Angela Merkel’s visit to India

• German Chancellor’s visit to India saw the formation of the India-Germany Climate.
• Angela Markel was in India for third Indo-German Inter-governmental Consultations.
• The first Indo-German Inter-governmental Consultations took place in India in 2011 and in 2013, Germany hosted the second round. Since taking up this format of cooperation, Indo-German relations have been on a steady upswing. 
• Germany promised €1 billion for India’s Green Energy Corridor and another €1 billion for solar projects.
• The two countries signed 18 memoranda of understanding on higher education, civil aviation, railways and food safety, among other areas. India agreed to set up a fast-track approval mechanism for German companies.
• The controversy over teaching German in Kendriya Vidyalayas was also laid to rest after the government announced that students will be able to opt for it as an additional foreign language.
• Germany is India’s most important trade partner in Europe.

Green Energy Corridor programme seeks to facilitate the flow of renewable energy into the national grid. In other words, it is aimed at synchronising electricity produced from renewable sources, such as solar and wind, with conventional power stations in the grid. This comprehensive transmission plan was prepared by POWERGRID Corporation of India Limited in 2012 and it entails a total cost of 43000 crore rupees.

By: Vishal