Hollande Visits India to Push Rafale
Deal
French President Hollande
was the Chief Guest on India’s Republic Day celebrations.
A French military contingent too marched with
Indian troops in the Parade.
The bilateral Agreement on Defence Cooperation
concluded in 2006 was extended for another ten years.
A successful air exercise Garuda in June 2014 and
naval exercise Varuna in April 2015 was concluded in
which the French carrier strike group participated. The French multi-mission
frigate Provence will participate in the International Fleet Review at Visakhapatnam
in February 2016.
The Inter-governmental Agreement (IGA) on the
acquisition of 36 Rafale fighter aircrafts in flyaway
condition was concluded in the visit. The question of price remained
unresolved. (As it is, notwithstanding the “Make in India” campaign, the normal
countervailing duty of 12.5 percent is exempted on the import, this discourages
domestic manufacturing).
The two leaders also agreed to intensify
cooperation between the Indian and French Armed Forces in the fields of cyber
security, Special Forces and intelligence-sharing to tackle the common threat
of terrorism.
Nuclear Units at Jaitapur
In pursuance of the 2008 Agreement on the
Development of Peaceful Uses of Nuclear Energy between India and France, the
two leaders encouraged their industrial companies to conclude techno-commercial
negotiations by the end of 2016 for the construction of six nuclear power
reactor units at Jaitapur, with due consideration to
cost viability of the project, economical financing from the French side,
collaboration on transfer of technology and cost-effective localisation of
manufacturing in India for large and critical components in accord with
Government of India’s “Make in India” initiative.
France acknowledged the need for India to have
lifetime guarantee of fuel supply and renewed its commitment to reliable,
uninterrupted and continued access to nuclear fuel supply throughout the entire
lifetime of the plants, as stated in the 2008 bilateral IGA on nuclear
cooperation.
The two leaders agreed on a roadmap of cooperation
to speed up discussions on the Jaitapur Nuclear Power
Project in 2016. Their shared aim is to start the implementation of the project
in early 2017.
In this context, the two leaders noted with
satisfaction, the ongoing time-bound implementation of cooperation between
AREVA and L&T under the Memorandum of Understanding signed in April 2015
for large-scale localisation of components for the nuclear power project at Jaitapur, as well as the good progress in pre-engineering
studies for the project being carried out by AREVA in collaboration with NPCIL.
PM Modi and President Hollande welcomed the initialing
of revised MOU between EDF and NPCIL for the construction of six EPR units at Jaitapur.
France welcomed the decision by the Government of
India to ratify the Convention on Supplementary Compensation for Nuclear
Damage.
Clean Energy
The two leaders stressed the importance of
climate-oriented investments between the two countries. In this context, they
welcomed the partnership of EDF EN and SITAC with a commitment to invest 155
million Euros in 2016. The new JV EDF EN/SITAC plans to invest 1 billion Euros
by 2021.
The two leaders noted with satisfaction, the
support provided by AFD (French Development Agency) to enhance energy
efficiency in India, with the ongoing cooperation with the public ESCO EESL
(Energy Efficiency Services Limited) for the promotion of LED lighting, and its
future support to the construction of green housing, especially for lower
income groups.
Smart Cities
The 3 MoUs signed in
January 2016 between the Union Territory of Chandigarh, the State of
Maharashtra, the Union Territory of Puducherry and the French Development
Agency for extending technical assistance for the development of the 3 cities
of Chandigarh, Nagpur and Puducherry respectively, as Smart Cities in India.
The proposed collaboration between AFD (French
Agency for Development) and the Government of India for financing projects
related to urban water and sanitation in Puducherry.
The partnerships between Engineering Projects India
Limited (EPI) and nine French companies who will be able to contribute to major
infrastructures projects in India.
Semi Bullet Trains from Punjab, Alstom
The two Leaders stressed the importance of clean
transport and recalled the Protocol of Cooperation signed between the Indian
Ministry of Railways and French National Railways SNCF in April 2015 in the
field of Semi high speed rail and station development. The two Leaders welcomed
the follow-up Agreement signed in December 2015 between the SNCF and Ministry
of
Railways to support a semi high-speed project for up-gradation of Delhi-Chandigarh
line to 200 kmph. The two Leaders also welcomed the
signing of the agreement between SNCF and Ministry of Railways on cooperation
in the station renovation projects for Ambala and
Ludhiana railway stations.
The leaders also welcomed the Joint Venture
agreement signed between the Indian Railways and Alstom for the supply of 800
high horse power locomotives manufactured in India and the shareholding
agreement signed between them during the visit to finalize the investment in
the electric locomotives factory in Madhepura, Bihar.
Space
Recalling the commemoration of the fiftieth
anniversary of Indo-French space cooperation in 2015, the leaders welcomed the
signing of two Implementing Arrangements between their Space Agencies for
cooperation in definition studies on a future joint Thermal Infrared Earth
Observation mission and hosting of the French instrument for data collection on
India’s Oceasnsat-3 satellite. The Leaders expressed confidence that these
missions would contribute significantly to the monitoring of the environment,
weather, water resources and coastal zones and further strengthen the
partnership between the two countries. They also welcomed the announcement of
collaboration through the participation of the Centre National d’études spatiales (CNES) in
future space and planetary exploration missions of the Indian Space Research
Organisation (ISRO).