GS Paper II

News Excerpt:

French President Emmanuel Macron is the chief guest of the Republic Day 2024 event. This is the sixth time a French leader has been the chief guest at the Republic Day celebrations.

About India-France ties:

25 years of Strategic Partnership:

• The India-France Strategic Partnership, the first signed between India and any Western country, has strength that comes from shared strategic autonomy, a desire for a multi-polar world, and a natural affinity for democratic values and the rule of law.
• Defence and security, civil nuclear matters, and space constitute the principal pillars of this partnership, which now also includes a strong Indo-Pacific component.
• The comprehensive roadmap between India and France, which was adopted last year during the Prime Minister of India’s visit as Guest of Honour for Bastille Day, was classified under three pillars —
• Partnership for Security and Sovereignty
• Partnership for the Planet
• Partnership for People.

Major pillars of cooperation:

• Economic:
• France is one of the largest investors in India, with FDI inflow of US$ 659.77 million for FY 2022-23 (as of June 2023).
• There are over 70 Indian companies employing over 8,000 employees in France.
• For FY 2023-24 (till August 2023), Indian exports to France totalled $3.06 billion, and imports from France totalled $2.36 billion.
• India’s main exports include engineering goods, petroleum products, pharmaceutical products, electronic equipment and ready-made garments.
• The main imports from France are aviation, machine, electrical, and chemical products.

• Defence:
• Bilateral defence cooperation is reviewed under the Annual Defence Dialogue (Defence Minister level) and the High Committee on Defence Cooperation (Secretary level).
• A Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) office was opened in the Embassy in 2023 to strengthen technology cooperation.
• The procurement of Rafale jets as part of India’s air power is a testament to the deep defence ties.
• The India-France joint defence exercises have grown in scope and complexity over the years.
• Varuna – Naval exercise
• Garuda – Air exercise
• Shakti – Army exercise

• Education:
• An agreement on mutual recognition of degrees was signed in 2018.
• The Indo-French Campus for Health was also launched in 2022 to offer double degrees.
• A scheme that allows Indian students to stay in France for up to two years after finishing their Master's degree to look for jobs was renewed in 2022.
• In 2023, it was agreed to increase the number of Indian students in France to 30,000 by 2030.
• It is estimated that there are about 10,000 Indian students in France currently.
• France announced issuing a five-year Schengen visa to Indian alumni who have completed at least one semester of their Master’s degree in France, a first for alumni from any country.

• Support on International fora:

• • France has continued to support India’s claim for -
    • Permanent membership of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) and the reforms of the United Nations.
    • Accession to the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG)

• • France’s support was vital in India’s accession to the Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR), Wassenaar Arrangement (WA) and Australia Group (AG).
  • India and France have resolved to work together for the adoption of the Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism (CCIT) in the UN.
• Space:
  • There’s a rich history of cooperation in the field of space for over 50 years between ISRO and the French Space Agency, Centre National D’Etudes Spatiales (CNES).
  • France remains a major supplier of components and equipment for the Indian space programme.

• Civil Nuclear Cooperation:
• The Jaitapur Nuclear Power Project (JNPP) discussions have been going around among both nations.
• The two sides have also agreed to establish a partnership on Small Modular Reactors (SMR) and Advanced Modular Reactors (AMR).

• Digital:
• Recently, the global Unified Payments Interface (UPI) was launched at the Eiffel Tower, offering secure and convenient transactions for Indian visitors and NRIs.
• C-DAC and M/S Atos, a European multinational IT service and consulting company based in France, has developed 14 supercomputers for India so far, including the fastest supercomputer, Param Siddhi, at 4.6 petaflops/second.

• Diaspora:
• Mainland France has an estimated 1,19,000 Indian community (including NRIs) members, largely originating from erstwhile French colonies of Puducherry, Karaikal, Yanam, Mahe and Chandernagore and the States of Tamil Nadu, Gujarat and Punjab.

• Tourism:
• About 2.5 lakh French travelled to India in 2019, while about 7 lakh Indians visited France for tourism.
• Rajasthan continues to lead among all Indian destinations for French tourists.
• Foreign tourist arrivals into Rajasthan are growing at a double digit since 2016.

Conclusion:

The current visit will give the leaders of both nations an opportunity to exchange notes on issues of mutual interest — the Russia-Ukraine war, the Israel-Hamas war, China’s assertiveness in the Indo-Pacific, and defence and security cooperation.