India-Germany Relation

Political Relations
India is one of the first countries to end the state of war with post-war Germany in 1951 and amongst the first countries to recognize the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG). The relationship, based on common values of democracy and rule of law has strengthened significantly in the 1990s following India’s economic liberalization and the end of Cold War. In the last decade, both political and economic interaction between and Germany has enhanced significantly. Today, Germany is amongst India’s most important partners both bilaterally and in the global context.
The course of the bilateral relationship was set by the two visits of Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru to Germany in 1956 and 1960. There are regular bilateral exchanges, including at the highest level. In recent years, there have been regular high level visits from both sides. PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee visited Germany in May 2003. Former PM Manmohan Singh visited Germany in 2006, 2010 and 2013. From German side, Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder visited India in 2001 and 2004. Chancellor Angela Merkel visited India in 2007 and again in 2011 for the first Inter-governmental Consultations. German President Joachim Gauck paid a State visit to India in February 2014. German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier visited India on September 7-8, 2014.
India and Germany have a ‘strategic partnership’ since 2001, which has been further strengthened with two rounds of Intergovernmental Consultations (IGC) in New Delhi in May 2011, as well as in Berlin in April 2013. The next IGC is likely to take place in India in the second half of 2015. India will be the Partner Country in Hannover Messe-2015 in April 2015. The two countries have several institutionalized arrangements to discuss bilateral and global issues of interest viz. Strategic Dialogue, Foreign Office Consultations, Joint Commission on Industrial and Economic Cooperation, High Technology Partnership Group, High Defence Committee and Joint Working Group on Counter-Terrorism, Indo-German Consultative Group, etc. Germany and India cooperate closely on the issue of UN Security Council expansion within the framework of G-4. Both sides have regular consultation on foreign policy issues such as East Asia, Central Asia, UN issues, Disarmament & Non-proliferation, etc.
There have been regular interactions between Parliamentarians of the two countries. The Indo-German Parliamentary Group in the German Bundestag, established in 1971, has contributed to strengthening links between the two Parliaments. A 16-member India-Germany Parliamentary Friendship Group has been constituted in the 18th Bundestag under the Chairmanship of Mr Ralph Brinkhaus, an MP from the CDU.
In the field of defence, bilateral Defence Cooperation Agreement was signed in 2006 which provides a framework for annual consultations. High Defence Committee (HDC) meetings at the Defence Secretary level take place annually, alternately in New Delhi and Berlin. India was the Partner Country in ILA Berlin Air Show in 2008. State Secretary in the German Ministry of Defence Mr Wolfang Brauksiepe visited India to
attend 7th HDC in New Delhi on July 9-10, 2014. Chief of Naval Staff Admiral R. K. Dhowan paid an official visit to Germany on July 7-10, 2014.
Economic and Commercial Relations
Economic and commercial relations between India and Germany date back to early 16th century when German trading companies from Augsburg and Nuremberg, developed new sea route around Africa, as they sailed in search of precious stones and spices. Thereafter, a number of German companies were established with the purpose of trading with India and other Asian countries in the 16th and 18th centuries. Werner Von Siemens, founder of Siemens, personally supervised the laying of telegraph line between Kolkata and London, which was completed in 1870. The first wholly - owned subsidiary of Bayer in Asia “Farbenfabriken Bayer and Co. Ltd.” was set-up in Mumbai in 1896.
Indo-German cooperation in trade and technology is one of the most dynamic facets of the bilateral partnership. Joint Commission on Industrial and Economic Cooperation is led by the Finance Minister from the Indian side, and the Economics Minister from the German side. In addition, there are several Joint Working Groups in the fields of agriculture, automobile sector, infrastructure, coal, tourism, standardization, vocational education, etc. The Indo- German Energy Forum focuses on renewable energy, alternative fuels, energy efficient technologies and power sector. The Indo- German Environment Forum focuses on on water supply and sanitation, waste management, energy efficiency, and the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) proposed in the Kyoto Protocol.
The economic relationship has expanded significantly over the years. Germany is India’s largest trading partner in Europe and 2nd most important partner in terms of technological collaborations. However, bilateral trade is on downside in last couple of years due to various domestic and international factors. Bilateral trade during 2013 was valued at Euro 16.08 billion. During the period January-October 2014, it was valued at Euro 13.44 billion (Imports Euro 7.44 billion and Exports Euro 6.0 billion) with a decline of 2.08% compared to the corresponding period of last year.
While India is growing in significance as a trading partner for Germany there is clearly a great deal of potential to be realized. Apart from traditional sectors, knowledge-driven sectors hold good potential for collaboration in the fields of IT, ITES, biotechnology, auto components, renewable energy, green technology, urban mobility & development and the entertainment industry. There are several important Trade Fairs held in Germany, in which Indian companies regularly participate to promote their products and technology.
Garments and textile products, chemical products, leather & leather goods, iron, steel and metal goods, electronic components, electrical components, pharmaceutical products, and auto components are major items of exports from India to Germany. The key German exports to India include electrical generation equipment, auto equipment, complete fabrication plants, bearings, gear equipment, measurement and control equipment, primary chemical products, synthetic material, machine tools, aircraft and iron and steel sheets, etc.
Germany is the 8th largest foreign direct investor in India since 2000. German FDI in India during the period 1991-September 2014, was valued at US$ 7.57 billion. During the period January-September 2014, it was valued at US$ 762.53 million. There are more than 1600 Indo-German collaborations and over 600 Indo-German joint ventures in operation.
The German Indian Roundtable (GIRT), established in 2001 has the objective of spreading information about India and facilitation of Indo-German business ties. There are 14 chapters of GIRT in Germany which are engaged in promoting Indo-German business as well as cultural relations through the regular ‘Stammtisch’ meetings.
Indo-German Science & Technology cooperation started with the signing of the Intergovernmental S&T Cooperation Agreement in 1971 and 1974.Today, Germany is one of the most important global partners of India for S&T cooperation. There are more than 150 joint S&T research projects and 70 direct partnerships between the Universities of both countries. India's scientific establishments have close partnerships with premier German R&D institutions, including the Max Planck Society, Fraunhofer Laboratories and Alexander von Humboldt Foundation. The jointly funded Indo-German Science & Technology Centre was set up in 2008 in New Delhi. India has invested in major science projects in Germany such as the Facility for Anti-Proton and Ion Research (FAIR) at Darmstadt and the Deutsche Elektronen Synchrotron (DESY) for experiments in advanced materials and particle physics.
Germany has also been an important development cooperation partner for several decades. Total bilateral Technical and Financial Cooperation since cooperation began in 1958 amounts to € 10.91 billion. Energy, sustainable economic development and environment & management of natural resources are priority areas under development cooperation. Financial Assistance from Germany has been provided mainly as soft loan, composite loans as well as grants routed through KfW, the German Government's Development Bank. The technical assistance is provided through GIZ- the development agency of German Government. Germany has agreed to provide concessional loans of up to € 1 billion for the financing of Green Energy Corridors through German development cooperation.
Cultural Relations
India and Germany have a long tradition of academic and cultural exchanges. German scholarly tradition has played a key role in introducing Indian art, culture, literature and philosophy to the wider world. India and Germany marked 60 years of establishment of diplomatic relations through ‘Year of Germany in India’ in 2011-12 and ‘Days of India’ in Germany in 2012-13. The Tagore Centre, set up by Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) in Berlin in 1994, regularly organizes programmes to showcase the Indian heritage and diversity of its culture, through a broad spectrum of dance, music, literary events, films, talks, seminars and exhibition events.
There has been growing interest in Indian dance, music and literature as well as motion picture and TV industry, in particular Bollywood. Indian films and artists are regular feature not only at the reputable Berlin International Film Festival but also at other festivals all over Germany. Bollywood films find regular release here and dubbed versions are telecast on television networks. Indian food is popular in Germany with about 200 restaurants estimated in Berlin only.
The Deutsch-Indische Gesellschaft (Indo-German Society) is engaged in promoting inter- cultural understanding by bringing together people of both countries and conveying information about modern India to the German public. There are 33 independent affiliates of the Society in Germany with around 3,500 members engaged in various socio-cultural activities.
German interest in the Indian philosophy and languages resulted in first Chair of Indology at the University of Bonn in 1818. The Government of India has funded several rotating chairs of Indian studies in German Universities. There have been 24 rotating chairs in various German universities till date. In addition, ICCR supports both long-term and short-term Chairs of Indian studies in Germany. A long-term Chair named Heinrich-Zimmer Chair of Indian Philosophy & Intellectual History has been set up at South Asia Institute, Heidelberg University since May 2010. In 2014, ICCR set up two short-term Chairs in Germany: at Free University Berlin and at Philips University of Marburg.
More than 9,000 Indian students are pursuing various courses in Germany, while around 800 German students are studying or doing their internships in India. Many Indian students are opting for Engineering and Management courses in German Universities . Some German companies also offer scholarships for Indian students to undertake postgraduate courses in German Universities. The German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) facilitates joint research, training and exchange of young scientists/research scholars and the jointly funded Indo-German Centre for Sustainability (IGCS) at IIT, Chennai is carrying out research in the field of climate change and environmental science. In addition, Central Council for Research in Ayurveda and Siddha is supporting research in Ayurveda by Charité Medical University, Berlin on Osteoarthritis of the knee, which is the first systematic clinical trial for use of Ayurveda in Europe.
Indian Community
There are about 1,10,000 people of Indian origin in Germany with 43,175 holding Indian passports and 67,029 holding German passports. The Indian diaspora mainly comprises of technocrats, businessmen/traders and nurses. There are a number of Indian organizations and associations active on business/cultural front, cementing ties between India and Germany at the people-to-people level.

India-Canada Relation

Political Relations:
India established diplomatic relations with Canada in 1947. In Canada, India is represented by
the High Commission of India in Ottawa and the Consulate General of India in Toronto and
Vancouver. In India, Canada is represented by the Canadian High Commission in New Delhi;
the Consulates General of Canada in Bangalore, Chandigarh & Mumbai, a Consulate in
Kolkata. India and Canada have longstanding bilateral relationship based on shared
democratic values, pluralistic societies and strong people-to-people contacts. In recent years,
both countries have been working to enhance bilateral cooperation in a number of areas of
mutual importance. High level visits have taken place in recent past including at PM levels:
Dr.Manmohan Singh visited Canada in 2010; Prime Minister Stephen Harper visited India in
2009 and 2012; and the Governor General David Lloyd Johnston visited India in
February/March 2014. The inaugural India-Canada Strategic Dialogue was held in September
2013 co-chaired by then External Affairs Minister Shri Salman Khurshid and Minister of
Foreign Affairs Mr. John Baird. The first India Canada Ministerial Energy Dialogue was held in
Ottawa in October 2013.
India and Canada pursue bilateral relations through the mechanisms of annual Foreign Office
Consultations, Ministerial level Strategic Dialogue, Ministerial Level Energy Dialogue, Joint
Committee on Nuclear Cooperation Agreement, Trade Policy Consultations, Economic and
Financial Sector Policy Dialogue, Joint Working Group on Counter-terrorism, Science &
Technology Committee, Environment Forum, Energy Forum, Steering Committee on Mining
and Earth Sciences; and Joint Working Groups on ICTE, Education, Pulses, Plant Protection,
Health, Agriculture and SPS issues.
India and Canada have signed several agreements including the Air Services Agreement,
Extradition Treaty, Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty and Agreement on Patents. In recent years
both sides have signed Agreement on Cooperation in Agriculture, Agreement on Science and
Technology and Environment Cooperation, Nuclear Cooperation Agreement, Social Security
Agreement, and Audio-Visual Co-Production Agreement. There are MOUs on: Cooperation in
Energy, Cooperation in Space, Cooperation in Mining and Earth Sciences, Cooperation in
Higher Education, Cultural Cooperation, Cooperation in Intelligent Transport Systems,
Cooperation in ICTE, Cooperation in the Field of Petroleum & Natural Gas, Cooperation on
Global Health Challenges, and Cooperation on Skill Development. Separate MOUs on Mines
and Mineral Resources have been signed with the Provinces of Saskatchewan, British
Columbia, Ontario, and Quebec. Department of Research & Development Organization
(DRDO) has signed MOU with York University for R&D in Early Warning and Advance
Response Network (E-Warn). A Social Security Agreement has also been signed with the
Government of Quebec.
Agreements/MOUs under negotiation are: Foreign Investment Promotion Agreement (FIPA),
and Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA).
Commercial Relations:
Trade: The bilateral trade between India and Canada, at its current level, do not reflect the true
potential of the commercial relationship. In the Joint Statement issued on the occasion of the
State visit of Prime Minster Harper to India in November 2012, the two sides reiterated the
shared desire to see the bilateral trade reach $15 billion by 2015. While the two-way bilateral
trade in 2012 was US$ 5.2 billion, in 2013 it increased to over US$ 5.7 billion, registering an
increase of 7.69%.

Major item of Indian exports during 2013: Jewellery and silverware, organic chemicals,
pharmaceuticals, petroleum products, textiles, sea food, iron & steel, electrical equipment,
machinery and auto parts, leather & footwear products, etc.
Major items of Canada’s export to India in 2013: Peas and bean, minerals & metals, papers,
aerospace products, gold & silver ore, medical instruments, rubber, oil & gas extraction,
industrialmachinery, iron & steel, etc.
Investment: The stock of two-way direct investment between India and Canada is as under:

The cumulative Indian FDI in Canada has been more than Canadian FDI inflows into India.
Indian investment in Canada hasincreased steadily in the recent years, especially in the
information technology, software and natural resources sectors. A Bilateral Investment
Promotion Agreement is under negotiation. Canadian investors are present in the Indian
banking,insurance and financial services sectors, as also in engineering and consultancy
services.
An annualised Trade Ministers Dialogue has been institutionalised to review trade and
economic relations. Both sides are engaged in negotiations for a Comprehensive Economic
Partnership Agreement (CEPA) covering trade in goods, services, investment and trade
facilitation. Separate MOUs exist to advance relations in the fields of energy, mining and
agriculture.
State Bank of India, ICICI Bank, Government of India Tourist Office, Air India, ONGC Videsh
Limited and Jet Airways has offices operating in Canada. Jet Airways operate air services to
Canada. Air India operation to Canada has been suspended. Air Canada would be introducing
direct flights to Delhi from Toronto starting November 2015. Leading Indian companies have
presence in Canada such as Tata Steel, Aditya Birla Group, Reliance, Wipro, Infosys, TCS,
Mahindra Satyam, Essar Group, Jubilant, IFFCO and GSFC.
Canada has established Trade Offices in Ahmedabad, Chennai, Hyderabad and Kolkata.
Reputed Canadian companies such as Bombardier, SNC Lavalin, and CAE Inc. have a strong
presence in India.
Cultural Relations:
In view of the large Indian diaspora in Canada, there are number of local organisations
promoting Indian culture, especially performing arts. The Mission in collaboration with ICCR
seeks to supplement the activities of these cultural organisations. Pursuant to the
announcement made by Indian and Canadian Prime Ministers in November 2009, the Year of
India 2011 was organized in different cities of Canada which included multi sectoral events
such as cultural shows, Writers festivals, film festivals, food festivals, trade shows, Education
Summit, Innovation Summit, PBD-Canada, LKA’s Moderns Exhibition, Eminent lecture series,
installation of Gandhi statues and Tagore anniversary.
In the Education field, the Shastri Indo-Canadian Institute (SICI) was founded in 1968 to
promote academic exchanges mainly through funding research and linking academic
institutions in the two countries. 50 universities from India and 40 from Canada are members
of the Institute. Over 300 MOUs exist between Canadian and Indian higher education
institutions for collaborative research and exchange programmes. The two countries have
signed an MOU on High Education in June 2010 and a bilateral Education Summit was held in
Ottawa in June 2011. India is the second largest source of foreign students in Canada with
over 28,000 Indian students studying in different Canadian universities.
ICCR has established India Chairs at 5 Canadian universities: Carleton, McGill, York, Toronto,
and McMaster. India specific centres have been set up in Canadian Universities, including the
Canada India Centre of Excellence at Carleton, Ottawa.
Indian Community:
Canada is home to over one million Persons of Indian Origin. Majority of PIOs live in Greater
Toronto Area, Greater Vancouver Area, Montreal and Calgary. While the majority of the
community is from Punjab, other linguistic and ethnic groups of India are also represented in
the diaspora.
The political profile of the community has grown over the years. There are eight Indo-Canadian
MPs in the House of Commons and one in the Senate. Two PIO MPs are Ministers of State in
the Federal Government and one PIO MP is Parliamentary Secretary to the Foreign Minister.
Prominent Indo-Canadian bodies include Canada India Business Council (CIBC), Canada
India Foundation (CIF), Indo-Canada Chamber of Commerce (I-CCC) and other local
chambers and associations

India-France Relation

Political Relations:
Bilateral relations between India and France have traditionally been close and friendly. With the establishment of strategic partnership in 1998, there has been a significant progress in all areas of bilateral cooperation through regular high-level exchanges at the Head of State/Head of Government levels and growing cooperation and exchanges, including in strategic areas such as defence, counter-terrorism, nuclear energy and space. France was the first country with which India entered into an agreement on civil nuclear cooperation following the waiver given by the Nuclear Suppliers’ Group, enabling India to resume full civil nuclear cooperation with the international community. There is also a growing and wide-ranging cooperation in other areas such as trade and investment, culture, science & technology and education. France has consistently supported India’s increasing role at international fora, including India’s permanent membership of the UNSC and export control regimes like the NSG and MTCR.

Bilateral Trade & Investment Cooperation:
Trade
In 2013, the total goods trade between France and India was € 7.09 billion, registering a decline of 10.4% from 2012. India’s exports to France were valued € 4.375 billion whereas French exports to India totalled € 2.713 billion. This was mainly due to reduction in French exports to India. French imports from India also remained low due to weak demand. India registered a trade surplus of €1.66 billion, an increase of almost 18% from 2012. There was a growth in Indian exports to France for knitted textiles, machinery, electrical equipment and footwear. The French exports to India contracted by 16.7%. The biggest decline in Indian exports to France came in refined petroleum sector. India’s trade in Services with France has shown a growth in the past few years, reaching € 2.6 billion in 2012 with Indian export of services amounting to € 1.4 billion.
There has been an increase in India’s trade with France by 7.68 % during January-October 2014, which amounted to € 6.501 billion. India’s export increased by 14.73% during this period to reach € 4.285 billion. Imports from France declined marginally by 3.76% to reach € 2.215 billion, resulting in a trade surplus of € 2.065 billion. (Source: Statistics from the French Ministry of Economy, Finance and Industry).
Investments
France has emerged as a major source of FDI for India with about 750 big French companies already present in India. France is the 9th largest foreign investor in India with a cumulative investment of € 2.31 billion up to 2012. French companies continue to look at India as an attractive investment destination in order to expand their profits and diversify risks. There are around 100 Indian companies present in France, with a cumulative stock of approximately Euro one billion.
Civil Nuclear Energy Cooperation:
A landmark Agreement on Civil Nuclear Cooperation was signed between India and France on 30 September, 2008 during the visit of Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh to France. Subsequently, during the visit of President Nicolas Sarkozy to India from 4-7 December 2010, the General Framework Agreement and the Early Works Agreement between NPCIL and Areva for
implementation of EPR NPP Units at Jaitapur were signed. Discussions are being held between two sides for implementation of the agreement.
Space Cooperation:
France and India view each other as important partners in space technology and applications. Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and its French counterpart Centre National de Etudes Spatiales (CNES) have a rich history of cooperation and collaboration spanning about five decades.The two countries are working together to bring out joint commemorative stamps to highlight the excellent cooperation in the area of Space. ISRO and CNES jointly developed the Satellite for ARGOS and ALTIKA (SARAL) carrying a radar altimeter to study sea surface altitude (Ka band Altimeter - ALTIKA) and a data collection platform for collecting data from ocean buoys and weather data centres (ARGOS). CNES provided the payloads and ISRO was responsible for satellite platform and launch using PSLV and operations. The integrated SARAL satellite was launched on 25th February 2013. Under a commercial Launch Service Agreement between Antrix Corporation Limited and ASTRIUM SAS, a company under EADS, France, an advanced Remote Sensing satellite - SPOT-7 built by ASTRIUM SAS was successfully launched on-board ISRO's Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle from India on 30th June 2014.
Arianespace, France has been the major provider of launch services to Indian Geo-Stationary satellites. Subsequent to the launch of APPLE satellite on a co-operative mode with Europe, 18 Geo-Stationary satellites of India have been launched by Arianespace on a commercial basis. India’s advanced weather satellite INSAT-3D was launched successfully on 25th July 2013 onboard Ariane-5 launcher from Kourou, French Guiana. India’s advanced communication satellite GSAT-7 was launched on 29th August 2013 by Ariane-5 launcher from French Guiana. On 7th December 2014, India’s multi-band telecommunications satellite GSAT-16 was precisely placed into the intended Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit by the Ariane-5 launch vehicle.
Defence Cooperation:
The defence relations between the two countries are strong and have been growing within the framework of structured talks under the Indo-French Defence Cooperation Agreement, several meetings on industrial collaboration and service exchanges are held regularly. The High Level Committee for Defence Cooperation (HCDC) at the level of Defence Secretaries, met in New Delhi on 26-27 April 2012 and the dates for next round is being worked out. The first India-France joint army exercise, SHAKTI was conducted in India at Chaubattia from 9-22 October 2011. SHAKTI-13, Indo-French Joint Army Exercise was conducted in French Alps in September 2013. The fifth edition of the Indo-French Air Exercise Garuda was held in Jodhpur on 02-13 June 2014. Indo - French Naval Exercise, VARUNA was held in the Mediterranean sea off the port of Toulon from 19-22 July, 2012. Three Indian Naval ships made a port call at St Denis in the Reunion Islands in Oct 2014. The Chief of Army Staff, Indian Army visited France in May 2013 while the Chief of Naval Staff, French Navy visited India on 24-25 November 2014.
Cultural Cooperation:
Indian culture enjoys a wide and discerning audience among the French population, as is evident in the numerous and frequent cultural events organized all over France, spanning the entire spectrum of Indian art, music, dance, cinema and literature. The Cultural Exchange Programme (CEP) for 2013-15 was signed during the visit of President Hollande to India on14 February 2013. The Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) sponsored in 2013-14 visits of Indian artists to France as also exchange of students in the field of culture and art. A significant number of Indian
artists also performed in France on a commercial basis or at the initiative of various local cultural associations, outside the purview of official exchanges.
In keeping with the importance both the countries accord to cinema and the willingness to enhance cooperation in the field, a revised Indo-French Bilateral Film Co-Production Agreement was signed during the visit of French President to India in December 2010. The 15-month long Indian cultural festival - “Namaste France" held from 14 April, 2010 to 28 June, 2011 was a comprehensive presentation of Indian culture including art, music, dance, fashion, films, and literature as also business and education. The Festival was organized in response to ‘Bonjour India’, a French cultural festival, organized by the French Embassy in India in 2009-2010. The French Embassy in India has successfully organized the second edition of ‘Bonjour India’ from January-March, 2013. The second edition of ‘Namaste France’ would be held in France from September 15-November 30, 2016. The Centenary of Indian cinema in 2013 was celebrated by various film festivals in France who dedicated full thematic events to Indian cinema, including the famous Cannes International Film Festival.
An MOU was signed on 26th January 2012 between the Ministry of Culture of India and the Louvre Museum with the aim of establishing an active partnership in the area of exchange of competencies and expertise, particularly in the field of museology, temporary exhibitions etc. Louvre Museum aims to hold an exhibition in India in 2016. An MoU was signed between Crafts Museum, New Delhi and Bargoin Museum, Clermont –Ferrand for cooperation in the conservation of textiles in November, 2012 in France.
Educational and Technical Cooperation:
The bilateral educational cooperation between India and France has grown over the last few years. The project for construction of an annex for Maison De L’Inde (FMDL), which commenced in July 2012, was completed in October 2013. Under the extension project, 72 additional rooms have been constructed adjacent to the present MDL building. India-France Technology Summit was held in October 2013 in New Delhi and saw participation of 300 French and over 500 Indian representatives from government/research organizations, universities and companies. 750 B2B meetings were held for exploring techno-business partnerships. An exhibition by over 50 Indian and French technology companies from diverse sectors was organized during the Summit. Further, 11 MoUs were signed during the Summit. A number of Indian students and scholars visit France under the bilateral exchange programmes. There are about 3000 Indian students studying in France. Around 400 MoUs have been signed between Indian and French universities and private institutions. One of the important initiatives in the field of bilateral education has been IIT Project in Rajasthan. A Letter of Intent has been signed under which a French Consortium, comprising higher education & research institutes, will send faculty members, experts, academicians, students for research/teaching to IIT-R. French side will also contribute to establishment of three Centres of excellence /research laboratories at IIT-R.
Cooperation in the field of Railways:
There has been longstanding cooperation in the field of railway between India and France. During the visit of President Hollande to India in February, 2013, a joint statement to strengthen the cooperation in the Railways sector between the two countries, and a Memorandum of Understanding for Technical Cooperation in the field of Railways between Indian Railways and SociétéNationale des Chemins de FerFrançais (SNCF), the French National Railways were signed. On 24-25 November 2014 Minister of Railways, Shri. Suresh PrabhakarPrabhu inaugurated the Indo-French Rail seminar on ‘High & Semi Higher Speed, Multimodal stations, Infrastructure & Financing’ in New Delhi.
Indian Community in France:
The Indian community, including NRIs, in France is estimated to be around 106,000, largely originating from Puducherry, Karaikal, Yanam, Mahe and Chandranagar. There are also large communities of PIOs in the Reunion Island (about 250,000), Guadeloupe (about 57000), Martinique (about 6000) and St. Martin (about 300), the overseas territories/departments of France.