The India-France partnership is reaching new levels as Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Emanuel Macron met in New Delhi to sign 14 agreements in areas that showcased the depth of confidence in each other. Covering nuclear energy defence production maritime security space and education India and France are in the process of cementing a partnership that could soon eclipse the old trusted friend Russia. It would not be a stretch to say that the only other country with which India works on as many areas in is the US. For the first time with any G-7 country India and France decided to recognize each other s university degrees which will be huge for students going to France for higher studies or for employment. Modi met Macron at the airport on Friday evening making a break from protocol a benchmark for the Indian welcome . Addressing the media after discussions with Macron Modi laid out three important areas where the two countries are working together. We have intense and deep defence relations and we consider France as one of our most trusted defence partners... We welcome the commitment of France for Make in India in the defence sector. I consider today s agreement of the reciprocal logistics support between our armed forces as a golden step ... therefore today we are releasing a Joint Strategic Vision for our cooperation in the Indian Ocean area. And third today we have made two important agreements one agreement is to recognize each other s educational qualifications and the second agreement is of our migration and mobility partnership. In an agreement that will have far-reaching implications for the global security equations in the increasingly contested the two countries agreed to reciprocal logistics support between both armed forces including the navies in the spirit of the LEMOA pact with the US Indian and French forces would be able to access each other s ports and bases in the Indian Ocean region. France is the second country after the US with which India has a vision document on the Indian Ocean. Seen together with another pact to protect classified information the security agreement will open up the two sides to much closer cooperation in the strategic sphere. Clearly done with a view to countering growing Chinese power in the region the agreement will be a force multiplier for India. Macron in his remarks asserted the sea lanes cannot be places for hegemonic power play. Equally important is the pact on education specified in a joint statement issued after the talks for the mutual recognition of degrees which will facilitate the pursuit of higher education by Indian students in France and French students in India and enhance their employability. This is probably the first such agreement with G-8 country with France aiming for over 10 000 Indian students studying in France by 2020. Macron wants to shift India s gateway to Europe from the UK to itself. With Macron pushing for a greater French role in the EU and the world the complementarities between India and France are increasing. The summit also served to push along the deal for France s EDF to build 6 nuclear reactors in Jaitapur a deal that has been in the works for many years but stuck on pricing and liability issues. The two countries signed an Industrial Way Forward Agreement between NPCIL and EDF the reactor with a promised 9.6 GW capacity will now look for cost-effective localization efforts of manufacturing in India . This is expected to bring down the cost that has kept French nuclear power at very expensive rates. But more significant the agreement also cemented an understanding on the Indian liability rules a possible breakthrough which was one of the reasons for the delay in the project. On the Rafale deal Macron said India had made a sovereign decision in this respect (Rafale fighter jet) and we are monitoring the progress in the field. We very much want to continue the programme. It is a long-term contract which is mutually beneficial. I personally consider it as the heart of the strategic partnership Macron said. He said space agencies of both countries will build a joint monitoring mechanism for developments in the maritime space while navies of the two nations will share intelligence and call their respective military bases for any requirement. Macron also said effectively containing threats of terrorism and radicalisation are going to be key elements in the strategic cooperation between the two countries. He particularly also talked about the threat of Islamist terrorism. The trust that we share is protecting us as our interests are aligned said Macron. He further said We want India as our first strategic partner here and we want to be India s first strategic partner in Europe and even in the western world.
Written by Shubhajit Roy | New Delhi | Updated: March 11 2018 9:12 am PM Narendra Modi with French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte Macron in New Delhi on Saturday. (Express Photo by Praveen Jain) Stepping up strategic cooperation with China in mind India and France on Saturday signed a pact that will enable their defence forces to access each other s facilities and extend logistical support on a reciprocal basis. The deal which is similar to the logistical support pact with the US is an indicator of the strategic depth and maturity in defence ties between the two countries. I consider today s agreement on the reciprocal logistics support between our armies as a golden step in the history of our close defence cooperation Prime Minister Narendra Modi said after bilateral talks with visiting French President Emmanuel Macron. Signed by Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and French Armed Forces Minister Florence Parly the pact will facilitate reciprocal provision of logistics support supplies and services between the armed forces of the two countries during authorised port visits joint exercises joint training humanitarian assistance and disaster relief efforts. French President Emmanuel Macron arrived in India on Friday night. Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a departure from protocol welcomed him at the Air Force Station Palam in Delhi. (Express Photo by Praveen Jain) The two sides also signed a new confidentiality agreement replacing the 2008 pact that shields government from sharing classified information on defence deals including the Rafale fighter aircraft deal. Signed between NSA Ajit Doval and French President s diplomatic advisor Philippe Etienne the pact is about the exchange and reciprocal protection of classified or protected information. ALSO READ | Indian French companies sign pacts worth 13 billion euros Stressing that defence cooperation between the two countries now has a new significance Macron said India had made a sovereign decision in this respect (Rafale fighter jet) and we are monitoring the progress in the field. We very much want to continue the programme. It is a long-term contract which is mutually beneficial. I personally consider it as the heart of the strategic partnership. The two countries also agreed to create an annual defence dialogue at the ministerial level. Our defence cooperation is very strong and we consider France among the most trusted defence partners said Modi. President of France Emmanuel Macron and First Lady Brigitte Macron received by President Ram Nath Kovind and Savita Kovind with PM Narendra Modi. (Source: Express Photo) On the government-to-government deal with France in 2016 to buy 36 Rafale fighter jets for about Rs 58 000 crore the joint statement said the two leaders noted with satisfaction the on-schedule progress in the implementation of acquisition related agreements including the Rafale aircraft agreement signed in 2016. The two sides also made common cause on maritime security as they signed a joint strategic vision on the Indian Ocean Region to counter more proactive and assertive Chinese activities in the area. Both of us believe that in future the Indian Ocean Region will play a very important role in the happiness progress and prosperity of the world. Whether it is the environment or maritime security or marine resources or the freedom of navigation and overflight we are committed to strengthening our cooperation in all these areas. And therefore today we are releasing a joint strategic vision for our cooperation in the Indian Ocean area said Modi. The two leaders carefully avoided mentioning Indo-Pacific in their statements. While the January 2016 joint statement with then French President Francois Hollande put emphasis on countering terrorism the focus this time was on maritime security in the Indian Ocean Region and defence cooperation. President of France Emmanuel Macron and First Lady Brigitte with PM Narendra Modi in New Delhi. (Source: Express Photo) On maritime security the French President said both the countries will have unprecedented level of cooperation to ensure peace and stability in the Indian Ocean and Pacific. He said space agencies of both countries will have a joint monitoring mechanism for developments in the maritime sphere while the two Navies will share intelligence and call their respective military bases for any requirement. Recalling the importance of the Varuna bilateral exercise initiated in 1983 India and France agreed to enhance inter-operability between the two Navies. Its next edition to be held in the Indian Ocean this year will focus on submarine and anti-submarine warfare as well as combating maritime terrorism as Chinese submarines have been passing through Indian Ocean regularly. The joint statement said they welcomed the Joint Strategic Vision of India-France Cooperation in the Indian Ocean Region as a guiding beacon for such partnership. The leaders reiterated that this cooperation will be crucial in order to maintain the safety of international sea lanes for unimpeded commerce and communications in accordance with the international law for countering maritime terrorism and piracy for building maritime domain awareness for capacity building and for greater coordination in regional/ international fora in the region said the statement using the internationally-accepted language for China s presence in South China Sea. On the much-delayed Jaitapur nuclear power project the two leaders reiterated the goal of commencing work at the Jaitapur site around the end of 2018 and encouraged NPCIL and EDF to accelerate the contractual discussions in that respect. They signed an agreement which prescribes a way forward for implementation of the project. French President Emmanuel Macron and First Lady Brigitte Macron pay floral tribute at Mahatma Gandhi s memorial Rajghat in New Delhi on Saturday. (Express Photo/Amit Mehra) Once installed the Jaitapur project will be the largest nuclear power plant in the world with a total capacity of 9.6 GW. It will contribute to achieving India s goal of 40 per cent non-fossil energy by 2030. In this context the joint statement emphasised the need for the project to generate cost-effective electricity; economical and competitive financing package from the French side; reliable uninterrupted and continued access to guaranteed fuel supply for the lifetime of the Jaitapur nuclear power plants; and collaboration on transfer of technology and cost-effective localisation efforts of manufacturing in India. The latter includes transfer of rights on technology to be mutually agreed . They welcomed the understanding shared by the two parties on the enforcement of India s rules and regulations on civil liability for nuclear damages applicable to the Jaitapur project. India and France also called upon all countries to work towards rooting out terrorist safe havens and infrastructure disrupting terrorist networks and their financing channels and halting cross-border movement of terrorists like Al Qaeda Daesh/ISIS Jaish-e-Mohammed Hizbul Mujahideen Lashkar-e-Taiba and their affiliates as well as terrorist groups threatening peace and security in South Asia and the Sahel region. As France had played an active role in grey-listing Pakistan at the FATF last month the two leaders agreed to strengthen counter-terrorism in multilateral fora such as the UN GCTF FATF and G20. They called upon all UN member countries to implement the UNSC Resolution 1267 and other relevant resolutions designating terrorist entities said the joint statement in a reference to the global listing of Jaish-e-Mohammad chief Maulana Masood Azhar. Macron said that effectively containing threats of terrorism and radicalisation are going to be key elements in the strategic cooperation between the two countries. Mentioning the threat of Islamist terrorism in particular he said the trust that we share is protecting us as our interests are aligned. French President Emmanuel Macron and First Lady Brigitte Macron pay floral tribute at Mahatma Gandhi s memorial Rajghat in New Delhi on Saturday. (Express Photo/Amit Mehra) The joint statement also had a reference to China s One Belt One Road project. The two sides underlined that connectivity initiatives must be based on key principles of international norms good governance rule of law openness transparency; follow social and environmental standards principles of financial responsibility accountable debt-financing practices; and must be pursued in a manner that respects sovereignty and territorial integrity it said. The reference to sovereignty and territorial integrity is clearly aimed at the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor which is being opposed by India. In all India and France inked 14 pacts in key areas of defence security nuclear energy and protection of classified information as well as cooperation in other areas including railways environment solar energy maritime awareness and checking trafficking of narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances. For all the latest India News download Indian Express App Tags: Emmanuel Macron Narendra Modi SSachinMar 11 2018 at 9:31 amModi is a broker for Ambani Adani Tata Birla AATB Ramdev etc......He will tell France that China is a threat to India and allows French companies to sign contract with AATB...He will tell China that we are friends and should not fight each other......And he fools the entire country....Stratagically India lost Dokhlam stand-off.....Modi is just a Gujju Baniya broker....He shuffles Defence Ministers frequently......He plays this double game with Russia and US....Modi is a TRAITOR......(0)(0) Reply SSachinMar 11 2018 at 9:09 amModi is a broker for Ambani Adani Tata Birla AATB Ramdev etc......He will tell France that China is a threat to India and allows French companies to sign contract with AATB...He will tell China that we are friends and should not fight each other......And he fools the entire country....Stratagically India lost Dokhlam stand-off.....Modi is just a Gujju Baniya broker....He shuffles Defence Ministers frequently......He plays this double game with Russia and US....Modi is a TRAITOR......(0)(0) Reply JosephMumbai MumbaiMar 11 2018 at 7:21 amWe India lack killer punch. We are humiliated by Pakistan with low intensity warfare time and again. Low intensity is cost effective. We can borrow tactics refine them and give a counter attack that can be devastating. This is what Pakis do: 1. Attack India and then deny 2. Ask for evidence when given then ask for more.3. For this they have trained fidayeen they call them non state actors. India can work on a similar tactic. The brain behind terror are Sunni Punjabis. Make their lives miserable. Destroy Punjab. For how long India will foreign weapons is it sustainable. Instead we need massive R D on war footing. Pour a part of defense budget on R D. Refine Jet propulsion Engine both military and commercial. No one will do for us. We have to do for ourselves. The West is racist. We Indians are gora/gori chamdi idolators.(2)(0) Reply Dillip PatnaikMar 11 2018 at 6:37 amIf you don t have your own strength nobody can rescue from the aggressor like Pakistan and China. Rafale deal is not new except may have a few changes. France is doing business. They don t diffe iate between the countries as long they their products. Decade ago French government had contract with Pakistan to them French submarines. India cannot be a power just ing foreign defense fighter planes and other ancillaries. This is drainage of national economy and actually it is not deterring to Pakistan proxy war and Chinese are not scared of the Rafales. Modi got to quit hugging and cuddling foreign dignitaries. It does not look good and it is sign of weakness and inferiority and submissiveness.(1)(0) Reply
NEW DELHI: Two days after Islamabad high court paved the way for registration of Mumbai terror attack mastermind Hafiz Saeed s Milli Muslim League as a political party in Pakistan Indian intelligence agencies underlined the sharp contradiction between his stated positions and his plan to enter electoral politics. Pakistan court clears way for registration of Hafiz Saeed s political party An intelligence officer pointed out Saeed s focus on Quran and shariah or God s law and his declaration on innumerable occasions that he would not submit to man-made laws wondering if he had reconciled to supremacy of the Pakistani constitution and laws. Read: Pakistan shielding Hafiz Saeed by mainstreaming his political party: MEA Interestingly Saeed s outfit Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD) was reported to be running sharia courts in Lahore. According to a report published in Pakistani daily Dawn in 2016 the parallel judicial system was meant to dispense speedy justice by taking up citizens complaints and issuing summons carrying a warning of strict action in case of non-compliance. The JuD a front for banned Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) had claimed the court functioning from its headquarters at Jamia Qadsia Chaubhurji only offered arbitration and resolved disputes in accordance with the Islamic judicial system. However the summons and strict action against non-compliance were not adequately explained. It will be interesting to see if Saeed in the event of his party contesting elections due this year and winning some seats will set aside his position seeking rule of sharia said the official. The second query of the intelligence agencies is if Saeed now that he is supporting electoral politics would issue a call to jihadi groups like LeT and affiliates to contest polls. He cannot engage in lawful political activity and at the same time carry out jihadi activities through other outfits like LeT he said. MEA had on Friday slammed the Pakistani establishment s attempt to mainstream Saeed by letting him engage in electoral politics. Reacting to the Islamabad HC order allowing Milli Muslim League to be registered as a political party thus paving the way for it to contest elections an MEA spokesperson said Pakistan s duplicity in taking action against terrorists operating from its soil had been exposed.
For Renuka Mehra it was an ordeal she would never forget. Early this month Mehra and other fellow passengers on a Delhi-Singapore flight had to tolerate the nuisance of a drunk flyer who incessantly hurled abuses and created ruckus during the sixhour journey. It was a nightmare. The bugger got sloshed and wanted to smoke she fumes. The frequency of such deviant flyers have increased over the last year or so claims Mehra who makes frequent overseas trips to attend medical seminars. I am sure there would be loads of such ill-mannered passengers on domestic routes as well she adds. Indian domestic carriers flew a record 11.7 crore domestic flyers last year. This number is likely to leapfrog in subsequent years. The International Air Transport Association (IATA) says India s domestic passenger traffic grew by almost 18% in January. The domestic demand in terms of revenue passenger kilometres was highest amongst major aviation markets such as Australia Brazil China Japan Russia and the US the global airline association added in its report released this week. But this has brought in its wake an unlikely collateral damage to the flying experience: unruly flyers. From getting drunk inside the cabin or before boarding the flight to misbehaving displaying aggressive behaviour harassing crew and pushing and kicking fellow passengers even trying to smoke cigarettes onboard flying is fast turning out to be stressful and at times dangerous experience. The situation reckon aviation experts is not alarming but is certainly disquieting. That s a harsh reality and the flip side of the aviation boom says air vice marshal K Sridharan. Passengers flying are just a sample of our country s population. So the behaviour onboard reflects how they usually behave on ground says Sridharan who first boarded flight in 1958. A lot has changed since then in terms of character of Indians he laments though India is now coming to terms with the menace of unruly flyers it s a global phenomenon. In 2016 IATA recorded one reported incident of unruly flyer behaviour for every 1 424 flights across the world. Most were verbal but intoxication from alcohol or drugs was identified in 33% of the cases. Alarmingly more than half of safety rules-related offenses involved passengers smoking on board. There were 58 000 unruly passengers reported between 2007 and 2016. (See Fight Mode: Global Menace) In India some believe first-time flyers a growing segment are to blame. Over 25% of passengers are first-timers who lack flying etiquettes reckons Sudhakar Reddy national president of Air Passengers Association of India. When the focus is on hawai chappal to hawai jahaz one is bound to see rising number of unruly flyers says Reddy adding that the government is likely to come up with a new set of guidelines for airlines to control such menace. Complaint Quotient Reddy was referring to the prime minister s speech last April while flagging off the first UDAN flight under the regional connectivity scheme on Shimla-Delhi route where he said he wanted to see a common man wearing a chappals on the ground to ride a plane. We might be a literate nation. But we are not educated Reddy rues highlighting a spate of recent incidents of vandalising statues across the country. We take sadistic pleasure in demolishing harmless statues he says adding that behaviour of people whether on ground or inside cabin can t change overnight. Sociologists however contend frequently flyers coming from financially good background were the real culprits. They have the resources but lack manners. It s like booking an Ola or Uber and treating the driver as personal servant says Ranjana Kumari director of the Centre for Social Research in Delhi. Kumari recounts an incident last December when a drunk flyer had to be tied to his seat as he threatened to light a cigarette. He still continued abusing. What s compounding the problem for airlines reckon industry insiders is the fact that while most passengers don t officially complain operators too are reluctant to take action. Last December a teenage actress who was allegedly harassed by a male passenger on a private flight refused to file a complaint the full-service airline reportedly said in its official response. Cut throat competition in the sector is why carriers shy away from lodging official complaints. A top low-cost carrier dissuaded Roshini Bhatia a lead cabin crew from lodging a complaint against an unruly flyer who clicked her pictures despite repeated warnings. Airlines also fear the media tend to villify airline crew in such cases. When a dog bites a man it s no news she grins. Budget airlines Indigo Spicejet GoAir and full-service operator Jet didn t offer comments for this story. Globally airlines are doing their bit to control the menace. Budget Irish airline Ryanair requested UK airports to limit customers to two-drinks before boarding flights and to not serve alcohol in the airport before 10 am. But aviation experts aver imparting and upgrading training to cabin crew and airline staff is the only way out. A proactive and well-trained staff can ensure that such flyers don t turn into nuisance says Sridharan. In an interview to ET Magazine last November Ajay Singh chairman and managing director of low-cost carrier SpiceJet too stressed on the need for training staff. The pressure on airlines and employees is going to be there in the future Airlines and its employees need to react with grace when put under such pressure he said.
GUADALAJARA (Mexico): India s Akhil Sheoran topped the 50 metres Rifle 3 Positions event to make it four gold medals for India in the ISSF World Cup here on Saturday. ALSO READ: Anjum takes silver in 3P: Power precision perseverance Sheoran collected 455.6 points in total to finish 3.6 points ahead of second-placed Bernhard Pickl of Austria. Hungarian Istvan Peni got 442.3 points in total to take the bronze medal. Indians Sanjeev Rajput and Swapnil Kusale finished fourth and sixth respectively. Rajput got 430.9 points - 11.4 points behind bronze medallist Peni while Kusale got 407.2. Rajput had finished second in the qualifying while Sheoran was fourth while making to the final. The 22-year-old Sheoran who hails from Uttar Pradesh got 151.6 points in kneeling 155.1 in prone and 148.9 in the standing elimination round of the championship. Though he got 151.9 points in the kneeling rounds Pickl was far behind Sheoran in the prone rounds notching up 152.1 in total - which ultimately proved to be the difference between the two. In the standing singles shots Sheoran struck scores of 9.3 10.8 9.4 9.5 and 10.5 - a total of 49.5 as he bagged India s ninth medal in total so far in the edition of World Cup. World No.1 Alexis Raynaud of France finished a disappointing seventh with a total of 397.7 getting eliminated after the regulation play of kneeling prone and two series of standing. Meanwhile Haryana teenager Manu Bhaker finished fifth in the final in the women s 25m pistol. Anna Korakaki of Greece won the gold while Doreen Vennekamp clinched the silver and Mathilde Lamolle of France took bronze medal.
Akhil Sheoran dominated the Men s 50m Rifle 3-Position final to bag India s fourth gold medal at the ISSF World Cup in Guadalajara Mexico on Saturday.The 22-year-old who was participating in his first World Cup was fourth after the kneeling position and rose to second at the end of prone. He then fired two 10.8s to take the lead in the elimination phase in standing position and went on take the gold with a total of 455.6 a good 3.6 points ahead of silver winner Austria s Bernhard Pickl. Istvan Peni won Bronze with 442.3. Sheoran s gold once again underlined the progress made by India s young brigade as he joined first-timers Shahzar Rizvi Manu Bhaker and Mehuli Ghosh in finishing at the top of the podium. Bhaker had also qualified in fourth place for the Women s 25m Pistol Final shooting a score of 581. She however finished fifth in the finals. Anna Korakaki the reigning Olympic Champion in the event took the gold.So with a day to go this is where team India is superb outing for our team and the national flag. pic.twitter.com/med3H6jRKj Raninder Singh (@RaninderSingh) March 10 2018 But it was the Men s 3-P final that kept the spectators glued as Shearon surged ahead during the elimination rounds.Earlier in the qualification round where each shooter shoots 40-shots in each position the experienced Rajput shot a solid 1176 out of a possible 1200 to qualify second behind Hungarian Rifle legend Peter Peni who shot 1178. Akhil was fourth with 1174 while young Swapnil Kusale competing in his first World Cup shot 1168 for seventh place to ensure that it all three Indians qualified for the eight-man final. Rajput had the best Prone round among all qualifiers with a 398 out of 400 while both he and Akhil had the strongest Kneeling round among the eight with scores of 392 each. Swapnil had the strongest Standing round among the three Indians with a 390 which was the second best in the position among all qualifiers.Rajput misses outIn the final Rajput was strongest off the blocks being in second spot after the first 10 kneeling shots with Akhil in third and Swapnil in joint fourth place. At the end of it Rajput was 0.6 clear of second placed Austrian Pickl. Akhil was in fourth and https://kkd4int.hatenablog.com/ Swapnil in fifth place with Istvan Peni looming in third spot.Rajput got even stronger in the 15 shot Prone round and by the end of it was 1.1 clear of second placed teammate Sheoran who also had a strong Prone round to make his move up. Peni was 2.6 behind Rajput in third place.The wind at the tent-range got into its elements at the start of the final 15 Standing position shots and after the first five shots it was Akhil Sheoran who was one point clear of the field with Peni moving up to second and Rajput after a horrid 5-shot series which had three scores in the 8s down to fourth. Kusale bowed out in sixth place in his first World Cup while Sheoran came up with a 10.8 in the 42nd shot to virtually seal the deal. Rajput had left too much to do and even a 10.8 in the 43rd shot could not get him into the podium as he finished fourth ending with 430.9 in the final.With two shots left Akhil was almost 2 points clear and held his nerve to close out in style with a 10.8.
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