.
Dr Jitendra Singh referred to the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi’s meeting with his Norwegian counterpart Mr. Jonas Gahr Store in Copenhagen on the side-lines of the 2nd India Nordic Summit last month, where Modi highlighted that Norway's skills and India's scope provided natural complementarities.
Quoting Prime Minister Modi on the Copenhagen meet, Dr Jitendra Singh underlined the potential for deepening engagement in areas like Blue Economy, renewable energy, green hydrogen, solar and wind projects, green shipping, fisheries, water management, rainwater harvesting, space cooperation, long term Infrastructure investment, health and culture.
Dr Jitendra Singh also referred to a pilot project between the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) and Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur (IIT KGP) agreed in January this year to improve interdisciplinary skills, digital literacy, and critical thinking of undergraduate students. The Indian Minister emphasised that these skills are highly needed with the growing demand for new technologies and innovative solutions in the maritime sector.
3-Mar-2021: India and Norway agree to conduct marine spatial planning in Lakshadweep and Puducherry
India and Norway have agreed to jointly work in the area of marine spatial planning in the oceanic space for the next five years. In this regard, the first project steering committee meeting with representatives from both the countries was successfully conducted virtually recently, after which the two countries have charted out a plan to ensure that human activities at sea take place in an efficient, safe, and sustainable manner in areas such as energy, transportation, fisheries, aquaculture, tourism etc. across multiple sectors. This is a part of the Indo-Norway Integrated Ocean Initiative under the Memorandum of Understanding signed between the two countries in 2019. Lakshadweep and Puducherry have been identified as pilot sites for the project.
The two countries have decided to extend support for sustainable ocean resources utilisation to advance economic and social development in coastal areas. The initiative known as Marine Spatial Planning (MSP) will be implemented by the Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES) through National Centre for Coastal Research (NCCR) for India. In its primary phase, NCCR will develop a marine spatial planning framework for Puducherry and Lakshadweep. These sites have been chosen for the pilot project in view of their setups with unique opportunities for multiple sectors (such as industries, fisheries, and tourism) to flourish. The Government of India's initial investments for undertaking the studies and planning are estimated to be around INR 8-10 crores per annum. In the future, marine spatial planning framework of these two environmentally critical areas can be replicated to other coastal regions of the country. Notably, the World Bank and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) have expressed interest in supporting MoES in conducting MSP, a societal-beneficial initiative for India's coastal regions.
The MSP initiative will be implemented by MoES and the Norwegian Environment Agency through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Norway. Earlier, NCCR had developed coastal management plans for Chennai, Goa, and Gulf of Kachchh which proved very successful. Now, the MSP initiative will aid development of multiple economic sectors and stakeholders in greater number of coastal areas of the country.
In addition to MoES, the first project steering committee meeting was attended by representatives from several stakeholder ministries namely Ministry of Environment, Forests, and Climate Change; Ministry of Foreign Affairs; Ministry of External Affairs; Ministry of Shipping; Ministry of Trade, Industry and Fisheries; Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying; Ministry of Tourism; and state governments of Tamil Nadu and Lakshadweep.
The Government of India’s vision of New India by 2030 highlights blue economy as one of the ten core dimensions of growth. MSP is globally identified as a tool for sustainable and integrated ocean management. It is a noted area for work in India’s (draft) Blue Economic Policy being developed by MoES.
18-Feb-2020: India and Norway strengthen partnership on blue economy
India’s Minister for Earth Sciences, H.E. Dr Harsh Vardhan, and Norway’s Minister for Climate and Environment, H.E. Mr. Sveinung Rotevatn, opened the India-Norway Task Force on Blue Economy for Sustainable Development today. The two countries also commenced a new collaboration on Integrated Ocean Management & Research.
As a part of the Joint Initiatives, several projects on combating Marine Litter are already being implemented. Today, the two Governments signed a Letter of Intent confirming that they will develop a new framework for collaboration on Integrated Ocean Management and Research. The letter of intent was signed in the presence of Mr. Ratan P. Watal, Member Secretary, EAC to PM; H.E. Hans Jacob Frydenlund, the Norwegian Ambassador to India; Ms. Nina Rør, Deputy Director General, Ministry of Climate and Environment, Norway; Mr. M. Rajeevan, Secretary, Ministry of Earth Sciences, Govt. of India and Dr. Sumita Misra, Senior Adviser, EAC to PM.
“Managing the resources in the oceans in a sustainable manner is a matter of mutual interest and concern for both countries. The fact that Norway and India are commencing a new initiative is a signal that the cooperation between the two countries is growing even stronger, making the Indo-Norwegian Ocean Cooperation a key pillar in the bilateral relationship,” said Dr Harsh Vardhan at the signing ceremony.
In addition, Minister Rotevatn highlighted that “the Norway-India cooperation in the field of oceans is based on our shared interest in the blue economy and the sustainable use of marine resources, as well as a desire to advance scientific knowledge about our oceans. Norway and India are engaging on ways to ensure integrated ocean management at the government level. At the same time, Norwegian companies and private institutions are increasingly seeking opportunities with Indian counterparts, making India an even more significant partner for Norway.”
The India-Norway Task Force on Blue Economy for Sustainable Development was launched jointly by the Indian Prime Minister Mr Narendra Modi, and the Norwegian Prime Minister Ms. Erna Solberg, during her visit to India in January 2019. The purpose of the task force is to develop and follow up joint initiatives between the two countries. The meeting on February 18th 2020 is the third meeting of the Task Force.
The strength and value added of the India-Norway Joint Task Force on Blue Economy is its ability to mobilise relevant stakeholders from both Norway and India at the highest level, and ensure continued commitment and progress across ministries and agencies.
16-Feb-2020: India and Norway to work jointly towards mitigating marine plastic litter and microplastics
India marks the beginning of super year of Biodiversity with the hosting of the 13th Conference of Parties (COP) of the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS), an environmental treaty under the aegis of United Nations Environment Programme, from 17th to 22nd February 2020 at Gandhinagar in Gujarat.
Addressing a press conference, Union Environment Minister Shri Prakash Javadekar said that the year 2020 is a super year of Environment and will set the tone and tenor for the decade ahead. Highlighting the urgent nature of global environment issues including marine plastic litter, plastic pollution and microplastics, the Union minister said the issues cannot be solved by any one country alone.
On the side-lines of the COP, the Union Minister met a delegation led by Norwegian Minister of Climate and Environment, H.E. Mr. Sveinung Rotevan. India and Norway today agreed to jointly tackle concerns related to oceans, environment and climate matters.
India – Norway Joint Statement on Climate and Environment
- Meeting at the beginning of the '2020 Super Year' for the environment, the Ministers stressed that they will do their share to ensure that the 2020s will be a decade of rapid action on climate and environment.
- The two sides expressed interest to continue and strengthen the mutually beneficial cooperation on environment and climate between the two countries, including on ocean affairs.
- Actions that target climate change and air pollution at the same time pose a win-win situation. The two sides recognized that such actions should be stepped up, and agreed to work together to raise this agenda.
- The Ministers recognized that the Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol for phasing down use of Hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) could prevent up to 0.40C of warming by end of the century, Further, noting that universal ratification of Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol shall allow realization of its full potential.
- The Ministers noted the results of the projects supported by Norway on issues / aspects related with phase down of HFCs. It was agreed to continue such projects for facilitating a smooth transition towards energy efficient solutions and technologies while phasing down HFCs.
- If managed properly, the ocean holds the key to meeting many of the Sustainable Development Goals. Integrated ocean management is central to achieving a sustainable blue economy. In 2019 Prime Minister Modi and Prime Minister Solberg welcomed the signing of the MoU on India-Norway Ocean Dialogue and the establishment of the Joint Task Force on Blue Economy for Sustainable Development. The two Ministers were pleased with the progress that has been made under this MoU, including the establishment of the Marine Pollution Initiative. They were particularly satisfied that Norway and India will sign a Letter of Intent on integrated ocean management including sustainable Blue Economy initiatives.
- The Ministers also noted the importance of delivering concrete, scalable solutions for ocean health and wealth at the UN Ocean Conference in Lisbon on June 2020.
- The Ministers further noted the importance of sustainable management of chemicals and waste and welcomed the cooperation between India and Norway on the implementation of the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants and on the minimization of discharge of marine litter.
- The Ministers emphasized a shared understanding of the global and urgent nature of marine plastic litter and microplastics and underlined that this issue cannot be solved by any one country alone. They are committed to supporting global action to address plastic pollution and exploring the feasibility of establishing a new global agreement on plastic pollution.
- The Ministers agreed to support and work together with other political leaders to prompt a global and effective response to curb the direct and indirect drivers of biodiversity loss. They agreed to work together to deliver an ambitious, strong, practical and effective global biodiversity framework at COP15 of CBD to be held in Kunming, China, in 2020.
- The Ministers further discussed the conservation of migratory species of wild animals. The Ministers recognized the importance of integrating ecological connectivity into the post-2020 global biodiversity framework.
- The Ministers stressed that international supply chains and finance must de-invest from deforestation and destruction of nature and invest in companies and projects that improve smallholder livelihoods while promoting sustainable production and consumption. They agreed to continue the discussion on forests and deforestation free supply chains.
- The Ministers stressed that the fifth United Nations Environment Assembly of the United Nations Environment Programme offers a good opportunity to call for greater international action on several environmental issues, in particular strengthening action for nature to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals.
- Minister Rotevatn thanked Minister Javadekar for the great hospitality extended to him and his delegation during the visit. He invited Minister Javadekar to visit Norway and the Arctic, to further strengthen the collaboration between India and Norway on climate and environment.
- Norway and India will explore areas of cooperation in forestry and linking the same with climate change
The Opening Ceremony and Plenary session of the COP will take place on 17th February followed by Side Events and Working Group meetings till the Closing Ceremony on 22nd February. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the COP 13 via video conferencing. Numerous national and international organizations will showcase best practices in wildlife conservation during the course of the conference.
As the host, India shall be designated as the Presidency during the intersessional period following the meeting. The COP Presidency is tasked to provide political leadership and facilitate positive outcomes that further advance the objectives of the Convention, including steering efforts towards implementing the Resolutions and Decisions adopted by the Conference of Parties.
Migratory species of wild animals move from one habitat to another during different times of the year, due to various factors such as food, sunlight, temperature, climate, etc. The movement between habitats, can sometimes exceed thousands of kilometers/miles for some migratory birds and mammals. A migratory route will typically have nesting sites, breeding sites, availability of preferred food and requires the availability of suitable habitat before and after each migration.
India is home to several migratory species of wildlife including snow leopard, Amur falcons, bar headed Geese, black necked cranes, marine turtles, dugongs, humpbacked whales, etc.
28-Sep-2017: India, Norway sign Letter of Intent to extend health cooperation
The Government of India has signed a Letter of Intent with Norway to extend the cooperation within health sector.
Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India signed a Letter of Intent with the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Government of Norway to extend the cooperation within health sector through the Norway India Partnership Initiative (NIPI) for a period of three years starting from 2018.
The cooperation between the two countries will continue to be aligned with the development goals of the Indian Government as outlined in its National Health Policy 2017 for achievement of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The cooperation shall focus on global health issues of common interest.
The Ministry further said that the partnership shall also include areas related to reproductive, maternal, newborn, child, adolescent health and health system strengthening. The cooperation will focus on innovative, catalytic and strategic support, taking the Indian Governments Intensification Plan for Accelerated Maternal and Child Survival in India as the starting point.
The two countries had agreed in 2006 to collaborate towards achieving MDG 4 to reduce child mortality. The partnership was based on India’s health initiative, the National Health Mission (NHM), and aimed at facilitating rapid scale-up of quality child and maternal health services in four high focus states – Bihar, Odisha, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan.
16-Nov-2022: Prime Minister's meeting with the Prime Minister of Italy on the sidelines of G-20 Summit in Bali
Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi met H.E. Ms. Giorgia Meloni, Prime Minister of Italy on the sidelines of the G-20 Summit in Bali today.
Prime Minister congratulated Prime Minister Meloni on her election as the first woman Prime Minister of Italy. The two leaders discussed the deepening of bilateral cooperation in various sectors including trade and investment, counter-terrorism, and people to people ties.
The two leaders also exchanged views on regional and global issues of mutual interest.
Prime Minister Modi looks forward to celebrating 75 years of India-Italy diplomatic relations and welcoming Prime Minister Meloni in India next year for the G-20 Summit.
1-Jun-2022: 11th edition of India - Italy Military Cooperation Group (MCG) meeting
11th edition of India - Italy Military Cooperation Group (MCG) meeting was held from 31 May 2022 to 01 June 22 at Rome, Italy.
India - Italy Military Cooperation Group (MCG) is a forum established to boost defence cooperation between the both countries through regular talks at the strategic and operational levels between Headquarters, Integrated Defence Staff and the Joint Staff HQ of Italian Armed Forces.
The meeting was Co-Chaired from the Indian side by Deputy Assistant Chief of Integrated Staff IDC(A), HQ IDS Brigadier Vivek Narang and Italian Defence General Staff Brigadier General Alessandro Grassano, from the Italian side.
The military cooperation group meeting was held in a friendly, warm and cordial atmosphere. Discussions focused on new initiatives under the ambit of existing bilateral defence cooperation mechanism and further strengthening ongoing defence engagements.
30-Oct-2021: Joint Statement on Italy-India Strategic Partnership in Energy Transition
H.E. Mr. Mario Draghi, President of the Council of Ministers of the Italian Republic and H.E. Mr. Narendra Modi, Prime Minister of India, had a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the G20 Leaders’ Summit hosted by Italy in Rome on October 30-31, 2021.
The two Leaders acknowledged significant progress in bilateral relations since the adoption of the Action Plan for an enhanced Partnership between India and Italy (2020 –2024) on November 6th, 2020. They expressed their resolve to strengthen cooperation in the strategic sectors addressed by the Action Plan, including the cross-cutting issue of accelerating the clean energy transition to fight climate change, central to both the G20 Leaders' Summit in Rome and the COP26 in Glasgow.
They also recalled the India-EU Leaders’ Meeting held in Porto on May 8, 2021, where the European Union and India highlighted the urgency of addressing the interdependent challenges of climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution and agreed to deepen cooperation for accelerating the deployment of renewable energy, including deployment of innovative renewable technologies such as offshore wind energy and exploiting the potential of green hydrogen, promoting energy efficiency, developing smart grids and storage technologies, modernizing the electricity market.
In addition, both sides agreed on the utmost importance of cost effective integration of a growing amount of renewable energy into their respective power systems, as a key asset for an effective clean transition that generates jobs, GDP growth, reinforces universal energy access while eradicating energy poverty.
In this perspective, the two Prime Ministers appreciated India’s resolve to deploy 450 GW of renewable energy by 2030 as well as Italy’s prompt ratification and active support to the International Solar Alliance, and agreed to launch a bilateral strategic partnership in the domain of energy transition.
Such a partnership could build on existing bilateral mechanisms, including by giving new impetus to the cooperation on renewable energy and sustainable development between the Italian Ministry of Ecological Transition and its Indian counterparts, namely the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, the Ministry of Power and the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas.
In order to promote their partnership in energy transition, Italy and India will:
- Task the "Joint Working Group” established by the Memorandum of Understanding on Cooperation in the field of Energy, signed in Delhi on October 30, 2017, to explore cooperation in areas such as: Smart Cities; mobility; smart-grids, electricity distribution and storage solutions; gas transportation and promoting natural gas as a bridge fuel; integrated waste management ("waste-to-wealth”); and green energies (green hydrogen; CNG & LNG; bio-methane; bio-refinery; second-generation bio-ethanol; castor oil; bio-oil –waste to fuel).
- Initiate a dialogue to support the development and deployment of green hydrogen and related technologies in India.
- Consider working together to support a large size green corridor project in India to capitalize on India’s target to produce and integrate 450 GW of renewable energy by 2030.
- Encourage Italian and Indian companies to develop joint projects in natural gas sector, technological innovation for decarbonisation, Smart Cities and other specific domains (i.e.: electrification of urban public transport).
- Encourage joint investments of Indian and Italian companies in energy transition-related fields.
- Share useful information and experiences especially in the field of policy and regulatory framework, including possible means to facilitate the transition to cleaner and commercially viable fuels/technologies, long-term grid planning, incentivizing schemes for renewables and efficiency measures, as well as with regard to financial instruments for accelerating clean energy transition.
15-Sep-2021: Cabinet approves Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between India and Italian Republic on Cooperation in the field of Disaster Risk Reduction and Management
The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi was apprised about the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) of the Republic of India and the Department of Civil Protection of the Presidency of the Council of Ministers of the Italian Republic on Cooperation in the field of Disaster Risk Reduction and Management.
Benefits:
- The MoU on Cooperation in the Field of Disaster Risk Reduction and Management which was signed between the NDMA of the Republic of India and the Department of Civil Protection of the Presidency of the Council Ministers of the Italian Republic.
- The MoU seeks to put in place a system, whereby both India and Italy will benefit from the Disaster Management mechanisms of each other and it will help in strengthening the areas of preparedness, response and capacity building in the field of Disaster Management.
- The MoU on cooperation in the Field of Disaster Risk Reduction and management between the NDMA of the Republic of India and the Department of Civil Protection of the Presidency of the Council of Ministers of the Italian Republic was signed in June, 2021.
6-Nov-2020: India-Italy Virtual Summit (6th November, 2020)
A Virtual Bilateral Summit between Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi and Prime Minister of Italy Prof. Giuseppe Conte was held on 6th November, 2020.
Prime Minister Modi recalled the 2018 visit of Prof. Giuseppe Conte to India and appreciated the rapid growth in India-Italy relationship in recent past. Prime Minister Prof. Conte extended invitation to Prime Minister Modi to visit Italy as soon as conditions permit.
The Summit provided an opportunity to the two leaders to comprehensively review the broad framework of the bilateral relationship. The two leaders reaffirmed their commitment to strengthen cooperation against common global challenges, including the Covid-19 pandemic.
The leaders discussed a wide range of issues including political, economic, scientific & technological, space and defence cooperation. On regional and international issues, both sides agreed to coordinate closely at multilateral fora especially G-20. Italy will assume the Presidency of G-20 in December 2021 followed by India in 2022. Together, India and Italy will be part of the G20 Troika from December, 2020. India welcomed Italy’s decision to join ISA as soon as the ratification process is completed.
15 MoUs/Agreements in various sectors such as energy, fisheries, ship building, design etc. were signed coinciding with the Summit.
2-Feb-2017: India and Italy Sign an MOU for Technical Cooperation in Rail Sector Especially on Safety Related Subjects
Ministry of Railways and Ferrovie Dello Stato Italiane Group (FS Group) a Government Company of Italy managing the Italian railway sector have signed an MoU for technical cooperation in rail sector especially in the areas safety in train operations. On behalf of Ministry of Railways the agreement has been signed by Shri Vinod Kumar, Executive Director/Safety(coordination), Railway Board whereas it has been signed by Shri Renato Mazzoncini, CEO of FS Group, Italy.
The cooperation areas identified in this MoU includes safety audit of Indian Railways and measures required for enhancing safety in train operation, Assessment and certification of advanced technology based safety products and systems to Safety Integrity Level (SIL4), Training and competency development with focus of safety, Modern trends in Maintenance and diagnostic etc.
The MoU comes in the backdrop of emphasis given by Shri Suresh Prabhakar Prabhu Minister of Railways, Govt. of India on safety in railway operation. He has directed Railway Board to collaborate with the international experts on this subject and identify the best practices in this field.
Ferrovie Dello Stato Italiane Group (FS Group) is a fully owned company of the Italian Government working in the Railway Sector and is under Ministry of Treasure, Itlay. The Group, with its technical and managerial railway expertise, widely recognized at international level, is one of the most advanced worldwide player in many field, such as design and realization of High Speed and Conventional Lines, Safety Systems, Certification, Training and Operation and Maintenance.
The whole group currently employs about 69,000 persons and operates more than 7,000 trains per day, carrying over 600 million/year of passengers and 50 million tons of freight on a railway network of more than 16,700 km.
FS Italiane Group, through its controlled companies, has been working in 5 continents, in more than 60 countries, with branches in : Abu Dhabi, Riad, Muscat, Doha, Istanbul, Alger, Bucharest. FS Italiane has controlled companies in many countries, among the others in France, in Germany, in Serbia.
14-Nov-2022: India and Finland agree to carry mutual cooperation between the two countries to a new level and enhance partnership in areas such as Digital Partnership in Future ICT, Future Mobile Technologies and Digital Education
Finland Minister of Education and Culture, Petri Honkonen called on Union Minister of Science and Technology Dr Jitendra Singh at North Block today to seek enhanced bilateral cooperation between the two countries in the field of Science, Technology and Innovation (STI).
He was accompanied by a high level delegation which later held a separate meeting with the Indian delegation in the presence of the two Ministers.
While Dr Jitendra Singh reiterated India's focus on collaboration even in StartUps, the Finland Minister was full of praise for Prime Minister Narendra Modi for management of Covid pandemic and also the efforts of the Union Government of India in ensuring development of vaccines and vaccination for all the countrymen.
India and Finland agreed to carry mutual cooperation between the two countries to a new level in a number of areas of bilateral as well as global interests. Two nations decided to enhance cooperation in areas such as Digital Partnership in Future ICT, Future Mobile Technologies and Digital Education. The two countries also emphasised on having institutionalised joint working groups on areas of mutual interest.
This was reiterated by Union Minister Dr Jitendra Singh and the visiting Finland Minister Petri Honkonen. The visit comes in the wake of the announcement made by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Finnish counterpart Ms. Sanna Marin during a Summit meeting on 16 March 2021.
Dr Jitendra Singh said, the bilateral STI collaboration between the two countries is an attempt to stimulate innovative R&D projects that address a specific need or challenge; demonstrate high industrial relevance and commercial potential; and aim to deliver benefit to all participants, and more broadly, to both nations.
Dr Jitendra Singh also recalled that following the signing of the Joint declaration during the visit of Mika Lintilä, Minister of Economic Affairs, Finland on 18th April 2022, both sides have initiated collaboration in Quantum Technologies. Indian side has already identified four premier institutes viz IISER, Pune, IIT Madras, TIFR Mumbai and C-DAC Pune to work with Finnish institutions on joint development of Quantum Computer. The Minister expressed satisfaction that experts from both sides are working out detailed plan for establishment of the Indo-Finnish Virtual Network Centre on Quantum Computing and targeting to develop 20 qubits superconducting based Quantum Computer in 1st phase and further scale it up to 54 qubits in second phase.
Dr Jitendra Singh conveyed to the Finland Minister that India is keen to develop research collaborations with Finnish R&D institutions and technology collaboration with Finnish Industry especially focusing on the application of Quantum Computing in areas such as: Sustainable Energy Technologies (generation, conversion, storage and conservation),Environment and Clean Technologies, Bio-based Economy, Bio Banks and Bio based materials for different applications of water and Marine Technologies, Food & Agri Technologies, Affordable Healthcare (including Pharmaceuticals and Biomedical Instrumentation) and Technologies for Advanced Manufacturing Integration of AI and Machine Learning in all domains.
Honkonen assured Dr Jitendra Singh that Finland is keen to cooperate with India in 5G, Environment and Clean Technologies, Bio-based Economy, BioBanks and Affordable Healthcare. He said, progress is also on subjects flagged by Indian and Finnish Prime Ministers.
India and Finland have strong bonding in Science, Technology and Innovation. Within the framework of S&T agreement, the Department of Science and Technology, Department of Biotechnology, Government of India and the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment of Finland together with Business Finland and Academy of Finland have been successfully collaborating for over a decade.
20-Apr-2022: India & Finland discuss possible areas of co-operation in quantum computing for virtual Centre of Excellence (CoE)
Delegates from India and Finland discussed possible areas of co-operation in quantum computing and a roadmap for the collaborative virtual Centre of Excellence (CoE) that has been planned to be set up.
“The two countries are trying to get academic and industrial partners which can help develop quantum science and technology for the betterment of humankind in particular and the planet in general. We are committed towards global excellence in this field to achieve the best possible technologies in the shortest possible time,” said Secretary Department of Science and Technology (DST), Dr. S Chandrasekhar while addressing the delegates at a round table meeting organized at DST.
Dr. Chandrasekhar stressed on the necessity to chalk out the strengths and weaknesses of both countries in this area and to work together towards a plan to overcome the weaknesses by establishing a core group which will drive the initiative.
The meeting was held a day after the signing of the Joint Declaration for setting up the Indo-Finnish Virtual Network Centre on Quantum Computing in the presence of the 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 and Visiting Finland Minister of Economic Affairs, Mr. Mika Lintila.
Mr. Petri Peltonen, Under-Secretary of State, Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment, Finland, underlined the need to join the best of Finland with the best of India, use the scientific ecosystems, and the strong IT communities of both the countries and strengthen them in a way that can facilitate spin-offs.
“Our aim is towards a product and research-driven collaboration which can work towards supercomputing devices, sensors, communication technologies, space technologies, and many others,” said Dr. KR Murali Mohan, Adviser, DST while highlighting the potential for collaborations through the National Mission for Interdisciplinary Cyber-physical Systems and through Quantum Enabled Science and Technology (QuEST) program
Dr. Mika Tirronen, Counsellor, Education & Science, Embassy of Finland, spoke about the strength of Finland quantum computing like infrastructure, heritage, public funding, innovation-driven industry, its strong quantum ecosystem as well as the Nordic spirit of perseverance.
18-Apr-2022: Visiting Finland Minister of Economic Affairs Mika Lintila meets Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) Science & Technology, Dr Jitendra Singh
Visiting Finland Minister of Economic Affairs, Mika Lintila, currently in India, today met 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 and the two Ministers announced the decision to establish an Indo-Finnish Virtual Network Centre on Quantum Computing.
Later, in the presence of Dr Jitendra Singh and his Finnish counterpart Mika Lintila, an MoU to this effect was signed by Secretary Science & Technology, Govt of India and Secretary Science, Govt of Finland. A formal briefing to the media was made after the conclusion of delegation-level talks led by the two Ministers on behalf of their respective countries.
Dr Jitendra Singh said, bilateral STI collaboration between the two countries is an attempt to stimulate innovative R&D projects that address a specific need or challenge, demonstrate high industrial relevance and commercial potential and aim to deliver benefit to both the nations.
Dr Jitendra Singh said that the Indian side has identified three premier institutes viz IIT Madras, IISER Pune and C-DAC Pune for Virtual Network Centre on Quantum Computing. He said, the move comes in the wake of the decision taken in the last Joint Committee meeting held in November 2020 to initiate cooperation in new emerging areas like 5G; Quantum Computing and Sustainability by involving, Academia, Industries and Start-ups of the two countries.
Dr Jitendra Singh said that the Department of Science & Technology has initiated several new mission mode programs like Electric Vehicles, Cyber Physical System, Quantum Technologies, Future Manufacturing, Green Hydrogen Fuel etc. and sought joint collaboration with Finland in solving issues of societal challenges. The Minister said that the bilateral STI collaboration between the two countries is an attempt to stimulate innovative R&D projects that address a specific need or challenge, demonstrate high industrial relevance and commercial potential and aim to deliver benefit to both the nations.
Referring to the Virtual Summit last March between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Prime Minister of the Republic of Finland Ms. Sanna Marin, Dr Jitendra Singh pointed out that Finland’s leading role in clean and green technologies can help India's drive towards sustainable development. The Minister recalled that India and Finland have strong bonding in Science, Technology and Innovation.
Dr Jitendra Singh told the visiting Finnish Minister Lintila that Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), which has inter-disciplinary network of 37 laboratories is very keen to connect with partners from Finland for knowledge and expertise sharing in Green Transition by co-development/ deployment of cutting-edge technologies / products / solutions, especially of relevance to the common man and addressing the UN Sustainable Development Goals. He also shared that both India and Finland are consultative members of the Antarctic Treaty and have active stations in Antarctica. Finland would be hosting Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting (ATCM) in 2023 and India in 2024.
The Minister also underlined that India Meteorological Department (IMD) and Finnish Meteorological Institute has been cooperating in the field of Atmospheric Environment since 2014. Under this collaboration, Air Quality Forecasting models developed by FMI are customized for Indian region resulting in enhanced capability to forecast pollution events from microscale to regional scale so that pollution control authorities can take appropriate action. Under this cooperation, environmental impacts of changing aerosol emission over India are also being pursued. Dr Jitendra Singh said, India is keen to develop research collaborations with Finnish R&D institutions and technology collaboration with Finnish Industry especially focusing on the following technology domains and application of Quantum Computing in areas such as: Sustainable Energy Technologies (generation, conversion, storage and conservation), Environment and Clean Technologies, Biobased Economy, BioBanks and Bio based materials for different applications, Water and Marine Technologies, Food & Agri Technologies, Affordable Healthcare (including, Pharmaceuticals and Biomedical Instrumentation), Technologies for Advanced Manufacturing, Integration of AI and Machine Learning in all domains.
The visiting Finnish Minister of Economic Affairs Lintila assured Dr Jitendra Singh that Finnish companies will partner with India for Carbon-neutral technologies and enhance cooperation for Sustainability in Climate Change. The Finnish Minister also invited India to explore the possibility of deeper cooperation in Finland’s Biobank project to mediate high quality human samples to medical research to promote development of new products and services that promote public health.
Indian delegation included Secretary, M/o Science & Technology, Secretary, M/o Earth Sciences and DG, CSIR and representatives of other science ministries.
9-Mar-2022: Finland invites India to partner for joint collaboration in Carbon-neutral technologies and innovations
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 said India and Finland have worked out a detailed plan for establishment of the Indo-Finnish Virtual Network Centre on Quantum Computing. He said, India has already identified three premier institutes viz IIT Madras, IISER Pune and C-DAC Pune for working with Finnish counterpart institutions for the Virtual Network Centre.
A Finnish delegation led by Ambassador Ms. Ritva Koukku-Ronde today Called on Dr Jitendra Singh and reviewed the progress of bilateral cooperation in areas like 5G, Artificial Intelligence and Sustainability by involving, Academia, Industries and Start-ups of the two countries.
Dr Jitendra Singh said that formal announcement for establishment of the Indo-Finnish Virtual Network Centre on Quantum Computing is likely to be made during the visit of Finnish Minister of Economic Affairs Mr. Lintila to India next month. The Minister also called for joint collaboration in DST initiated mission mode programs like Electric Vehicles, Cyber Physical System, Future Manufacturing, Green Hydrogen Fuel etc. to address the societal challenges.
Dr Jitendra Singh said, the bilateral STI collaboration between the two countries is an attempt to stimulate innovative R&D projects that address a specific need or challenge, demonstrate high industrial relevance and commercial potential and aim to deliver benefit to both the nations.
Dr Jitendra Singh recalled that India and Finland has strong bonding in Science, Technology and Innovation. Within the framework of S&T agreement, the Department of Science and Technology, Department of Biotechnology, Government of India and the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment of Finland together with Business Finland and Academy of Finland have been successfully collaborating for over a decade.
Referring to Virtual Summit in last March between Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi and Prime Minister of the Republic of Finland Ms. Sanna Marin, Dr Jitendra Singh pointed out that Finland’s leading role in clean and green technologies can help India's drive towards sustainable development.
Finland Ambassador Ms. Ritva Koukku-Ronde assured Dr Jitendra Singh that Finnish companies will partner with India for Carbon-neutral technologies and innovations. She also underlined that both the sides should enhance cooperation for Sustainability in Climate Change. She also invited India to explore the possibility of deeper cooperation in Finland’s Biobank project to mediate high quality human samples to medical research to promote development of new products and services that promote public health. Finland reiterated its commitment for enhanced cooperation in the areas like renewable and bio-energy, sustainability, edu-tech, pharma and digitization.
Both the sides noted with satisfaction that around 100 Finnish companies are actively operating in India in various sectors such as telecom, elevators, machinery and energy including Renewable Energy. Around 30 Indian companies are also active in Finland mainly in the IT, auto-components and hospitality sector.
An Inter-governmental S&T cooperation Agreement between India and Finland was signed on 25th March 2008. The agreement envisages sharing of experiences in national research, development and innovation policies and programmes, exchanging scientists and researchers, industrial research, joint research and development projects and joint workshops.
16-Mar-2021: India-Finland Virtual Summit
Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi and Prime Minister of the Republic of Finland H.E. Ms. Sanna Marin held a Virtual Summit today and discussed the entire gamut of bilateral issues as well as other regional and multilateral issues of mutual interest.
Both leaders noted that the close relations between India and Finland were based on shared values of democracy, rule of law, equality, freedom of speech, and respect for human rights. They reaffirmed their strong commitment to work for multilateralism, a rules-based international order, sustainable development and combating climate change.
The two leaders reviewed the ongoing bilateral engagements and expressed their desire to further expand and diversify the relationship across sectors such as trade and investment, innovation, education, emerging technologies including Artificial Intelligence, 5G/6G, and quantum computing.
Prime Minister Modi appreciated Finland's leading role in clean and green technologies, and noted the potential for Finnish companies to partner India's drive towards sustainable development. In this context, he suggested enhanced cooperation in the areas like renewable and bio-energy, sustainability, Edu-tech, pharma and digitization.
The leaders exchanged views on regional and global issues, including the India-EU partnership, cooperation in the Arctic region, WTO and UN reforms. Both sides noted the potential for India and Finland to cooperate in undertaking developmental activities in Africa.
Prime Minister Modi invited Finland to join the International Solar Alliance (ISA) and the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI).
The two leaders also discussed the Covid-19 situation including their respective vaccination drives, and emphasized the importance of global efforts for urgent and affordable access to vaccines across all nations.
The two leaders looked forward to their forthcoming meetings during the India-EU Leaders’ Meeting in Porto and the India-Nordic Summit.
26-Nov-2020: India and Finland sign MOU for developing cooperation in the field of environmental protection and biodiversity conservation.
India and Finland today signed a MOU for developing cooperation between two countries in the field of Environment protection and biodiversity conservation.
The MoU is a platform to further advance Indian and Finnish partnership and support, exchange best practices in areas like prevention of Air and water pollution; Waste management; Promotion of circular economy, low-carbon solutions and sustainable management of natural resources including forests; Climate change; Conservation of Marine and Coastal Resources; etc.
The MoU was signed virtually by Shri Prakash Javadekar, Minister of Environment, Forest and Climate Change from the Indian side and Ms. Krista Mikkonen, Minister of the Environment and Climate Change, Government of Finland from the Finnish side.
Speaking at the event Shri Javadekar said that the MoU also provides the possibility to have joint projects in areas of mutual interest. “This MOU will definitely commits us to work together more closely towards on the fulfilment of commitments made under Paris Agreement.”, said the Environment Minister.
Shri Javadekar also informed that India has achieved its voluntary target of reducing emissions intensity of its GDP by 21% over 2005 levels, by 2020 and is poised to achieve 35% reduction well before the target year of 2030.
As part of its Nationally Determined Contributions submitted under the Paris Agreement , India has taken three quantitative climate change goals viz. reduction in the emissions intensity of Gross Domestic Product by 33 to 35 percent by 2030 from 2005 level, achieving about 40 percent cumulative electric power installed capacity from non-fossil fuel based energy resources by 2030 and creating an additional carbon sink of 2.5 to 3 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent through additional forest and tree cover by 2030.
The MoU will strengthen technological, scientific and management capabilities and develop bilateral cooperation in the field of environmental protection and biodiversity conservation on the basis of equality, reciprocity and mutual benefit with due respect to promotion of sustainable development.
2-Sep-2020: Cabinet approves MoU between India and Finland for cooperation in the field of Geology and Mineral Resources
The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi has approved Memorandum of Understanding for cooperation in the field of geology and mineral resources between Geological Survey of India, Ministry of Mines, the Government of the Republic of India and Geological Survey of Finland (Geologiantutkimuskeskus), Ministry of Employment and the Economy, the Government of Finland.
The MoU facilitates cooperation in the field of geology, training, mineral prognostication and suitability analysis, 3/4D modeling, Seismic and other Geophysical surveys finalised with the intent of reinforcing and strengthening scientific links between the two Organisations.
This MoU aims to provide with a framework and a platform to promote and foster cooperation in the fields of geology, and mineral resources between the Participants for mutual economic, social and environmental benefit; and share experiences on geological data management and information dissemination to promote exploration and mining, in the areas of geology and mineral resources.
Geological Survey of India (GSI) is a premier geo-scientific organisation of the Government of India of international repute for creation and updation of national geoscientific information and mineral resource assessment. These objectives are achieved through, ground surveys, air-borne and marine surveys, mineral prospecting and investigations, multi-disciplinary geoscientific, geo-technical, geo-environmental and natural hazards studies, glaciology, seismotectonic study, and carrying out fundamental research.
Geological Survey of Finland has expertise in multi-thematic data integration and analysis using spatial platform with special emphasis on 3/4D modeling for mineral prognostication, hazard management, environmental impact assessment, and other areas of socio-economic significance and developing Decision Support System which can be used by users with minimal knowledge of GIS based modelling.