India, France Ink Metro Rail Pact

15 Feb 2013

France on Thursday inked a deal with India to provide 110 million euros for the Phase-I of the Bangalore Metro Rail Project. The two countries also committed to develop a long-term cooperation between the Indian Space Research Organisation and its French counterpart, the Centre National d’Etudes Spatiales.

The first day of French President Francois Hollande’s two-day visit to India also saw signing of a letter of intent to set up a support fund for student and faculty mobility between Paris Institute of Technology (Institut des sciences et technologies de Paris) and a consortium of seven Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs).

Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, also signed a MoU with the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique of France. The Agence Française de Développement (AFD) – the French government’s agency for cooperation in international development – and the Department of Economic Affairs in the Ministry of Finance here signed the Credit Facility Agreement for the Bangalore Metro Rail Project. The AFD committed to provide 110 million euros.

Bangalore-based Aviators (India) Private Limited will buy 50 choppers from Eurocopter for Helicopter Emergency Medical Services operations in India.

The Aviators (India) Private Limited on Thursday formally placed an order with the Eurocopter for the first batch of seven Eurocopter EC 135 choppers. The deal was struck on the sideline of the French President Francois Hollande’s visit to India, according to a press-release issued by the Eurocopter.

Source: http://www.deccanherald.com/content/312243/india-france-ink-metro-rail.html