Singapore President Tharman Shanmugaratnam, visited India from January 14 to 18, 2025, marking his 1st bilateral state visit to India. He was accompanied by Chee Hong Tat, Minister for Transport and 2nd Minister for Finance of Singapore; and Sim Ann, Senior Minister of State, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of National Development of Singapore.
- The visit, held at the invitation of President of India Droupadi Murmu, commemorated the 60th anniversary of Singapore-India diplomatic relations.
- Singapore’s President Tharman Shanmugaratnam visited New Delhi (Delhi) from 15 to 16 January 2025 and Odisha from 17 to 18 January 2025.
- During the visit, he held discussions with President Droupadi Murmu focused on elevating bilateral ties to a ‘Comprehensive Strategic Partnership’ and establishing a unique Ministerial Roundtable mechanism.
Highlights of the Visit:
Visit to Delhi:
i.During the visit, Singapore President Tharman Shanmugaratnam met Prime Minister(PM) Narendra Modi and other senior Indian ministers; External Affairs Minister(EAM) Dr. S. Jaishankar; Union Minister Nitin Gadkari, Ministry of Road Transport and Highways(MoRTH) ; Union Minister Jagat Prakash Nadda, Minister of Health & Family Welfare(MoHFW) ; Union Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, Minister of Finance(MoF) .
ii.The visit highlighted the importance of Singapore’s strategic role in India’s Act East Policy, a key component of India’s engagement with Southeast Asia.
60th Anniversary Commemorative Logo:
i.On January 16 2025, President of Singapore Tharman Shanmugaratnam and President of India Droupadi Murmu jointly unveiled the 60th Anniversary Commemorative logo at Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi. The logo celebrates six decades of strong ties between India & Singapore.
- The logo prominently features India’s national flower, the lotus, and Singapore’s national flower, the orchid, symbolizing the enduring friendship between the two nations.
- The number 60 in the logo signifies the 60 years of diplomatic ties between the two countries.
ii.The logo is a visual representation of the mutual trust, cooperation, and shared values that India and Singapore have fostered over the years.
Note: Bilateral trade expanded from USD 6.7 billion in the Financial Year 2004-05(FY05) to USD 35.6 billion in FY24, making Singapore India’s 6th largest trade partner.
Visit to Odisha:
i. The State visit to Odisha by Singapore’s President Tharman Shanmugaratnam took place from 17-18 January 2025.
- He visited the Sun Temple at Konark, Odisha and the Bharat Biotech International Limited (vaccine manufacturing facility) in Bhubaneswar, Odisha.
ii.He also toured the World Skills Centre (WSC), Bhubaneswar, which was established in collaboration with Singapore’s Institute of Technical Education Education Services (ITEES), to develop advanced skills in Odisha, in the semiconductor sector.
MoUs signed:
During his visit, several Memorandum of Understanding (MoUs) were signed between the Odisha government and Singaporean organizations.
i.Skill Development and Technical Education (SD&TE) Department, Odisha and ITE Education Services (ITEES), Singapore signed MoU for enhancing Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) in the Semiconductor Sector. The MoU will be valid for a period of 5 years.
- The agreement focuses on improving skills in the semiconductor sector through TVET, with support for setting up zonal Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs) in Odisha.
- The collaboration will support skill development in emerging technologies like AI, aerospace, electronics, and renewable energy.
- The partnership will help expand the World Skill Centre (WSC), Bhubaneswar,Odisha in areas such as cyber security, cloud computing, blockchain, internet of things and data science.
ii.A tripartite agreement was signed between Nanyang Technological University (NTU), Singapore, Grid Corporation of Odisha (GRIDCO Limited) and Indian Institute of Technology(IIT) Bhubaneswar for advance Research & Development (R&D) in sustainable energy technologies.
iii.Odisha Industrial Infrastructure Development Corporation (IDCO) and Sembcorp Green Hydrogen India Private Limited (SGHIPL), Singapore signed a MoU to establish a green hydrogen production facility with a production capacity of 7.2 lakh tonne (t) per annum.
- The facility aims to generate over 2,000 employment opportunities during its operational phase.
iv. Bhubaneswar Development Authority (BDA), Odisha and SurbanaJurong Infrastructure Private Limited (a Singapore-based urban development firm), signed MoU for strategic planning and development of a new city near Bhubaneswar, Odisha.
v.Surbana Jurong Infrastructure Private Limited, Singapore signed a MoU with IDCO for Development of a Petroleum, Chemicals, and Petrochemical Investment Region (PCPIR) in Odisha.
vi.The Department of Electronics and Information Technology (E&IT), Odisha inked a pact with Global Finance and Technology Network (GFTN), Singapore to establish a global competency centre (GCC) for InsureTech industry.
About Singapore:
Prime minister (PM)– Lawrence Wong
President– Tharman Shanmugaratnam
Capital– Singapore
Currency– Singapore Dollar (SGD)
