Agreement reached for using India’s UPI in France: PM Modi

PM Narendra Modi arrives at Elysee Palace in Paris for the dinner; received by French President Emmanuel Macron and French First Lady Brigitte Macron.

Tomorrow, the soldiers of India’s all three forces will take part in the Bastille Day Parade,” said PM Modi during his interaction with the Indian diaspora at community event in Paris.

“Wherever Indians go, they form a mini India. The world is marching towards a new world order. India’s role and capabilities are also changing rapidly. “Your (members of the Indian diaspora in France) contribution towards improving the Indo-French relationship will be written in history in golden words,” said PM Modi in.

People-to-people connect is the strongest foundation of the India-France partnership. India and France are tackling many challenges of the 21st Century. Therefore, at this crucial time, the importance of the strategic partnership between our countries has increased even more, said PM Modi.

He recalled that hundreds of years ago Indian soldiers, who protected the pride of France, were martyred on the French soil while performing their duty. “Punjab Regiment, one of the regiments that took part in the war here, is going to participate in the National Day Parade tomorrow,” the PM said.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi begins to address the Indian community in Paris. In his address he said, “Be it climate change, supply chains, counter-terrorism or counter-radicalism, the world is looking to India. Today the world is moving towards the new world order. India’s role is changing rapidly. India is currently chairing the G20 and the entire G20 group is seeing India’s potential.”

ANI

PM Narendra Modi arrives at the La Seine Musicale in Paris. He will address the Indian community here.

Squadron Leader Sindhu Reddy, the helicopter pilot of the Indian Air Force who will lead its marching contingent at the Bastille Day parade in Paris on Friday, has a simple message for everyone — “whatever you want, just go with it and don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.” The marching contingents of the Army, the Navy and the IAF will participate in the prestigious parade along with their French counterparts.

The officials said Squadron Leader Reddy will lead the 68-member IAF contingent at the parade that will be graced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi as the guest of honour.

Talking to PTI about her participation in the parade, Ms. Reddy said, ”This is really a proud moment for us. I really never expected that I would be representing our service (IAF) on foreign ground.” She said she was thankful to the country as well as the Air Force for putting her at the forefront to represent the cause as well as the country.

She said she was excited to see the reaction from the French people.

When asked what message she wants to convey, Ms. Reddy said, “I will convey a simple message that nothing is impossible.” She said with determination and perseverance she has reached where she is today.

When asked what made her choose her profession, she said she chose this due to her passion for flying.

Ms. Reddy, a Mi-17 pilot, led the IAF’s marching contingent at the Republic Day parade on January 26 as well.

Four Rafale fighter jets of the IAF will also take part in the flypast over the Champs Elysees on the occasion along with French jets. - PTI

Prime Minister Narendra Modi met with his French counterpart Elisabeth Borne and Senate President Gerard Larcher during which he discussed ways to impart new impetus to India’s longstanding and time-tested strategic partnership with the key European nation.

In his first engagement, Mr. Modi had a “productive meeting” with Senate President Larcher and the two leaders deliberated on a range of issues of mutual interest and agreed to work together to deepen India-France cooperation in a number of areas, the Prime Minister’s Office said.

Mr. Modi then met Prime Minister Borne and discussed measures to further strengthen the bilateral ties.

“PM @narendramodi held fruitful talks with PM @elisabeth_borne in Paris. The leaders reviewed various facets of India-France partnership as well as discussed measures to further strengthen the ties between both the countries,” the PMO said.- PTI

Four of the 26 Rafale-M jets, the naval variant of the deck-based platform will be trainer aircraft, sources in the defence establishment said.

The delivery of the aircraft, to be manufactured by French aerospace giant Dassault Aviation, will begin within three years of signing of the contract, they said, adding it may take close to one year to seal the final deal as detailed price negotiations are to be undertaken.

The procurement of the three Scorpene-class submarines will be a follow-on order.

Under Indian Navy’s Project 75, six Scorpene submarines have already been constructed in India by Mazagon Dock Limited (MDL) in cooperation with the Naval Group of France.

“The DAC also granted the AoN for procurement of three additional Scorpene submarines under Buy (Indian) category which will be constructed by Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited (MDL),” the ministry said.

It said the procurement of additional submarines, with higher indigenous content, will not only help in maintaining required force level and operational readiness of the Indian Navy, but also create significant employment opportunities in the domestic sector.

“It will also help the MDL in further enhancing its capability and expertise in submarine construction,” it added.

India is procuring the Rafale jets and the submarines to bolster its overall naval prowess amid China’s increasing forays into the Indian Ocean.

Five out of six Scorpene submarines are already in service and the sixth one is set to be commissioned in early next year.

At present, the Navy has 16 conventional submarines, out of which five are new. The Navy plans to gradually decommission the older ones.

The DAC approved another proposal to lay down guidelines for achieving the “desired indigenous content in all categories of capital acquisition cases”, the ministry said.

“It will help in achieving ‘Aatmanirbharta’ in critical manufacturing technologies and life-cycle sustenance of defence platforms/equipment through indigenous manufacturing,” it added.

The Indian Navy has been looking for procurement of 26 deck-based fighter jets for indigenously-built aircraft carrier INS Vikrant.

After a lengthy process, the Navy had narrowed down on Boeing’s F/A-18 Super Hornet and Dassault Aviation’s Rafale M aircraft for the procurement.

Later, Rafale-M emerged as the winner in the tight race. India has already procured 36 Rafale jets from France for the Indian Air Force, the first major acquisition of fighter planes in 23 years after the Sukhoi jets were imported from Russia. - PTI

India on Thursday approved proposals for purchasing 26 Naval variant of Rafale jets from France and procuring three French-designed Scorpene class submarines.

The two big-ticket procurement projects, expected to cost in the range of ₹80,000 to ₹85,000 crore, was approved by the Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) headed by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, and the platforms are set to significantly boost the Indian Navy’s overall military prowess.

The defence ministry said the procurement of the Rafale jets along with associated ancillary equipment including weapon systems and spares would be based on an inter-governmental agreement (IGA) and that price and other terms of purchase will be negotiated with the French government after taking into account all relevant aspects.

India and France are expected to make an announcement on the two mega procurement projects after wide-ranging talks between Mr. Modi and Mr.Macron on Friday with both sides looking at further expanding their already close strategic and defence ties.

The DAC, the defence ministry’s apex body for military procurement, approved the purchase on a day Modi began his two-day visit to Paris primarily to grace the annual Bastille Day parade as the guest of honour. Indian and French officials are also in talks for French defence major Safran joining hands with an Indian defence manufacturer to develop a fighter jet engine in India to power the country’s next generation aircraft including the futuristic Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA).

“The DAC granted Acceptance of Necessity (AoN) for procurement of 26 Rafale Marine aircraft along with associated ancillary equipment, weapons, simulator, spares, documentation, crew training and logistic support for the Indian Navy from the French Government based on Inter-Governmental Agreement (IGA),” the defence ministry said.

It said price and other terms of purchase will be negotiated with the French government after taking into account all relevant aspects, including comparative procurement price of similar aircraft by other countries. “Further, integration of Indian designed equipment and establishment of Maintenance, Repair & Operations (MRO) hub for various systems will be incorporated into the contract documents after due negotiations,” it said in a statement. - PTI

After being given a ceremonial welcome on his arrival in France, Prime Minister is due to meet president of the French Senate.

In a special gesture, French Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne received Prime Minister Modi at the airport. A ceremonial welcome and Guard of honour were accorded to Prime Minister Modi upon his arrival.

“PM @narendramodi alights at the Paris airport. Accorded a ceremonial welcome. In a special gesture, PM @Elisabeth_Borne received him at the airport. PM’s intensive programme in Paris includes participation in the Bastille Day celebrations & a slew of engagements with the French leadership, Indian diaspora, CEOs and prominent personalities,” Ministry of External Affairs Spokesperson Arindam Bagchi tweeted.

Prime Minister Modi interacted with children and members of the Indian diaspora on his arrival at the hotel in Paris. Enthusiastic Indian community members who were waiting outside his hotel chanted ‘Bharat Mata ki Jai’ as they met the prime minister.

“Landed in Paris. Looking forward to boosting India-France cooperation during this visit. My various programmes today include an interaction with the Indian community later in the evening,” Mr. Modi tweeted soon after his arrival in Paris. - PTI

The Indian Navy’s indigenously designed and built guided missile destroyer INS Chennai is in France to participate in the Bastille Day celebrations, officials said on Thursday.

An Indian military contingent comprising all three services will participate in the Bastille Day celebrations in France.

“Indian Navy’s indigenously designed and built guided missile destroyer INS Chennai is in Brest, France, to participate in the Bastille Day celebrations at Brest,” a senior official said. - PTI

A military contingent comprising all three services will participate in the Bastille Day celebrations in France on July 14 where Mr. Modi will be the guest of honour.

The sources said Mr. Modi’s itinerary also underscores his warm personal chemistry with French President Emmanuel Macron as the French leader will have multiple meetings with the prime minister.

Mr. Modi will have interaction with the entire political leadership of France, they said, adding that a key focus of his visit will be trade and economy with a CEO forum to be held comprising leading names from the two countries.

Mr. Modi will interact with prominent French personalities and speak to members of the Indian community at the prestigious La Seine Musicale, they said.

Mr. Modi’s visit has been preceded by numerous activities organised by the Indian embassy, including ‘Namaste France’ earlier this week.

The sources expressed confidence about key outcomes being achieved in a number of sectors, including technology, space, defence, geostrategy, infrastructure, energy, climate action, museology, student mobility, people-to-people, sports and culture. - PTI

As Mr. Modi began a two-day visit to France, he was greeted by his French counterpart Elisabeth Borne at Orly airport outside Paris, he stepped off his official plane to military honours, ahead of a sumptuous dinner at the Louvre museum with President Emmanuel Macron and a traditional firework display.

France’s red-carpet welcome for the Hindu nationalist leader comes weeks after Mr. Modi was given the rare honour of a White House state dinner in Washington — a city he was once banned from visiting.

Despite differences over the war in Ukraine and tensions over human rights in India, New Delhi and Western democracies are keen on deepening ties because of mutual concerns about China.

“India is one of the pillars of our Indo-Pacific strategy,” an aide to Mr. Macron told reporters this week on condition of anonymity. - AFP

Mr. Modi arrives in Paris. Ahead of his departure, Mr. Modi expressed confidence that his visit will provide a new impetus to the bilateral strategic partnership.

Expansion of bilateral defence ties is expected to be a key focus of Prime Minister Modi’s talks with Mr. Macron.

“I look forward to meeting President Macron and holding wide-ranging discussions on taking forward this longstanding and time-tested partnership over the next 25 years,” Mr. Modi said in his departure statement.

“We also work together on regional and global issues,” he added. - PTI

India-France relation is now geared towards the next quarter century, said Prime Minister Narendra Modi who reached Paris on July 13 afternoon. In an interview that he gave to Les Echos before commencing the journey to Paris, Prime Minister Modi made a strong pitch for the overhauling of the international political-economic architecture and described India as a bridge between the West and the Global South.

“I look forward to meeting President Macron and holding wide-ranging discussions on taking forward this longstanding and time-tested partnership over the next 25 years. I have had the opportunity to meet President Macron several times since my last Official Visit to France in 2022, most recently in Hiroshima, Japan in May 2023 during the G-7 Summit,” said PM Modi in his remarks before leaving Delhi.