Narendra Modi, Prime Minister (PM) of India, made a 3-day visit to the United States of America (USA) from 21st to 23rd September 2024.
- On 21st September 2024, PM Modi attended the 4th Quad(Quadrilateral Security Dialogue) Leaders’ Summit held in Wilmington, Delaware and hosted by Joseph R. Biden, Jr., the President of the USA.
- On 22nd September 2024, He also addressed the “Summit of the Future” at the 79th United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) Session held in New York, USA.
4th Quad Leaders’ Summit, Delaware, USA:
On 21st September 2024, President Biden hosted Narendra Modi, PM of India; Anthony Albanese, PM of Australia; Kishida Fumio, PM of Japan; and in Wilmington, Delaware, for the 4th Quad Leaders’ Summit.
- The Leaders welcomed India as the host of the 2025 Quad Leaders Summit and the USA as the host of the 2025 Quad Foreign Ministers Meeting.
About Quad:
i.The Quad is a diplomatic partnership between Australia, India, Japan, and the United States to support an open, stable and growing Indo-Pacific that is inclusive and resilient.
ii.The inaugural virtual Quad Leaders’ Summit was held on 12 March 2021.
iii.The Quad aims to address the challenges related to health security, climate change, infrastructure, critical and emerging technology, cyber security, humanitarian assistance and disaster relief, space, maritime security, countering disinformation, and counter-terrorism in the Indo-Pacific region.
Quad Cancer Moonshot:
PM Modi participated in the Quad Cancer Moonshot event hosted by President Biden on the sidelines of the Summit.
- The Cancer Moonshot initiative aims to address gaps in the cervical cancer care and treatment ecosystem in the Indo-Pacific countries.
Key Points:
i.India contributed a grant of USD 7.5 million to cancer testing, screening, and diagnostics in the Indo-Pacific region in accordance with this vision of One World One Health.
ii.India will also provide support for radiotherapy treatment and capacity building for cancer prevention in the Indo-Pacific. The supply of 40 million doses of vaccine from India under GAVI and QUAD programs will benefit the Indo-Pacific countries.
iii.India will also offer technical assistance to interested countries in the Indo-Pacific region on Digital Pathology Imaging (DPI) for cancer screening and care by contributing USD 10 million to World Health Organization’s (WHO)-Global Initiative on Digital Health.
Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI):
The Quad emphasised the critical role of Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) in building a secure, reliable, and interoperable digital ecosystem to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals(SDG).
- Principles for development and deployment are Inclusivity; Interoperability; Modularity and Extensibility; Scalability; Security and Privacy; Collaboration; Governance for Public Benefit, Trust, and Transparency; Grievance redress; Sustainability; Human rights; Intellectual Property Protection; and Sustainable Development.
Contributions of Quad Countries:
i.Quad countries intend to continue their strong commitments to Gavi including with HPV vaccines in the Indo-Pacific. The USA has pledged at least USD 1.58 billion over 5 years.
ii.Quad countries will work with UN agencies on bulk purchasing of HPV diagnostics to bring down the cost of cervical cancer screening, and work with the International Atomic Energy Agency to improve access to and quality of medical imaging and radiation therapy.
iii.Australia has announced the expansion of the Elimination Partnership in the Indo-Pacific for Cervical Cancer Program (EPICC) with the support of the Australian Government and the Minderoo Foundation to AUD 29.6 million, to cover up to eleven countries in the Indo-Pacific in helping advance the elimination of cervical cancer and support complementary initiatives focused on cancer prevention, diagnosis, and treatment.
iv.Japan is providing medical equipment, including Computed Tomography (CT) and Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) scanners, and other assistance worth approximately USD 27 million to Cambodia, Vietnam, and Timor-Leste.
v.The World Bank has committed USD 400 million in HPV-related investments globally over the next three years.
Launch of MAITRI Maritime Initiative:
India will host the inaugural session of the new Regional Maritime Initiative for Training in the Indo-Pacific (MAITRI), to train Quad partners in monitoring and securing their waters, enforcing their laws, and discourage unlawful behaviour.
- The first MAITRI workshop will be hosted by India in 2025.
- It is also based on the Indo-Pacific Partnership for Maritime Domain Awareness (IPMDA), a previous initiative created to provide maritime domain awareness information to partners.
Joint Coast Guard Exercises & Other Initiatives:
The U.S. Coast Guard, Japan Coast Guard, Australian Border Force, and Indian Coast Guard(ICG) have planned to launch the 1st-ever Quad-at-Sea Ship Observer Mission, a joint coast guard exercise, in 2025 in the Indo-Pacific.
- This aims to improve interoperability and maritime safety, enhancing cooperation among member countries.
Other Initiatives
i.The Quad introduced the Indo-Pacific Logistics Network pilot project to enhance disaster response capabilities through shared airlift capacity and logistics resources.
ii.A Quad maritime legal dialogue was also launched to support efforts to uphold the rules-based maritime order in the Indo-Pacific.
iii.Quad partners launched an initiative to deploy the first Open Radio Access Network (RAN) in the Pacific, in Palau, to support a secure, resilient, and interconnected telecommunications ecosystem.
iv.Quad Ports of the Future Partnership was introduced to support sustainable and resilient port infrastructure development across the Indo-Pacific, in collaboration with regional partners.
India Signed Agreements during Quad Summit:
During PM Modi’s visit to US, India signed and exchanged first-of-its-kind agreements focused on Clean Economy, Fair Economy, and the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF) overarching arrangement under the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework for prosperity.
i.The IPEF Clean Economy Agreement aims to promote technical cooperation, workforce development, capacity building, and research collaborations.
- It will collaborate to apply clean energy and climate-friendly technologies to enhance efforts of IPEF partners towards energy security and transition, climate resilience and adaptation and GHG emissions mitigation.
ii.It will involve investments, project financing including concessional financing, joint collaborative projects, workforce development and Technical Assistance and Capacity Building for industries, especially MSMEs, and facilitate further inclusion of Indian companies in the global value chains, particularly in the Indo-Pacific region.
IPEF Fair Economy Agreement
i.The Agreement aims to create a more transparent and predictable trade and investment environment across the Indo-Pacific, prevent corruption, including bribery, improve tax transparency, the exchange of information, domestic resource mobilization, and tax administration.
ii.It emphasizes on increasing information sharing among partners, facilitating asset recovery, and strengthening cross-border investigations and prosecutions.
iii.The partners have committed to identify and implement technical assistance and capacity building (TACB) initiatives improving anti-corruption efforts and efficiency of tax administration.
Overarching IPEF Agreement
i.The Overarching Agreement is an administrative agreement establishing an oversight Ministerial-level mechanism.
ii.This agreement would provide identity to the group and long lasting IPEF partnership, by creating a formal mechanism and building a forum for Ministerial discussions on emerging issues, etc.
Roadmap For U.S.-India Initiative to Build Safe and Secure Global Clean Energy Supply Chains
United States and India aim to enhance and expand bilateral technical, financial, and policy support to expand both U.S. and Indian manufacturing capacity for clean energy technologies and components and lay the base for enhanced cooperation in third countries, with a focus on partnerships in Africa.
I.To launch this partnership, the United States and India are going to raise USD1 billion in new multilateral finance through the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) for projects that include increasing India’s domestic clean energy supply chain buildout.
- The funding could support supply-side manufacturing capacity expansion for key technology verticals, focusing on solar, wind, battery, energy grid systems, and high-efficiency air conditioner and ceiling fan supply chains.
II.The U.S. and Indian governments are also planning to work with industry leaders on the following aspects to launch and eventually expand this new partnership:
i.Identifying near-term investment opportunities to expand manufacturing capacity for specific clean energy supply chain segments, with initial focuses on the following clean energy components:
- Solar wafers and wafer manufacturing equipment & next generation solar cells
- Wind turbine nacelle components
- Power transmission line components including conductors, cabling, transformers, and next generation technologies
- Energy storage components including batteries
- Battery packs for 2- and 3-wheel electric vehicles (EVs) and zero-emission e-bus and truck components
- High-efficiency air conditioners and ceiling fan components
ii.Collaborating with the private sector to look for suitable opportunities in the above supply chain segments and support some pilot projects, including one project focused on clean energy deployment to Africa.
iii.Building trilateral relationships with African partners that have stated political commitments to clean energy deployment, focusing on solar and battery storage opportunities.
iv.Collaborating with each other and industry to consult on policies that will encourage demand for locally manufactured clean technologies
Prime Minister meets with President of USA in Wilmington, Delaware
PM Modi met with the US President Biden on the sidelines of the Quad Summit in Delaware and discussed ways to improve bilateral cooperation in areas of mutual interest.
They also exchanged views on global and regional issues including the Indo-Pacific region and beyond.
US hands over 297 antiquities smuggled out of India
The USA formally handed over 297 antiquities to India during PM Modi’s visit to the USA. with this, the total number of artefacts returned to India by the USA becomes 578. This is the highest number of cultural artefacts returned to India by any country.
- The recovered collection includes artefacts of terracotta, stone, metal, wood and ivory from different parts of India.
Note:
i.The USA has previously returned a large number of antiquities in 2016 (10), 2021 (157) and 2023 (105).
ii.India has also successfully recovered artefacts from other countries, including 16 from the United Kingdom (UK) and 40 from Australia.
About the Antiquities
i.Some of the notable antiquities handed over to India included an ‘Apsara’ in sandstone from central India; Jain Tirthankar (bronze); a Terracotta vase from eastern India; A stone sculpture from South India.
ii.Other prominent items include Lord Ganesh in bronze from south India, standing Lord Buddha in sandstone from north India and Lord Vishnu in bronze from Eastern India
India to get first national security semiconductor fabrication plant as part of collaboration with U.S.
in collaboration with the USA, India will establish the 1st-ever national security semiconductor fabrication plant which will produce chips for use in military hardware in both India and USA and in critical telecommunication networks and electronics.
- This will also become one of the world’s first Multi-material fab for national security.
- The Bharat Semi fab titled Shakti also becomes one of the first fabs of its kind in the Quad.
About the Fabrication plant:
i.The plant will manufacture infrared, gallium nitride and silicon carbide semiconductors. This will be enabled by the support from the India Semiconductor Mission and a strategic technology partnership between Bharat Semi, 3rdiTech, and the U.S. Space Force.
iii.The Fab will focus on three essential pillars for modern war fighting- advanced sensing, advanced communications and high voltage power electronics.
India to open new consulates in Boston, Los Angeles
PM Modi announced that India will be opening two new consulates in the USA, one in Boston (Massachusetts) and another in Los Angeles(California), to stay aligned with the population growth of the Indian-American community in those cities.
- Both the cities have growth in Indian-American population and thus, the demands for facilities. Boston is considered the US education capital, while Los Angeles is the country’s entertainment capital.
- India currently has six consulates in New York, Atlanta, Chicago, Houston, San Francisco and Seattle. The Embassy is in Washington DC. The Permanent Mission of India to the United Nations is based in New York City.
79th UNGA Session:
The 79th session of the UNGA was held from 10th to 28th September 2024 at the UN headquarters in New York, USA.
Summit of the Future:
PM Modi addressed the “Summit of the Future” held from 22nd to 23rd September 2024.
This first-of-its-kind summit brought together leaders, advocates, and activists of all ages to determine how our international system can better meet the needs of current and future generations.
- The Summit was organised under the theme “Multilateral Solutions for a Better Tomorrow”.
- The Summit concluded with the adoption of an outcome document – “A Pact for the Future”, and two annexes, Global Digital Compact and A Declaration on Future Generations.
Highlights
i.The PM talked about India’s success in lifting 250 million people out of poverty.
ii.He emphasized upon the formulation of rules and regulations for the safe and balanced use of technology and global digital governance that follows national sovereignty and integrity.
iii.He highlighted the importance of Bharat’s Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) and committed to sharing India’s DPI with the world for the global good.
HFCL partners with General Atomics to elevate India’s defence technology
i.HFCL has partnered with General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Incorporated (GA-ASI), a global leader in unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) to establish HFCL as a key supplier of critical sub-systems for GA-ASI’s state-of-the-art unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs).
ii.An important radar sub-system is being developed by HFCL for UAVs.
- This key payload component is known for its compact and lightweight design and can withstand the highest environmental and Military Standard (MIL-STD) specifications.
iii.It is also developing a state-of-the-art Drone Detection Radar, that will become a crucial element in modern drone detection systems.
Note
The HFCL’s subsidiary namely Raddef, which develops advanced radar and radio frequency solutions, is crucial in driving innovation in the defence sector.
About United Nations General Assembly (UNGA)
President– Philemon Yang
Headquarters– New York, The United States of America (USA)
Founded– 1945
