India This Week~February 20, 2026
India This Week~February 20, 2026
India This Week — February 20, 2026
Key Highlights
India and France have elevated their bilateral relationship to a Special Global Strategic Partnership, agreeing on wide‑ranging cooperation in critical minerals, defence production, advanced technologies, space, clean energy, and industrial collaboration. They formalized structures to advance technology and materials research, including a Declaration of Intent on critical minerals, a Joint Advanced Technology Development Group, and a letter of intent to create a Centre on Advanced Materials between India’s Department of Science and Technology and the CNRS. An amendment to the Double Taxation Avoidance Agreement was also signed. Both leaders underscored the goal of diverse, sustainable, and resilient supply chains for green and digital growth, and highlighted plans to deepen networks between startups and MSMEs, along with student and researcher exchanges and a new India‑France innovation framework.
In a major industrial milestone, Modi and Macron announced joint initiatives to expand collaboration in exploration, processing, and recycling of critical minerals and rare earths, and they marked the inauguration of the H125 Final Assembly Line—a private-sector helicopter facility developed by Tata Advanced Systems and Airbus. This also featured the launch of the India‑France Year of Innovation 2026, emphasizing people‑to‑people, scientific, and industrial cooperation. Defence and space ties were showcased, including ongoing cooperation on aircraft engines, submarines, missiles, and space tech, with a renewed ten‑year defence agreement and related MoUs.
The issue also covers safety and security developments for Indians abroad, including a report of a missing UC Berkeley student from Karnataka who was later found deceased. The Consulate General and MEA have committed to providing support, coordinating with families, and coordinating with host authorities, with ongoing advisories and the MADAD portal as part of a broader framework to protect students overseas. The MEA highlighted preventative measures, consular outreach, and past evacuation operations during crises to safeguard Indian nationals abroad.
