Paris, April 11 India and France on Friday inked 17 agreements, including in the field of civil nuclear energy, railways and space, and three Letters of Intent as Prime Minister Narendra Modi held talks with French President Francois Hollande here on Friday.
The two sides inked two agreements in the field of civil nuclear energy. These are: an MoU between L&T and French nuclear firm Areva – it is aimed at cost reduction by increasing localisation, to improve the financial viability of Jaitapur project (in Maharashtra). It will also enable transfer of technology and development of indigenous nuclear energy industry in India.
Another one is on pre-engineering agreements between Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL) and Areva. It is intended to bring clarity on all technical aspects of the plant so that all parties (AREVA, Alstom and NPCIL) can firm up their price and optimise all provisions for risks still included at this stage in the costs of the project.
They inked three agreements in the field of space. These include an Mou between ISRO and French space agency CNES. The Indo-French Megha Tropiques satellite project was launched on board the Indian launch vehicle, PSLV on October 12, 2011. The MoU shall extend by two more years, the joint project for sharing and use of data from the satellite.
Another one is between French National Centre for Space Studies (CNES) and ISRO — the agreement proposes cooperation in the areas of satellite remote sensing, satellite communications and satellite meteorology; space sciences and planetary exploration; data collection and location; operations of satellite ground stations and spacecraft mission management; space research and applications.
It covers the potential cooperation activities such as joint earth observation mission, hosted payload opportunities and Mars exploration.
The MoU on sports is for cooperation and exchange of experiences in the fields of sports medicine, institutional cooperation, development of practice of sports in the context of proximity sports among other things.
The MoU in the field of renewable energy is for exchange of information and data, joint research and transfer of know-how and technology in the field of solar, wind, bio-energy, tidal and wave energy sectors.
The railway protocol between Indian ministry of railways and French National Railways (SNCF) is for cooperation between Indian and French railways for semi-high speed rail and station renovation.
In the field of culture, both sides inked an agreement for training of Indian heritage conservation professionals at the Institute National du Patrimoine (INP), training for curators and restorers in the field of heritage in France among other things.
A letter of intent for increasing cooperation in tourism sector for promotion of tourism and also to facilitate twinning of sites having historical, natural and cultural significance in India and France for promoting them as tourist destinations.
Another LoI in the field of archaeology is for collaboration on preventive archaeology projects, training programmes for specialists of ASI and deployment of expertise, in particular, in the field of underwater archaeology.
An MoU in the field of architecture is for cooperation in joint planning and geographical studies in India and France and training of local counterparts in modern urban and regional research as well as in techniques of scientific methods in urban and regional planning, geography, environment, Building engineering and management.
Another MoU is for cooperation in the fields of sustainable development, urban planning, heritage conservation and up-gradation of basic services.
The Volontariat International en Entreprise (VIE) scheme offers Indian visa for 12 months renewable once for a period of 12 months for 250 French students and a asecond residence permit of 12 months for the Indian students in France following the 12 months already granted.
A LoI in the field of Ayurveda allows both sides to strengthen cooperation in the area of Ayurveda education and research by undertaking academic and research activities, exploring feasibility of collaborative research, and drawing up strategies for dissemination of results of completed studies.
An agreement in the area of skills development is to facilitate exchange of information and knowledge about maintenance of qualification registers through information exchanges, visits.
They also inked an MoU in the field of science and technology and one in the field of biotechnology.