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UPSCPORTAL Current Affairs : http://upscportal.com/civilservices/current-affairs

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INDIA ANDBANGLADESH

India and Bangladesh signed a

historicprotocolonlandboundary

agreement following the talks

between Prime Minister

MahmohanSinghandBangladesh

PrimeMinisterSheikh Hasinain

Dhakaon 6 September 2011.The

agreement in itself is historic,

after signingagreements, Indian

PrimeMinistersaidthatsigningof

theprotocolonlandboundarywill

resolve all issues relating toun-

demarcated boundary areas ,

enclavesand landunderadverse

possession.

During thevisit ofManmohan

Singh to Bangladesh, India and

Bangladesh signed the following

agreements:

(i) Framework Agreementon

Cooperation for

Development

(ii) Protocol to the Agreement

concerningthedemarcation

of the Land Boundary

between India and

Bangladesh and related

matters

(iii) Addendum to the MOU

between India and

Bangladesh to facilitate

Overland TransitTraffic

between Bangladesh and

Nepal

because for the first time India

will have a fully demarcated

boundary with one of it s

neighbours.In ajoint statement,

INDIA & THE WORLD
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(iv) Memorandum of

Understanding for

Cooperation inRenewable

Energy

(v) Memorandum of

Understanding on

Conservation of theSunderban

(vi) ProtocolonConservationof

theRoyalBengalTigerofthe

Sunderban

(vii) Memorandum of

Understanding on

Cooperationin Fisheries

(viii) Memorandum of

Understanding on

Cooperation between

Doordarshan and

BangladeshTelevision

(ix) Memorandum of

Understanding on

Cooperation between

JawaharlalNehruUniversity

and DhakaUniversity

(x) Agreementof Cooperation

betweenNational Institute

of Fashion Design (NIFT),

Indiaand BGMEA Instituteof Fashion Technology

(BIFT), Bangladesh

BangladeshPrimeMinister Sheikh

Hasina described the land

boundaryagreementasahistoric

momentinbilateralrelationsand

added that the framework

agreementon cooperation and

development is a visionary

document that looksnotjustonthe reality today but also the

potentialsoftomorrow.Indiaand

Bangladeshalsoagreedtoremove

al l barriers and improve

infrastructurelikeroad, portand

rail linksforenhancingbilateral

trade. Thiswas agreed after a

two-daysuccessfulvisitbyPrime

MinisterManmohanSingh. During

hi s visit, Manmohan Singh

announcedtoremove 46 textiles

lines, of interest to Bangladesh,

fromIndiasnegative listfor the

least developed countriesunder

theSouth Asia FreeTrade Area

Agreement (SAFTA). Import

duties on these items from

Bangladeshwillbeeliminatedwith

immediateeffect.

INDIA AND PAKISTANAt the invitation of the

CommerceMinisterofIndia, Shri

Anand Sharma, the Commerce

MinisterofPakistan, Makhdoom

Mohammad Amin FahimvisitedIndiafrom 26thSeptemberto 2nd

October, 2011.

Aftermorethanthreeandahalf

decades, thisisthefirstvisitbya

Pakistan CommerceMinister toIndia. Theofficialleveldiscussions

wereheld on 28th September

betweentheCommerceMinisters

and their respective official

delegations. BothMinistersnoted

with satisfaction that India and

Pakistanareenteringanewphase

of fullnormalizationofbilateral

traderelations. Thisaugurswell

for enhancingmutual trust and

understanding.

TheMinisters agreed tojointly

work to more than double

bilateraltradewithinthreeyears,

fromcurrentlevelsof2.7 BillionUSdollarsperannumtoabout 6

Billiondollars. Thisgoalshallalso

be facilitated through the

MemorandumofUnderstanding

signed todaybetween the India

TradePromotionOrganization

and the Trade Development

AuthorityofPakistan. TheMoU

shall foster better trade

promotional activities, for the

benefitofbusinesscommunitiesofboth countries.TheMinisters

mandated their Commerce

Secretaries topursuewithvigor

the task of fully normalizing

bilateral trade relations. Theyagreedthattheircountrieswould

cooperateforahighambitionof

preferentialtraderelationsunder

theframeworkoftheSouth Asia

FreeTrade Agreement (SAFTA).

Theynotedwithsatisfactionthe

joint and collaborative efforts

alreadybeingmadebyIndiaand
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Pakistan to liberalize trade in

goodsandservicesunderSAFTA.

They agreed that al l mutual

obligations contracted under

SAFTA wouldbe implemented

withfullsincerity.

The Ministers appreciated theprogressmadeand roadmap laid

fortradeliberalizationintheApril

2011 meetingof the Commerce

Secretaries . They further

mandated their respective

CommerceSecretariesthatwhen

theymeet inNovember, 2011

they shall lay down specific

timelines tonormalize all trade

relationshipsincludingdismantling

of all non-tariff barriers. Fullimplementation of SAFTA

obligationswasalsomandated.

BothMinisters agreed thatjoint

and concerted effortswill be

made in all areas to create an

enabling environment for trade

and to encourage greater

engagementbetweenthebusiness

communitiesofbothcountries.

Theyagreed to furtherpromotegreaterintra-regionalconnectivity

throughroad, rail, shippingandair.

This meeting has been an

important milestone in

identificationof issues impeding

trade (insectorssuchascement,

textiles, surgical instruments) as

perceived by the business

communities ofboth countries.

Customsarrangementshavealsobeen significantly synchronized

and both sides are vigorously

addressingissuesofinfrastructure,

tofurtherpromotebilateraltrade

throughthelandrouteofAttari-

Wagah.

The new business visa regime

would allowmultiple entry and

couldbe for aperiodup toone

year.TheMinistersexpressedthe

hopethatsuchanewvisaregime

wouldrapidlyexpandthevistasof

bilateral commerce .They

emphasized that amore secure

regional environment would

progressivelyhelpbothcountries

to keep liberalizing the visa

arrangementsforbusinesspersons.

The Ministers agreed that the

bilateral trade liberalization

processshouldbeuninterruptible

andirreversible.

Theyaffirmedthatbothcountries

would cooperate and work in

closecoordinationatmultilateral

forum , such as WTO andSAARC, to support eachother,

thereby strengthening their

economies.

INDIA AND CHINA

Indiaand Chinaheld their firstStrategic Economic Dialogue inBeijing on 26 September 2011.Indiaand Chinaagreedtodeepenbilateralinvestmentcooperation,furtheropenupmarketstoeachotherandimprovetheinvestment

environment.IndiaandChinaalsoagreedtostrengthencooperationon energy efficiency andconservation, as well as onenvironmentalprotection. Inorderto promote sustainabledevelopment, the two sides

agreed to cooperate in therenewableenergysector.

Thetwosidesagreedtohostthe

next SED in 2012 inIndia.Strategic Economic Dialoguewillincreasemutualunderstandingand trust between India andChina.

Through this dialogue, bothnations could share theirexperience to achieve economic

development. Although thebilateral tradecrossed 61 billionUSdollarsin 2011, Indiawasleftwithdeficitofover 40.9 billionUS dollars due to acceleratedexportsfrom China.

INDIA AND USAMinister of Power Shri

SushilkumarShindevisitedUnited

StatesofAmericatotakepartin

the8thIndiaInvestment Forumin

NewYork.TheIndiaInvestment


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Forumhaddistinguishedgathering

of top ranking India centric

investors, captainsofIndianand

US Industries,especially those

from power sector, senior

governmentrepresentatives, Fund

Managersand Analysts.

Calling upon the American

investors to invest in Indian

powersector, ShriShindesaidthat

Indiahastakenseveralmeasures

to make the power sector

investorfriendlyinafastgrowing

competitiveenvironment, hesaidthat an independent regulatory

frameworkinIndianowprovides

business confidence to power

companiesand a fairly lucrative

rateof returnonequityof 15.5

percentperannum.

Highlighting the reforms in the

power sector theMinister said

that the Electricity Act 2003

allows the sector to align itselfwithmarketdynamicsandclears

the roadblocks especially in the

wayofgreaterparticipationby

theprivatesector.ShriShindesaid

thatwhile thepresent installed

generation capacity in India is

about 1,81,000 MW, more than

80,000 MW of new power

capacityisunderconstruction. He

informed thegathering that the

12th Plan aims at a capacity

additionofnearly 100 thousand

MW. TheMinistersaidthatinthe

11thPlan period from 2007 to

2012, thefundingrequirementin

thenorm. ShriShindesaidasof

January 2011, all power tobe

procuredismandatedthroughthe

competitivebiddingroute. Hesaid

100% Direct ForeignInvestment

hasbeen allowed for sometimes

nowinallsegmentsofthepower

sector including power trading.

TheMinister said that investor

confidencehas returned to the

sectorwhichisamplyborneout

bythefactthatallprojectsofthe

11th FiveYearPlan and 78,000

MW for the 12 th plan have

achievedfinancialclosure.

ShriShindeinformedthat 16 Ultra

MegaPowerProjects (UMPPs)

and 14 InterStateTransmissionschemeshavebeenidentifiedfor

developmentbytheprivatesector

on competitive bidding route.

Statingthatwhilethebiddingof

fourUltraMegaPowerProjects

andsixtransmissionprojectshave

beencompleted, ShriShindesaid

thatmore than 5 UMPPsare in

thepipeline, forwhichSpecial

PurposeVehicles (SPVs) have

beencreatedbythePFC.

Regarding Hydro power Shri

Shinde said that estimated

potentialinhydrosectorinIndia

is 1,50,000 MW out ofwhich

only 30,000 MW has been

harnessed. Theremainingcapacity

needs to be developed which

provides the investors an

opportunity. To enable the

projectdeveloper in the HydroSector a reasonable and quick

returnon investmentmerchant

saleofuptoamaximumof40%

of the saleable energyhasbeen

allowed, making investments in

thesectormoreattractive.

TheMinister said that India is

activelypursuing a low carbon

IndianPower Sectorhad been

estimatedatUSD 230 billion, and

the similar investment is

anticipatedfor12thPlan.

Allaying the apprehensions of

investors on the availability offuel, Shri Shinde said India is

workingonincreasingimportsas

well as domesticproductionof

coal. Hesaida GroupofMinisters

has been formed to quickly

address the coal shortage issue.

TheMinisteraddedthatinorder

toincreasetheavailabilityofgas,

India isworking on anRLNG

poolingmechanism.Onthepolicy

front, ShriShinde said that theNational ElectricityPolicy, 2005

andtheTariffPolicy, 2006 have

paved the way for renewed

interestamongstbothdevelopers

andinvestors. Hesaidthebidding

documents have been

standardizedandthecompetitive

biddingrouteisslowlybecoming


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growth strategywhich includes

Super Critical Technology in

Thermal Plants, the rapid

induction of Clean Coal

Technologiesandasharperfocus

on renewables.He said that

international majors like

Mitsubishi, Toshiba, Hitachi,

Alstomand Ansaldohavealready

startedtheprocessofpartnering

withIndianmanufacturerstoset

upSuperCriticalManufacturing

facilities in India. He also

highlighted Indias commitment

towards renewable energy and

said that India plans to add

20,000 MW of solar power by

2022. He said that the StateElectricity Regulatory

Commissions (SERCs) are

mandatingaminimumRenewable

PurchaseObligations (RPOs) to

Discoms and amechanism for

trading of Renewable Energy

Certificates (REC s) through

powerexchangeshasalsostarted

workinginIndia.

HesaidthataninvestmentofRs.

74,000 crores ($ 15 billions)

wouldbe required for energy

efficiencyinitiativesinIndia. He

said that in order to improve

confidence among the Financial

Institutions , a robust and

transparentenergy audit system

has been created. Sharing that

both thePartialRisk Guarantee

Fund and theVenture Capital

Fund are being created forboostinginvestmentsinthearea

ofenergyefficiency, theMinister

said thataNationalMission on

Enhanced Energy Efficiency is

underimplementation.Duringthe

visitShriShinde also addressed

CEOsmeetorganisedbyUSIBC.

ShriShindewasonafivedayvisit

to the USA which aimed at

enhancing cooperationbetween

the two countries in the power

sector.

INDIA AND GERMANY

International AdvancedResearch

CentreforPowderMetallurgy &

New Materials (ARCI)

Hyderabad of India and the

Fraunhofer Society of Germany

has signed a path breaking

cooperativeR&D agreement in

the field of automotive

technologies. Thispartnershipisa

resultofthedialoguebetweenthe

Indian Core Group on

Automotive R&D (CAR) and

German FraunhoferSociety (FhG)

some time ago.CAR is amajor

initiativeof the Government of

India to promote collaborativeR&D among Indian Industry,

R&D Institutions and Academia

forthebenefitoftheautomotive

industry. The CARprogrammes

were initiatedby thePrincipal

Scientific Adviser to the

Government of India. The

Department of Science &

Technologyas thenodalagency

hasfundedtheprojectsdeveloped

by DST-TIFAC under the CAR

programme. The ministriesof

Heavy Industry, Electronicsand

RoadTransportationhavebeen

theothermembers of the CAR

apex committee and provided

fundswherenecessary. FhG isa

leading industrial R&D

organization in Europe. With a

viewtoexploring thepossibility

of collaboration between CAR-

FhG workshopswereheldinIndia

and Germany. Distinguished

experts drawn from Indian

academia, national laboratories

and industry and Fraunhofer

institutes participated in the

workshopsandidentifiedprojects

under four broad themes:

Materials , Manufacturing ,Automotive Electronics and

Propulsioninshort-term, medium-

termandlong-termcategories.

The first of the collaborative

projectsMultiJoinisthebasisof

the agreement signed today

betweenthe GermanandIndian

sides.A special feature of this


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projectarisesfromthewayR&D

projects were identified.

Multijoinprojectprioritywas

industry-drivenand Government

supported. MultiJoin project

aimsatenablinglightweightingof

automotivebodythroughhybrid

designsinvolvingmulti-materials.

Four Indian institutions , ARCI

Hyderabad, IISc Bengaluru, IIT

Madras and ARAI Pune; four

FraunhoferinstitutionsIWU, IWS,

IFAM and IZFP; with

participationofIndianautomotive

OEMswillworkonevaluationof

fourdifferentjoiningtechniquesto

joinaluminium, steelandplasticin

dissimilarcombinations leadingtodevelopmentofdesignguidelines

for incorporationof thenewly

generated knowledge into

automotivebodydesigns. Optimal

technology concepts including

appropriate quality control

strategiesbasedonacostbenefit

analysiswillbe implemented in

production by interested

industries.

INDIA AND SOUTHAFRICA

IndiaandSouth Africaagreedto

strengthenbilateralcooperationin

theMSME (micro, small and

mediumenterprise) sector. South

Africahousesmany prominent

centresoflearningandexcellence.

TheMSME sectoraccountsfora

large shareof industrialoutput,employmentandexportsinboth

countries. There are immense

opportunitiesofcooperationand

strategic alliances in MSME

sector, whichcouldbeintheform

ofjoint ventures , technology

collaborationsormarketing tie-

ups.

Thetotaltradebetweenthetwo

countries in the financialyear

2010-11 was 10.6 billion US

dollars, higherthanbilateraltrade

targetof10 billionUSdollarsby

theyear2012, setduringthevisit

ofSouth AfricanPresidentJacob

Zuma to India in June, 2010. A

revisedbilateral trade targetof

15 billionUSdollarshasbeenset

fortheyear 2014.

South AfricaisIndias 2ndlargest

tradingpartnerinAfrica. Thereis,

however, ample scope of

diversifying the existing trade

basketbybringinginmanymore

manufactured goods. There is

activecontactbetweenIndiaand

South Africainmultilateralfora,

particularly at the NAM,Commonwealth, G-77, G-20,

NAASP and WTO. Both

countries arepartof the IBSA

trilateralinitiative. Bothcountries

are currently non-permanent

members of the UN Security

Council (2011-2012). SA

renderedpro-activesupportinthe

NSG decisiontoenable fullcivil

nuclear cooperationwith India.

SA recently participated in the

BRICS summitheld in China in

April, 2011.

INDIA AND MYANMARIndia and Myanmar on 27

September 2011 agreed to set a3 billionUSdollarsastradetarget.

Thetradetargetwillbeachieved

by 2015. Atpresent, thebilatral

tradebetweenIndiaandMyanmar

is 1.5 billionUSdollars. Thiswas

decided at a fourthmeeting of

jointtradecommissionwhichwas

attendedbytheUnion Commerce

Minister, AnandSharmaandthe

Myanmars Minister of

Commerce, U. WinMyint.IndiaandMyanmaralsoagreedtobuild

aLand CustomStationat India-

Myanmar Border (Mizoram) to

facilitate the movement of

vehiclesandgoods enteringand

leavingMizoram. Bothnations

notedthatthebordertradepoint

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TamuontheMyanmarsidehad

hugepotentialfornormaltrade.

Itshouldbenotedthatonethird

of Indias importsofpulses and

one-fifthof Indias imports of

timber are fromMyanmar. At

present , pulses and woodproducts accounts for 97.5

percent of Myanmars total

exports to India while

pharmaceuticalsandbuffalomeat

accounted for 45 percent of

Indias total exports to

Myanmar.India andMyanmar

implemented the India-ASEAN

(AssociationofSoutheast Asian

Nations) FreeTrade Agreement

(FTA) on 1 September 2010.Indiahad also implemented the

Duty Free Tariff Preference

(DFTP) scheme forMyanmar in

January 2009, under which

Myanmar would gain market

access for 94 per centof Indias

products at zeroduty.India and

Myanmarhavealsoincreasedthe

listofitemsforbordertradefrom

22 to 40.

INDIA AND ISRAELIndiaand Israelhavedecided to

enhancecooperation inTourism

Sector. Thiswas decided at a

meeting between Stas

Misezhnikov, TourismMinisterof

IsraelandUnionTourismMinister,

SubodhKantSahaiheld inNew

Delhion 5 September2011.Both

the countries havedecided toconsiderexchangingexperiencein

destination management and

promotion. Manpower

developmentwillbeanotherarea

ofcooperationbetweenIndiaand

Israel. Exchangeprogramme for

teachers, students, andexchange

of information on teaching

moduleswillbeconsideredbythe

twocountries.

Touroperatorsand travelagents

ofboththecountrieswillinteract

with each other in order to

promote two-way tourism

between India and Israel. The

possibilities for promoting

package tours in either of the

countrieswillalsobeexploredby

thetraveltradeoftwocountries.

TouristtrafficfromIsraeltoIndia

was 40581 in 2009, whichroseto

43539 in the year 2010. An

agreement between India and

Israeloncooperationinthefield

of tourismwas signed inNew

Delhi inMay , 1993. Both the

countries have rectified this

agreement. IndiaTourismOfficelocatedin Frankfurtisresponsible

forpromoting India as a tourist

destinationintheIsraelimarket.

INDIA AND NEPALIndiaandNepalresumedbilateral

talks on security issues in

Kathmandu on 22 September

2011. The -two-day joint

secretary level talks between

India and Nepal was resumed

afteragapoffouryears. Thelast

onewasheld inNew Delhi in

2007.Besidesinformationsharing

and security issues, India and

Nepal also discussed about

constructionoftheNepalPolice

AcademyatPanautiwithIndian

assistance of 5 billion Nepali

rupees. The two nations also

deliberated on border

management and trans-border

crime, human trafficking and

smugglingoffakeIndiancurrency

throughtheopenborder.Although

India-Nepal agreement tohold

joint-secretarylevelsecuritytalks

everysixmonthsisinplace, thesecurity talkswerenotheld for

the past four years. India and

Nepalshare 1800 kmlongborder

betweenthem.

INDIA AND URUGUAYThe GovernmentoftheRepublic

ofIndiasigneda DoubleTaxation


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Avoidance Agreement (DTAA)

with the OrientalRepublicof

Uruguay for the avoidance of

double taxation and for the

preventionoffiscalevasionwith

respecttotaxesonincomeandon

capital on 8th September,

2011.The DTAA provides that

businessprofitswillbetaxablein

thesourcestateiftheactivitiesof

an enterprise constitute a

permanentestablishmentinthat

state. Such permanent

establishmentincludesabranch,

factory , etc. Profits of a

construction , assembly or

installationprojectswillbetaxed

in the state of source if theprojectcontinuesinthatstatefor

morethansixmonths.

Profitsderivedby an enterprise

from the operation of ships or

aircraftininternationaltrafficshall

be taxable in the country of

residence of the enterprise .

Dividends, interest and royalty

incomewillbetaxedbothinthe

country of residence and in the

countryofsource. However, the

maximum rate of tax to be

chargedinthecountryofsource

willnotexceed 5% inthecaseof

dividendsand 10% inthecaseof

interest and royalties. Capital

gainsfromthesaleofshareswill

be taxable in the country of

sourceandtaxcreditwillbegiven

in the countryof residence.The

Agreement further incorporatesprovisionsforeffectiveexchange

ofinformationincludingbanking

information and assistance in

collectionof taxes between tax

authoritiesofthetwocountriesin

linewithinternationallyaccepted

standards including anti-abuse

provisions to ensure that the

benefitsof the Agreement are

availed of by the genuine

residentsofthetwocountries.The

Agreement will provide tax

stabilitytotheresidentsofIndia

andUruguayandfacilitatemutual

economiccooperationaswellas

stimulatetheflowofinvestment,

technologyandservicesbetween

IndiaandUruguay.

INDIA AND CANADA

GovernmentofIndiaand Canada

agreed that residual issueswithregard to Foreign Investment

ProtectionAgreement (FIPA) and

Bilateral Social Security

Agreement (SSA) between the

twocountrieshavebeenresolved

andbothagreementscouldnow

be signedat anopportune time.

Mr. Edward Fast, Minister of

InternationalTrade of Canada

alsoconfirmedthatthe Canadian

sidehasdelinked theSSA from

FIPA. Indias CommerceMinister

AnandSharmaraisedtheissueof

constrainedsupplyofPotashfrom

Canada to the Indianbuyers.He

said that the Government of

Canada shouldview thismatter

froma strategicperspective and

urge the Canadianbusinesses to

enterinto longtermagreements

with the Indian buyers on

commercialterms.

ThetwoMinisters took stockof

the current status of trade and

commercial linkages between

India and Canada. They alsodiscussed steps to be taken by

both sides to intensify the

interaction between the

governmentandtheprivatesector

stakeholderonbothsides.Minister

Sharmaunderscoredtheneedto

convenethemeetingoftheIndia-Canada CEO Forum at an early

date so that the agenda for

positiveengagementbetweenthe

businessesof the two countries

could be furthered.Minister

Sharma strongly raised the

problems being faced by

professionals of the Indian IT

industryinobtainingappropriate

visasforCanada. Hesaidthatthis

was limiting services trade

betweenthetwocountries. Inthis

regard, heaskedMinisterFastto

sensitize the relevant Canadian

authoritiestoremoveimpediments

to the movement of IT

professionals from India to

Canada. Minister Fast said that

the Canadian governmenthad


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recently changed its policy and

under the revised guidelines

Canadawas giving appropriate

multiple entry visas if the

passports were of 10 year

validity.

INDIA AND LIBYA

India announced support for

LibyasTransitional National

Council in the UN on 17

September 2011.The Union

government of India supported

the acceptanceof credentialsof

the delegation of the TNC, to

attend the 66th session ofUN

General AssemblyinNewYork.

TheTNC delegationwasheadedby itsPresidentMustafa Abdel

Jalil .India participated as an

observer in theLibyan Contact

GroupmeetinginIstanbulinJuly

2011. Indiaschargedaffairesto

Libya, atpresentbasedinTunis,

formallyestablishedcontactwith

theTNC mission inTunis. India

recently gave humanitarian

assistanceof 1 milliondollarsto

Libya.

INDIA AND ZIMBABWEIndia andZimbabwe agreed to

expeditetheratificationofBIPA( BilateralInvestmentPromotion

particular, intherailsectorwhere

India had gained considerable

expertise in layingof tracksand

development of rolling stock,

IRCON andRITES could assist

Zimbabwe in theexpansionand

rehabilitation of it s rail

infrastructure. In the aviation

sector also India could provide

technical assistance to

Zimbabwe.Mr. Scindiainformed

hisZimbabwecounterpartthatit

had been decided to further

strengthen the India-Zimbabwe

bilateraltiesbysettingupRural

technologyParkand Foodtesting

laboratoryinZimbabwe.

Mr. Scindiastressedthatthereisscope for significant

diversificationofIndianexportsto

Zimbabwe , and Zimbabwean

exports to India, and to

substantiallyincreasethepresent

lowlevelofbilateraltradeofUS

$ 125 mn registered in 2010-11.

Hehighlightedthefactthatinthe

comingyearsmaximumgrowth

will be from south-south trade

amongst the countriesof Asia,Africa andLatin America. The

minister also appreciated the

contribution of 10000 strong

Indian DiasporainZimbabweto

the economy of Zimbabwe.

Speakingaboutthepotentialareas

of cooperationbetween the two

countries, he mentioned that

Zimbabwehastheworldslargest

platinum reserves and also

possesses large reservesofgold,

coal, asbestos, copper, nickeland

ironore.Indianminingcompanies

couldpartnerZimbabweanmining

majors in key value-added

activities. He alsomentioned

aboutotherbusinesssectors, such

as renewable energy, where

Indian and Zimbabwean

and Protection Agreement)

betweenIndiaandZimbabwefor

further strengthening the

investmentandtradetiesbetween

the twocountries. Thiswasone

oftheimportantoutcomesofthe

bilateral meetings between

Honble minister of state

Commerce and IndustriesMr.

JyotiradityaM. Scindia andhis

counterpart minister from

Zimbabwe Government. Mr.

Scindia was on a visit to

Zimbabwe accompanied by a

business delegation.He offered

Indias full support in the

development of telecom,

highwaysandrailwayssectors. In


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companies could strike project

partnerships.

India is helpingZimbabwe in

capacitybuildingandassistingin

developing itsownresearchand

knowledge base by sharing

experiences in various sectorssuchasSME, Power, Agriculture

etc. Zimbabwewillsoonjoinother

African countries that are

benefitingfromthePan-Africane-

Network, a project that will

connect all 53 countriesof the

African Union (AU) with a

satelliteandfibreopticforsharing

Indiasexpertiseineducationand

health. GovernmentofIndiaalso

providesassistancetoZimbabweunder the ITEC programme for

capacitybuilding.

INDIA AND TURKEYIndia and Turkey agreed for

futurecooperationincoalrelated

areasduringthemeetingbetween

Sriprakash Jaiswal, Ministerof

Coal, Governmentof India and

TanerYildiz, MinisterforEnergyand Natural Resources ,

government of Turkey on 12

September 2011.The meeting

tookplaceatIstanbul, Turkeyon

the sidelinesof the 22ndWorld

Mining Congress inaugural

session. India and Turkey

discussed about the energy

situation in the two countries,

particularly in the fieldofcoal

mining. India offered technicalcooperation todevelop coaland

lignitedepositsandcoalwashing

inTurkey. Turkeyisplanningto

set up some 15000 MW coal

based power generationplants

andrequestedIndiancompaniesto

participateinthetenders.

INDIA AND BHUTAN

India and Bhutan signed a

MemorandumofUnderstanding

for a period of five years to

facilitateexchangeofknowledge

and experience, information,

material, expertiseandtechnical

knowhow, trainingofpersonnel

and development of human

resourcesinelectoralmattersand

alsofortakingupjointinitiatives

and providing assistance to

others.The MoU was signed

duringthevisitofChiefElection

Commissioner SY Quraishi to

Bhutan on 16-18 September

2011.The Chief Election

CommissionerofIndiaofferedto

createaSAARC Resource Centre

attheIndiaInternationalInstituteof Democracy and Election

Management for preserving and

nurturing election related

documentation in relation to

SAARC countries .The Chief

Election CommissionerofBhutan

askedfortrainingoftheirnewly

inducted officers through the

IIDEMplatforminIndia. Quraishi

agreedtothatandofferedtotrain

Bhutaneseelectionofficialsduring

theprocessofforthcomingState

elections.

INDIA AND UGANDAThe government-run IndianInstituteofForeignTrade (IIFT)

setupitsfirstoverseascampusinKampala, Uganda to assiststudents of African nationsunderstand the nuances ofglobalisationandcapacity-buildinginthecontinent.Thenewinstitute,named India-Africa InstituteofForeignTrade (IAIFT), isbeingset up as a part of the Indiangovernments initiative tohelpdevelop a higher educationsystem in African countries in

specialisedfields.Itwillbeapan-Africa institute-part of Indiascommitmentforcapacity-buildingin Africa. Establishedin 1963 bythegovernmentofIndia, DuringtheIndia-Africa ForumSummitin2008, PrimeMinisterManmohanSinghhadannounced that Indiawould help establish 19


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educationalinstitutionsin Africa.IIFT is one of them and theAfricanUnionwantedittobesetupinKampala.

INDIA AND ESTONIA

India signed DTAA (DoubleTaxation Avoidance Agreement)

with Estoniaon 19 September

2011 and forged apact towork

withitinthefieldofinformation,

communicationsandtechnology

(ICT).The DTAA andthepacton

ICTwassignedduringthevisitof

communications andInformation

TechnologyMinisterKapilSibalto

Estonia. Estonia isa state in the

BalticregionofNorthern Europe.

Kapil signed the DTAA withEstonian Minister of Finance

JurgenLigi.Indiawillalsosetupa

ChaironCyberSecurityinTallinn

Universityanda ChaironIndian

languages, historyandliteraturein

another of Estonias

universities.The governmentof

Estonia also announced 20

scholarships for Indian students

that enroll with Estonian

universities for accredited

doctoralprogrammeleadingtoa

PhD degree in informationand

communication technology,

environment technology,

biotechnology, material

technologypowerengineeringor

health.

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