Question : Indo-French Agreement

(a) whether India and France has signed an agreement recently for the establishment of an Indo-French Joint Committee on Science and Technology Cooperation;

(b) if so, the details and the salient features thereof;

(c) whether the two countries will soon work to promote economic and social development through research, development and innovation and if so, the details thereof;

(d) the manner in which and the extent to which both the countries are likely to be benefited therefrom; and

(e) the time by which the implementation work on the agreement is likely to be started?

MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY AND MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF EARTH SCIENCES
(SHRI.Y. S. CHOWDARY)


(a) No Madam. However, India and France have signed an arrangement for establishment of an Indo-French Joint Committee on Science and Technology Cooperation (JCSTC) on 25th January 2016 under the inter-Governmental Agreement between the two countries signed on the 18th July,1978 and in pursuance of joint declaration issued after the summit meeting between the President of the French Republic and the Prime Minister of India held on 11th April 2015 in Paris.

(b) & (c): Under the arrangement the two countries have committed to work together to identify, synergise and define priorities for Indo-French cooperation in science, technology and innovation aimed to achieve economic and social development through knowledge creation, research, development and innovation. The JCSTC will review and also provide recommendations on operational modalities to facilitate Indo-French Science, Technology and Innovation Cooperation.

(d) The arrangement is to help facilitate advance common national goals and startegies in the fields of science, technology and engineering research by leveraging national systems and resources for widening Indo-French science, technology and innovation cooperation. It will also encourage application of the scientific results of such cooperation to economic and social benefit;

(e) The arrangements provides for meeting of the JCSTC once in every two years, alternately in India and France or through other appropriate communication ways like videoconferencing as mutually decided by the two sides.

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