Foreign Relations of India in the Modi era

1. Foreign Relations - India
Group 6 – Sec A
Anjali Mirchandani 7A
Preetam Das 31A
Sandeep Chandra D R 43A
Shadab Khan 46A
Surbhi Gupta 51A

2. Foreign Relations – in a nutshell
Promoted a strong personal role for the Prime Minister but a weak institutional structure. Nehru served concurrently as Prime
Minister and Minister of External Affairs; he made all major foreign policy decisions himself after consulting with his advisers and
then entrusted the conduct of international affairs to senior members of the Indian Foreign Service
By the 1970s, the Office of the Prime Minister had become the de facto coordinator and supraministry of the Indian government.
The enhanced role of the office strengthened the prime minister's control over foreign policy making at the expense of the
Ministry of External Affairs
Even before independence, the Government of British India maintained semi-autonomous diplomatic relations
After India gained independence from the United Kingdom in 1947, it soon joined the Commonwealth of Nations and strongly supported
independence movements in other colonies, like the Indonesian National Revolution
During the Cold War, India adopted a foreign policy of not aligning itself with any major power bloc. However, India developed close ties with the
Soviet Union and received extensive military support from it
The end of the Cold War significantly affected India's foreign policy, as it did for much of the world. India now seeks to strengthen its diplomatic and
economic ties with the United States, the People's Republic of China, the European Union, Japan, Israel, Mexico, and Brazil. India has also forged
close ties with the member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, the African Union, the Arab League and Iran
Though India continues to have a military relationship with Russia, Israel has emerged as India's second largest military partner while India has built a
strong strategic partnership with the United States. The foreign policy of Narendra Modi indicated a shift towards focusing on the Asian region and,
more broadly, trade deals.

3. The Modi Doctrine
Ajit DovalSubrahmanyam
Jaishankar
Gen. V K SinghSushma Swaraj
External Affairs Minister Foreign Secretary National Security AdvisorMinister of State for
External Affairs
Prime Minister
The Team
India's growing economy, strategic location, friendly foreign policy and large and vibrant diaspora has won it more
allies than enemies
India has friendly relations with several countries in the developing world
Though India is not a part of any major military alliance, it has close strategic and military relationship with most of
the fellow major powers

4. Policy initiatives
Act East policy Neighbourhood first policy Indian Ocean outreach
Project Mausam Fast-track DiplomacyPara Diplomacy
Transition from “Look East” to
“Act East”
India would focus more and
more on improving relations
Inviting all heads of state/heads of government
of South Asian countries in his inauguration and
on the second day on office he held bilateral
talks with all of them individually
India's nautical backyard, steadily turning into
a hotspot thanks to growing Chinese strategic
presence over the region's numerous
strategically located archipelagos
On the back of growing Chinese naval
activity in the Indian ocean region, which
India considers its area of supremacy, the
Modi administration have introduced Project
Mausam
Since taking office the External Affairs Minister,
Sushma Swaraj held round-table meeting with all
Indian heads of missions to the SAARC region,
ASEAN region and Middle East separately as a
follow up measure to carry forward the leads
gained by high profile visits and exchanges.
One of the innovative idea of Modi
govt is the introduction of elements
of para diplomacy in India’s foreign
policy where each states and cities
would be encouraged to forge special
relation with countries or federal states
of another country or even cities of
their interest in order

5. Asia and Africa
• Despite growing economic and strategic ties,
there are several hurdles for India and the PRC to
overcome in order to establish favourable
relations
• The two countries have failed to resolve their
long-standing border dispute
• The major challenge confronting India-China
relations has been to build mutual trust and
confidence
• Heavy trade imbalance in favor of China
• India, China to Discuss Lakhvi Issue and
Cooperation on Counterterrorism
• Focus of Sino-Indian relations shifting from “high
politics” issues to “low politics” ones
Way Ahead
• Relations between India and Nepal are close yet
fraught with difficulties stemming from border
disputes, geography, economics, the problems
inherent in big power-small power relations, and
common ethnic and linguistic identities that
overlap the two countries' borders
• India is the largest regional investor in
Afghanistan, having committed more than US$2.2
billion for reconstruction purposes
• Dam built by Tata Power will greatly develop the
Bhutanese economy by providing employment,
and by selling electricity to India and fulfilling
India's burgeoning energy needs. Due to this dam
Bhutan's economy grew 20%, the second highest
growth rate in the world
Way Ahead

6. The Americas
• India signed various MoUs like in areas of cyber
security, skill development, cooperation in the
railways and civil aviation front with Canada
• Modi’s visit was the first bilateral visit to that
country by an Indian Prime Minister in 42 years
• President Rousseff emphasized the special place
this relationship enjoyed in Brazil's foreign policy,
because of the potential for bilateral cooperation
and the international significance of their
partnership
• India made nuclear deal with the Canada’s biggest
producer of uranium, Cameco, signed a $280
million, five-year deal to supply uranium to fuel
Indian nuclear reactorsThe long-term deal
announced later that Cameco will sell 7.1 million
pounds of uranium to India, through 2020
• diversify trade and investment flows and deepen
cooperation in agriculture and dairy science,
conventional and renewable energy, space
research and applications, defence, cyber security
and environment conservation
Way Ahead
• "India and the United States are bound together,
by history and culture“ – Modi
• President Obama greeted Modi by calling him a
"Man of Action“
• President Obama was the first US President to
visit India twice in office and the two leaders now
scheduled to hold back to back summits within
six months
• India is perceived by Americans as their 6th
favorite nation in the world, with 71% of
Americans viewing India favorably in 2015
(Gallup’s World Affairs survey, 2015)
• The two leaders also agreed to “develop a
roadmap that leverages our respective efforts to
increase ties among Asian powers, enabling both
our nations to better respond” to the emerging
diplomatic, economic and security challenges in
the region
Way Ahead

7. Europe and Eurasia
India's long term strategic ally for more that half a
century but relations strained post cold war, India
diversified its defense purchases
• Ind-Russia have set a target of US$30 billion of
bilateral trade by 2025 with equal amount of
investment in each other's economy
• Joint feasibility study of building gas pipeline
through China
• The annual commission meeting have identified
new areas of cooperation including prioritising the
International North South Corridor Project
(INSTC), start negotiating on a Free Trade
Agreement between India and the Euresian
customs union, focusing on enhancing economic
partnership in areas like energy, civil aviation and
diamond trade along with Russian participation in
Modi's smart city project
• Modi has assured Russia of a long term defence
relation
Way Ahead
• Modi discussed bilateral issues including strategic
space and defense collaboration
• Expressed solidarity with the people of France
besides condemning the act of terror
• Clenched a government to government deal for
36 Dassault Rafale fighter aircraft in fly-away
condition
• David Cameron said improving relations with
India in the "top priority" of UK foreign policy
• Modi made strongest pitch for the ”Make in
India” initiative in Hannover fair, Germany
• There were announcements of strengthened
cooperation in sectors like energy, skill
development, science & technology and the Modi
government’s initiatives like Digital
India and Clean India
• Airbus committed to increase its outsourcing from
India from current level of US$ 400 million to US$
2 billion by 2020
• Ind-France negotiating setting-up of a 9900
MW nuclear power plant in Jaitapur by the French
firm Areva
Way Ahead

8. Salient Features of FTP 2015-20 to promote exports
• FTP 2015-20 introduces two new schemes, namely "Merchandise Exports from India Scheme (MEIS)" and "Services Exports from India Scheme
(SEIS)”
• FTP benefits from both MEIS & SEIS will be extended to units located in SEZs
• Agricultural and village industry products to be supported across the globe at rates of 3% and 5% under MEIS. Higher level of support to be provided
to processed and packaged agricultural and food items under MEIS
• Industrial products to be supported in major markets at rates ranging from 2% to 3%
• Branding campaigns planned to promote exports in sectors where India has traditional Strength
• SEIS shall apply to 'Service Providers located in India' instead of 'Indian Service Providers‘
• Business services, hotel and restaurants to get rewards scrips under SEIS at 3% and other specified services at 5%
• Duty credit scrips to be freely transferable and usable for payment of customs duty, excise duty and service tax
• Reduced Export Obligation (EO) (75%) for domestic procurement under EPCG scheme
• No need to repeatedly submit physical copies of documents available on Exporter Importer Profile
• Calicut Airport, Kerala and Arakonam ICDS, Tamil Nadu notified as registered ports for import and export
• Certificate from independent chartered engineer for redemption of EPCG authorisation no longer required

9. Thank
You