Emphasises on Consistent, Quicker and Efficient Supply Chains for Supply of Farm Produce for Food Processing

Emphasises on Consistent, Quicker and Efficient Supply Chains for Supply of Farm Produce for Food Processing

India is the third largest food producer in the world yet barely 2.2% of fruits and vegetables are processed. Under the visionary guidance of Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi, Ministry of Food Processing Industries is focusing on boosting the Food Processing Sector so that agriculture sector grows exponentially. To make Food Processing the engine of growth is the motto of Ministry of Food Processing Industries. This was stated by Smt Harsimrat Kaur Badal, Minister of Food Processing Industries here today in an interaction with the media.

Addressing a press conference to highlight the one year’s achievements of Ministry of Food Processing Industries , Smt. Harsimrat Kaur Badal stated that to address the challenges of insufficient infrastructure leading to huge wastage, undue advantage to middlemen at the cost of farmers remuneration, the government’s focus is on compressing supply chains and to make them consistent, quicker and efficient for supply of farm produce for food processing. The Government also focuses on creating a Cold Chain Infrastructure to link the farmer to the consumer seamlessly and creating a Cold Chain Grid in the entire country. The Ministry has identified creation of modern infrastructure for food processing as a focus area and encouraging private investment. Sanctioning of 17 new Mega Food Parks and 30 Cold Chain projects will attract total investment of about Rs. 3077 crore in the creation of infrastructure in food processing sector.

Smt. Badal further informed that the scheme of Cold Chain, Value Addition and Preservation Infrastructure provides financial assistance up to Rs. 10 crore for entrepreneurs. A total of 138 integrated Cold Chain projects were approved by the Government, out of which 108 projects are under the implementation by the Ministry. Of these, 52 projects have already achieved completion and commenced commercial operation. The capacity created by these 52 projects is 2.16 lakh MT of cold storage/CA/Deep Freezer, 80.3 lakh litres per day of milk processing, 38.5 MT/Hour of Individual Quick Freeze and 271 of Reefer Transport. It is expected that operationalization of 108 projects would create capacity of (a) 3.64 lakh MT of Cold Storage, Controlled Atmosphere (CA)/Modified Atmosphere (MA) Storage, Deep Freezer (b) 90 MT per hour of individual Quick Freezing (IQF) (c) 106.95 lakh litres per day of milk processing and storage and (d) 601 number of reefer carriers.

The Union Minister of Food Processing Industries informed that sanction has been accorded to 30 new Cold Chain proposals for implementation. Total expected grant-in-aid to be released to these 30 project is Rs. 274.9 crore which would attract an investment of Rs. 470 crore. Total Cold Chain infrastructure capacity to be created by these is (a) 1.12 Lakh MT of Cold Storage/CA/MA Store (b) 11.10 Lakh Litres per Day of Milk Processing (c) 28.5 MT/Hour of IQF (d) 1434 MT/Day of Ripening Chamber and (e) 209 Reefer Vehicles.

Smt. Harsimrat Kaur Badal also informed that to boost the creation of Infrastructure for Food Processing, the Ministry has, in the last one year, inaugurated two Mega Food Parks - one in Karnataka and another in Fazilka in Punjab. Three more Mega Food Parks are to be inaugurated shortly in West Bengal, Madhya Pradesh and Assam. Government has announced 17 new Mega Food Parks in last one year. It has also completed 14 Cold Chain projects and 30 new Cold Chain projects are being announced.

The Minister informed that the Government has also set up a Fund of Rs. 2000 crores under NABARD for extending affordable credit to entrepreneurs for designated food parks and for setting up of food processing units in the designated food parks. The Government has classified loans to food and agro based processing units and cold chains under agriculture activities for Priority Sector Lending (PSL). The Ministry is working with the industry for imparting industry relevant skill training including development of course content in identified sectors of food processing. The investor-friendly Investor’s Portal has all the required information available online.

Smt. Harsimrat Kaur Badal expressed confidence that these steps of the Government will create modern infrastructure for arresting post-harvest losses of horti and non-horti produces and provide impetus to the growth of this sector. The timely completion of these Integrated Cold Chain and Mega Food Park projects will not only provide a big boost to the growth of food processing infrastructure in the concerned states but also help in providing better price to famers, reduce wastage of perishables, add value to the agricultural produce and create huge employment opportunities especially in rural areas. These will lead to the stabilization of food products prices and contain inflation in the country. 

#CSAT is Qualifying: Official Summary

#CSAT is Qualifying: Official Summary

#CSAT Paper is qualifying, officially. Its marks will not be added in Prelims Cut Off
Candidates have to score a minimum qualifying marks of 33% in CSAT to clear Prelims.
Number of posts for 2015: 1129
Expected Date of Notification: 23 May , 2015

Environment relegated

While addressing Environment Ministers of the States recently, Prime Minister Narendra Modi asserted that environment and growth can go together. He said that the Government was in the process of recovering four times the present rates for the forests that were felled. At present the developers have to pay Rs 10 lakh per hectare for the dense forests that are felled for mining or other purposes. This is estimated to be the value of the timber and grazing that are provided by the forests. The Supreme Court had directed the Indian Institute of Forest Management to review and revise these rates. The IIFM recommended an increase from the present Rs 10 lakh to Rs 56 lakh per hectare. The Prime Minister actually wants to reduce the increase from 5.6 times to four times.

The Prime Minister also iterated his commitment to clean the Ganga. The flow of a river is its main characteristic. Hydropower projects destroy this character with the construction of a barrage and by converting a flowing river into a stagnant pool, with tunnels bypassing its long stretch. The Supreme Court is hearing a case regarding these hydropower projects. The Ministry of Environment had notified in December last year that all hydropower projects would be required to ensure that the mainstream of the river flowed without any obstruction. That would have conserved the basic character of the Ganga. But following a meeting called by the PMO in January, the Government counsel submitted before the court that six projects pertaining to barrages on the Ganga and its tributaries may be allowed. The Government also misled the court by not submitting the full report of the four members and gave a doctored version to the Court. This was a clear reversal of the Ministry’s earlier pro-river stand. Inquiries revealed that counsel was given these directions from the Prime Minister’s Office directly.

One of the “pet” projects of the NDA government was to erect a series of barrages on the Ganga between Allahabad and Buxar to enable large ships to ply. That too would reduce the free-flowing Ganga to a cluster of stagnant pools. Another pet project of the Prime Minister is interlinking of rivers. This envisages the construction of dams on the Ganga, resulting in diversion and further destruction of the river. This means that the Prime Minister is not happy with the smooth flow of the Ganga. Cleaning the river without ensuring its uninterrupted flow is not going to lead to rejuvenation. What good is pollution control if there is no flow?

The Prime Minister has formed a committee with the former Cabinet Secretary, TSR Subramanian, to revive the environmental laws. The only member of the committee who had some connection with environment is Vishwanath Anand. He holds the distinction of dismissing every appeal seeking protection of the environment that came before him when he was the vice-chairman of the National Environment Appellate Authority.

At present, coal mining is prohibited in all protected areas such as wildlife parks and ecosensitive zones. The high-level committee has recommended that coal mining may be permitted in parts of protected areas that have less than 70 per cent forest density. These are called “very dense forests” and constitute only 2.5 per cent of the forest cover. This means that large tracts of protected areas will be opened for mining.

The Prime Minister has correctly stated that environment and growth can go together. But who will decide whether it is indeed so? At present the affected public can approach the National Green Tribunal and seek changes in Government policy that does protect environment while pursuing growth. The committee has recommended that such complaints may be heard in future by an Appellate Board. The Board will be chaired by a retired judge of the High Court and two of its members will be former Secretaries to the government. There will be no independent representation or of people who are familiar with culture or environment. Secretaries generally sing the tune of the Ministers. The underlying idea is to fill the Appellate Board with persons who have a history of being pliable and purchasable.

The National Green Tribunal has been playing an important role in recent years. The committee has suggested that the wings of the Tribunal be cropped. The Tribunal, it is suggested, will undertake only a “judicial review” of the decisions of the Appellate Board. Judicial Review means that the process of arriving at a decision shall be scrutinized, but the merit of the decision cannot be challenged. For example, the Appellate Board may decide to allow mining in protected areas. As per the recommendations, such a decision cannot be challenged as long as the committee follows the correct process such as hearing the litigants. An anti-environment decision, given after following of the procedures, will be beyond challenge. The committee has recommended that eco-sensitive zones may be declared around protected areas. This seemingly impressive proposal can actually be ominous. At present, development activities are prohibited within 10 kilometers of a protected area under orders of the Supreme Court. The declaration of eco-sensitive zones can mean reducing this limit. I am told that a buffer zone of mere 100 meters is proposed around the Okhla bird sanctuary as also in a large number of other protected areas.

The environment and the common people and their livelihoods are inextricably related. The poor are the worst affected by environmental degeneration. For example, the poor drink contaminated groundwater while the rich install RO systems. The impact of “developmental” projects on the poor must therefore be addressed with concern, sense of justice and sensitivity. The present law requires that large developmental projects will necessitate a public hearing and the views expressed will be considered by the Ministry of Environment while granting environment clearance. The high-level committee has, however, recommended that only local people should be allowed to participate in such public hearings. This means that the people of Varanasi will not be permitted to express their views if a barrage is being made on the Ganga at Allahabad. The committee seeks to localize the environment instead of expanding it globally.

It can be argued that the committee’s recommendations are not those of the Prime Minister. The fact remains that the Prime Minister had nominated such people and allowed them to function in a non-participatory and opaque manner. The high-level committee in turn furnished a report which gives expression to his views.

Isro& Nasa to jointly study global ecological changes

The Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro) and Nasa are jointly working on the NISAR satellite designed to observe and take measurements of some of the planet’s most complex processes, including ecosystem disturbances and natural hazards such as earthquakes, tsunamis, volcanoes and landslides.

Talking to HT, Isro chairman Dr Kiran Kumar said, “Our target is 2020-21. The satellite will be built by us and will be launched here. The payloads will be built by Nasa.”

The Nasa-Isro Synthetic Aperture Radar (NISAR) mission is a joint project to co-develop and launch a dual frequency synthetic aperture radar satellite.

The satellite will be the first radar imaging satellite to use dual frequency and it is planned to be used for remote sensing to observe and understand natural processes of the Earth.

Data collected from NISAR will reveal information about the evolution and state of the Earth’s crust, help scientists better understand our planet’s processes and changing climate, and aid future resource and hazard management.

The space agency, Kumar said, has planned seven launches till March 2016, including three for navigation. “There are also plans in future to carry out studies on asteroids,” he said.

Moving beyond satellite launches and planetary explorations, Isro is also aggressively working with many government departments on how to optimise usage of space tools and data.

A national meet on space is likely to be held in Delhi this month where all ministries/departments will give a presentation before the Prime Minister on how they are using space tools for their working.

Learning skills from Seoul

ndia and South Korea have a robust economic engagement, but the Modi govt. will need to take bold steps for a deeper partnership.

In his first year of office, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has chosen his foreign destinations with careful thought. After wrapping up his visits to China andMongolia, Mr. Modi will be in Korea on May 18 and 19 in recognition of the country’s potential importance in pushing the agenda of ‘Make in India’, skill development, employment generation and indigenisation of defence manufacturing.

The stage for the visit has already been set by External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, who had, in December 2014, visited Seoul for the 8th Joint Commission meeting. Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar also went to Seoul in April to identify projects for closer defence collaboration.

South Korea and India have both economic and cultural ties, apart from similar historical trajectories. Their ancient bonds are based on the twin strands of Buddhism and the Princess of Ayodhya. Koreans widely believe that a princess from Ayodhya travelled by sea to Korea in 48CE and married King Kim Suro. A prominent branch of the Kim clan called the Gimhae Kims proudly claim this Indian lineage. The two countries also share bitter colonial experiences; they had to undergo post-independence horrors of partition. Both continue to face hostile nuclear siblings: Pakistan and North Korea, respectively.

Economic engagement

Despite this, India and South Korea did not take much notice of each other till the end of the 1970s. A nonaligned India pursued a policy of equal treatment of the two Koreas, which it finally abandoned in the 1980s.The emergence of South Korea as an Asian Tiger compelled India to look at it as a source of investment and technology. The dawn of real democracy in South Korea in the late 1980s brought it ideologically closer to India. The end of the Cold War and former Prime Minister Narasimha Rao’s ‘Look East Policy’ opened the doors for a rapid economic engagement with South Korea.

Korean Chaebols such as Samsung, LG and Hyundai Motors invested heavily in India in the late 1990s.Their success in capturing the Indian market is visible all around us. Korean investment in India is now more than $3 billion. Indian companies such as Tata Motors, the Mahindra Group and Birla Group have also invested more than a billion dollars in South Korea.

The first decade of the new millennium saw a rapid expansion of both economic and political relations. In 2010, India and South Korea became ‘Strategic Partners’ and implemented the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA). Bilateral trade surged to $20 billion in 2011, surpassing India’s trade with Japan. However, economic activities have been somewhat stagnant since then and require renewed energy and new ideas. For instance, the much-heralded $12 billion investment by the Korean steelmaker POSCO in Odisha has been stuck since 2005 in the quagmire of procedures for mining licences, land acquisition and environmental clearances. Both countries focus on the economic prosperity of their citizens. On strategic regional issues, they strive for a stable and peaceful external environment. However, South Korean President Park Geun-hye and Mr. Modi differ widely on the other two regional giants: China and Japan. No consensus on this is expected at this summit.

In this background, Prime Minister Modi has clear objectives, but difficult issues to address. South Korean corporates have rich experiences of working in rather difficult Indian conditions but before investing more, they may wait for conditions to improve.

Prime Minister Modi will benefit from studying the Korean experience of rapid skill development in the 1960s and 1970s. The impressive industrial miracle of South Korea is based on its trained and dedicated manpower. The system of vocational training, technical education as well as Research and Development is driven by the requirements of industry. In these areas, India’s efforts are largely government-driven and practically divorced from industry requirements. Mr. Modi would also be surprised to learn that 3.4 per cent of Korean GDP is spent on research and innovation and 70 per cent of this amount comes from industry!

Lessons from shipbuilding

In the shipbuilding sector, South Korea has world class technology, but India has obsolescent equipment and management. Creative policy changes would be required in India to motivate Korean private shipbuilders to invest in India. Koreans by nature do not like joint ventures, guard their technology carefully and demand full managerial control. Just as the Rao government had allowed 100 per cent FDI to Korean companies in 1996 as a pioneering policy change, the Modi government should offer to lease a shipyard to the Koreans for the long-term on negotiated terms. Such a move would attract the Koreans to not only invest in shipbuilding in India but also bring in modern technology and equipment. Also, it is hoped that Prime Minister Modi’s visit will reopen the stalled negotiations for the acquisition of eight minesweepers from KangNam Company, which would be partly built at the Goa shipyard.

During the visit, Mr. Modi is likely to face some pressure from President Park for urgent revision of the CEPA. However, he must be cautious as the present CEPA has not generated any extra exports from India, and the bilateral trade gap is widening against India. Despite assurances, the Korean regulators continue to drag their feet in according approvals for import of Indian generic drugs and agricultural products. Indian IT companies have also been struggling for business in South Korea as Koreans hesitate in sharing data with outsiders.

Koreans may also press for the allocation of a site for Korean companies to build a nuclear power plant. They may offer state of the art technology and their overall costs for erecting a project would be about 20 per cent less than their competitors. In turn, India could offer to launch Korean satellites on its launch vehicles.

There is vast potential for the growth of tourism on both sides and India’s decision to grant ‘Visa on Arrival’ and e-visas to Koreans will facilitate tourism. Indian films, cuisine and yoga are widely popular in Korea. Korean pop music and TV serials are well known in India among the youth, particularly in the Northeast. Since the countries share a bond concerning the Princess of Ayodhya, they could even offer incentives to film producers for a joint production of a film based on the legend.

The key component of India-South Korea strategic partnership continues to be a robust economic engagement. This fits squarely with the present priorities of the Prime Minister to boost the manufacturing sector in India. But the Modi government would need to display more imagination and take bold steps to fully tap the potential of a deeper partnership with South Korea.

India - Republic of Korea Joint Statement For Special Strategic Partnership

India - Republic of Korea Joint Statement For Special Strategic Partnership

1. H.E. Prime Minister Narendra Modi paid a State Visit to the Republic of Korea (ROK) at the invitation of H.E. Mme. Park Geun-hye, President of the Republic of Korea (ROK) on May 18-19, 2015. During the visit, Prime Minister Modi held a summit meeting with President Park.

2. Prime Minister Modi and President Park held substantive discussions in areas of mutual interest. They welcomed the rapid expansion and diversification of bilateral ties in recent years. Both sides shared the view that President Park’s State Visit to India in January 2014 provided impetus to development of bilateral relations in a comprehensive manner. The two leaders agreed to upgrade the bilateral relationship to a ‘Special Strategic Partnership’.

3. Recalling the historical and cultural bonds that connect the two peoples, the two sides noted that their shared commitment to values of democracy, open society and liberal international economic order has further strengthened the foundation of the ROK-India Special Strategic Partnership. The two leaders resolved to add new substance, speed and content in the partnership in a wide range of areas including foreign affairs, defense, trade and investment, science and technology, culture and people-to-people exchanges and regional cooperation to take the bilateral relations to a qualitatively higher level.

Political and Security Relations

4. India sees the ROK as an indispensable partner in its "Act East" strategy, and the ROK and India recognize the value of the bilateral partnership and its contribution to bringing peace, stability and security in the Asia Pacific Region. President Park informed Prime Minister Modi about ROK’s Northeast Asia Peace and Cooperation Initiative (NAPCI). Prime Minister welcomed ROK's desire to enhance cooperation and security among countries in the Asia-Pacific region. The two leaders agreed that the two sides should work together to find complementarities between NAPCI and Act East Policy to achieve shared goals.

5. The two sides agreed to further intensify bilateral high-level exchanges. They shared the view that bilateral defence and security cooperation has large potential to grow.

6. Welcoming the visit of the Speaker of the Korean National Assembly to India in May 2015, the two sides hoped for increased exchange of India-Korea parliamentary delegations. They shared the view that the exchange of India-Korea parliamentary delegations will contribute towards greater interaction and understanding between the two Parliaments.

7. To substantiate the Special Strategic Partnership the two sides agreed to the following:

a. Establish annual Summit meetings, in either country, or on the margins of plurilateral events;

b. Hold Joint Commissions led by the two Foreign Ministers annually;

c. Facilitate greater parliamentary exchanges to strengthen democratic institutions in their respective regions;

d. Strengthen the partnerships between Indian and Korean institutions of defense education, including the National Defence College of India and the National Defense University of Korea, by activating the dispatch of military officers for education;

e. Further strengthen regular consultations between the National Security Council structures of the two countries on security, defence and cyber related issues;

f. Establish a joint Vice Ministerial level defence and foreign affairs dialogue in the "2+2" Format;

g. Encourage greater cooperation between their shipyards for defence needs;

h. Pursue further deepening of defence cooperation through commencement of staff level talks between the two navies and regular exchanges of visits between the two armed forces;

i. Seek the means of the cyber security cooperation to prepare against transnational cyber threats;

j. Cooperate appropriately in the area of UN Peacekeeping; and

k. Hold a track 1.5 dialogue annually between Institute of Foreign Affairs and National Security of ROK (IFANS) - Indian Council of World Affairs (ICWA).

Trade and Investment

8. President Park welcomed India’s ‘Make in India’ initiative as it provides new avenues to enrich and add substance to the bilateral relations. Prime Minister Modi invited the ROK to become a privileged partner in ‘Make in India’ to which President Park conveyed her appreciation. Both leaders acknowledged that trade and investment between both countries have enormous potential for further development. They directed their respective officials to undertake in-depth consultations to leverage fully the potential of the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) between the Republic of Korea and the Republic of India and to make full use of the current discussion mechanisms under the CEPA, such as the Joint Committee, for that purpose.

9. Recognizing the salience of trade and investment to the bilateral partnership, the leaders called upon the business community from India and Korea to leverage the enormous synergies between their economies for mutual prosperity. The leaders welcomed:

a. Signing of the revised Double Taxation Avoidance Agreement;

b. The Ministry of Strategy and Finance and the Export-Import Bank of Korea expressed their intention to provide US $10 billion for mutual cooperation in infrastructure, comprising Economic Development Cooperation Fund (US $ 1 billion) and export credits (US $ 9 billion) for priority sectors, including smart cities, railways, power generation and transmission, and other sectors to be agreed. The two governments and the EXIM Banks of the two countries will hold consultations to chalk out a roadmap in order to materialize the envisioned financial support for priority sectors;

c. Commencement of negotiations to amend the India-Korea CEPA by June 2016 with a view to achieving qualitative and quantitative increase of trade through an agreed roadmap;

d. Mutual cooperation to be explored for enabling cities with updated technologies including smart grids for building of smart cities, in view of their crucial influence on improving the quality of residential environments and achieving sustainable economic development;

e. Cooperation in the steel sector by encouraging the steel industry of both countries to develop mutually beneficial projects;

f. Interest of companies of the two countries in cooperation in the area of shipbuilding, including the construction of Indian vessels such as LNG carriers. The Indian government expressed its hope to discuss partnership with Korea with an aim to modernize the Indian shipbuilding industry. The governments of both countries decided to provide support for facilitating private sector discussion on ways to cooperate in this area. A Joint Working Group that includes the government and private sectors of the two countries will be established to facilitate cooperation in the shipbuilding sector;

g. Cooperation for stable maritime transport, possible joint business projects in the area of shipping and logistics, and promotion of employment of both countries’ seafarers;

h. Cooperation to expedite the necessary procedures for mutual export of fresh fruits and horticultural products;

i. Progress made in establishment of the Korean Industrial Park in the State of Rajasthan. They agreed that the Industrial Park will help Korean small and medium enterprises to benefit from ‘Make in India’ initiative. They shared the same view that it is desirable to establish more offices of both countries’ respective trade agencies, including KOTRA, to facilitate trade, investment and industrial cooperation between the two countries;

j. The first meeting of the Korea-India CEO Forum which will be held in Seoul on 19 May 2015. The CEO Forum will play a significant role to boost exchanges and dialogues between enterprises of the two countries, enhance mutual investment and further pragmatic bilateral business cooperation; and

k. The decision to set up an India-Korea Joint Working Group in the field of Electronics Hardware manufacturing to enhance co-operation and facilitate business collaboration through joint ventures and technology transfer on a commercial basis between Indian and Korean electronics manufacturing companies, and the creation of a business friendly environment in this field.

10. Reaffirming the important role that friendly contact between the Indian and Korean people has played in building this partnership, the two leaders welcomed and encouraged the ongoing efforts, including through an aviation cooperation conference, by their respective civil aviation authorities to amend the bilateral Air Services Agreement with a view to enhancing flight connectivity and to covering more cities.

Technology, Energy and Environment

11. President Park lauded Prime Minister's Swacch Bharat Abhiyan as an effort to transform India. Recognizing that Saemaul Undong (SMU), Korea’s successful rural development initiative in the 1970s, can make a substantial contribution to accomplishing the vision of Swacch Bharat Abhiyan, the two leaders agreed that both sides would promote cooperation to create synergies by combining development experiences of both sides.

12. Recognizing the integral link between economic growth, preservation of environment and clean energy, India and Korea agreed to enhance exchanges between their respective Ministries and agencies.

13. Lauding the Korean Green Economy initiative, India expressed willingness to work with Korea for mutually-beneficial partnerships in deploying innovative policies and technologies to improve urban water and air quality and to protect natural resources.

14. The two leaders expressed their appreciation on ongoing cooperation in science & technology and noted that joint R&D projects are being implemented in focused areas of Renewable Energy, Materials Science, Robotics & Engineering Sciences and Health Sciences. The leaders further emphasized that both sides should develop strong academia-industry connect programmes in areas such as Cleantech, Robotics & Automation and Electronics System Design & Manufacturing (ESDM), which can address economic and societal challenges of the two countries.

15. Two sides agreed that cooperation in space sector has many possibilities. They welcomed the agreement between Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and the Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KARI) to pursue cooperation in the areas of lunar exploration, satellite navigation and space science and application as below:

a. Deep space cross tracking and communication support for Korean and Indian deep space missions;

b. Sharing of data of lunar surface and radiation data collected by Chandrayan–1;

c. Collaboration in GAGAN-KASS interoperability and sharing experience in GAGAN (GPS Aided Geo Augmented Navigation system) and KASS (Korea Augmentation Satellite System);

d. Technological cooperation in the field of space science and its application, satellite launch, and other areas they agree; and

e. Holding working-level talks regularly between ISRO and KARI to strengthen the substantive way of cooperation in the areas mentioned above.

Culture, Education and People-to-People Exchanges

16. In view of the long history of cultural contact between the Indian and Korean people, President Park welcomed Prime Minister Modi's decision to send a full Festival of India in Korea in autumn of 2015. India also welcomed an opportunity to host a Festival of Korea in India in 2016. In this context, the two leaders also welcomed efforts to strengthen their historic connection by enhancing linkages of Korean people with Ayodhya, and agreed to upgrade the monument for Queen Suriratna /Hur Hwang-ok in Ayodhya as a joint project between the two sides. President Park expressed deep appreciation of Korean people for the gift of holy Bodhi tree sapling.

17. The President and the Prime Minister called for an intensification of youth delegations to encourage greater understanding and interaction between the future leaders of the two countries. Indian side expressed interest in enhancing cooperation among educational institutes of the two sides, including among relevant technological institutes and in language teaching.

18. Both leaders agreed to encourage establishment of twin city and twin province/state relationships to deepen and broaden people-to-people exchanges.

19. Korea invited India to participate in the exhibition titled “Masterpieces of Early Buddhist Sculpture, 100 BCE-700CE” which will commemorate National Museum of Korea’s 10th anniversary of reconstruction and opening to the public. India welcomed the invitation and agreed to actively cooperate for the exhibition. The two leaders hoped to promote mutual understanding and appreciation between the two countries, and to broaden cultural relations of the two countries. In addition, they agreed to further explore cooperation on preservation, restoration, and joint research in the field of cultural heritage of both countries.

20. India invited Korea to participate in the two day seminar on “Shared Heritage as New Variable in the Indo-Korean Relations: Historicizing the Legend of Princess from Ayodhya and its Legacy” being organized by Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) in collaboration with India International Center in New Delhi. Korea welcomed the invitation.

Regional and Multilateral Cooperation
21. The two leaders underlined the paramount importance of peace and stability on the Korean peninsula. In this regard, they expressed concern over the development of DPRK’s nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programs, which is in violation of its international obligations and commitments. They urged the DPRK to fully comply with all of its international obligations, including under the relevant UN Security Council resolutions, and to fulfil its commitments under the 2005 Joint Statement of the Six-Party Talks. Prime Minister Modi expressed support for President Park's efforts to build trust in the Korean peninsula and to lay the groundwork for peaceful reunification of the Korean peninsula.

22. Recognizing the increasing and evolving threat posed to world peace and stability from international terrorism, the two leaders reiterated their commitment to the eradication of terrorism in all its forms and manifestations and called on international community to work closely to address this challenge. They called for an early conclusion of negotiations on the Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism. They recognized the need to eliminate terrorist safe havens and infrastructure, disrupt terrorist networks and their financing, and stop cross-border movement of terrorists, including by implementing the relevant United Nations Security Council resolutions, as well as enhancing countering violent extremism efforts. They called on all States to work sincerely to achieve these objectives.

23. President Park highlighted her Eurasia Initiative and the Northeast Asia Peace and Cooperation Initiative (NAPCI), and agreed to explore ways to work with India's Act East and Connect Central Asia policies for the common prosperity of the region. Prime Minister Modi also expressed his willingness to explore ways to work with the NAPCI and the Eurasia Initiative for the peace and stability of the region and beyond.

24. India and the ROK underlined their shared interest in strengthening global non-proliferation objectives. The ROK took note of India’s wish to join the international export control regimes and agreed that India’s entry will have a positive influence on strengthening the global non-proliferation regimes. The ROK expressed its support for India’s early membership of the four multilateral export control regimes, namely, the Nuclear Suppliers Group, Missile Technology Control Regime, Australia Group and Wassenaar Arrangement, based upon consensus within each regime.

25. Recognizing the need for comprehensive UN reforms including Security Council expansion to make the body more representative, accountable and effective, both sides agreed to work towards UNSC reforms to reflect contemporary realities and include major developing countries.

26. Prime Minister Modi thanked President Park and the Government and People of the ROK for the warmth of their hospitality. The two leaders agreed that this Summit meeting had qualitatively raised the partnership to the next level. Prime Minister Modi invited President Park to visit India again soon to ensure that the high momentum of this partnership is sustained. President Park accepted the invitation with pleasure.

27. During the visit following Agreements and MOUs were signed in the presence of the two leaders:

a. Agreement between the Government of the Republic of India and the Government of the Republic of Korea for the Avoidance of Double Taxation and the Prevention of Fiscal Evasion with Respect to Taxes on Income;

b. Agreement between the Government of the Republic of India and the Government of the Republic of Korea on Cooperation in Audio-Visual Co-production;

c. MOU for Cooperation between the National Security Council Secretariat of the Republic of India and the Office of National Security of the Republic of Korea ;

d. MOU between the Ministry of Power of the Republic of India and the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy of the Republic of Korea concerning Cooperation in the field of Electric Power Development and New Energy Industries;

e. MOU between the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports of the Republic of India and the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family of the Republic of Korea on Cooperation in Youth Matters;

f. Framework of Cooperation in the Field of Road Transport and Highways between the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways of the Republic of India and the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport of the Republic of Korea; and

g. MOU between the Ministry of Shipping of the Republic of India and the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries of the Republic of Korea on Cooperation in the Fields of Maritime Transport and Logistics. 

Cabinet clears new #ureapolicy

Cabinet clears new #ureapolicy

The Indian government on Wednesday approved a new urea policy aiming to increase domestic production by 2 million tonnes and reduce its subsidy bill by over Rs 4,800 crore annually, but decided not to raise retail prices.

The maximum retail price (MRP) of urea for farmers has been left untouched at Rs 268 per bag of 50 kgs, excluding local taxes. Farmers would have to pay an additional Rs 14 per bag for neem-coated urea.

The Cabinet on Wednesday approved a comprehensive New Urea Policy 2015 for the next four fiscals with multiple objectives of maximising indigenous urea production and promoting energy efficiency in urea units to reduce the government's subsidy burden, the Fertiliser Ministry said in a statement.

"The policy will result in direct saving of subsidy of around Rs 2,618 crore and indirect saving of Rs 2,211 crore on account of revised specific energy consumption norms and import substitution, respectively, during the next four years.

Total savings would be Rs 4,829 crore," it added.

The new policy is also expected to result in an additional production of around 20 lakh tonnes of urea annually.

India's urea production has remained stagnant at 22 million tonnes (MT) annually and the country has to import about 8 MT to meet the domestic demand.

The policy will ensure timely supply of urea to farmers at the same retail price with lesser financial burden on the exchequer, besides reducing import dependence.

The movement plan for urea will continue to be given by the government every month to urea suppliers to ensure its timely and adequate availability in all parts of the country.

The Ministry said savings in energy will bring down the carbon footprint as well. The policy will enable the domestic urea sector, with 30 urea producing units, to become more energy efficient, resulting in rationalisation of subsidy burden.

"Beneficiaries of this policy would be all the farmers of the country, urea industry and the government of India," it said.

Earlier, the government had approved gas pooling policy under which all urea units would get gas at a uniform price.