India, Smgapore to firm up pacts to boost ties in emerging areas

‘The pacts are likely to be finalised by around Sept-Oct as both sides identified the priority areas’ after a series of extensive deliberations’

India and Singapore are looking at firming up a set of ambitious agreements to shore up cooperation in areas of green economy, digitalisation, energy, food security, healthcare and skill development in the next few months in line with their strategic ties, diplomatic sources said on Tuesday.

The pacts are likely to be finalised by around SeptemberOctober as both sides identified the "priority areas" after a series of extensive deliberations, they said. A comprehensive stocktaking of the bilateral ties is expected at the next meeting of India-Singapore Ministerial Roundtable (ISMR), a mechanism that was established to take the bilateral relations to a new level, the sources said.

The inaugural meeting of the ISMR that took place on September 17, 2022 in Delhi identified digital connectivity, fintech, green economy, green hydrogen, skill development and food productivity as the key areas for deepening the bilateral ties.