Why in News?
India and Australia signed 18 agreements, including a landmark Civil Nuclear Energy Agreement enabling commercial uranium exports from Australia to India, along with pacts on defence, maritime security, critical minerals, and trade.
Civil Nuclear Cooperation
- Australia will commercially supply uranium for India’s civilian nuclear power plants.
- Builds on the India-Australia Civil Nuclear Cooperation Agreement (2014).
- Supports India’s clean energy and non-fossil fuel targets.
Defence & Maritime Cooperation
- Signed a Joint Declaration on Defence and Security Cooperation.
- Launched the India-Australia Maritime Security Collaboration Roadmap.
- Cooperation in Maritime law enforcement, Maritime domain awareness, Shipbuilding, repair and maintenance, Defence industrial collaboration, Interoperability and information sharing
Critical Minerals & Technology
- Launched the Australia-India Partnership on Cyber, Critical Technologies and Supply Chains.
- Agreed to establish a Critical Minerals Corridor to strengthen resilient supply chains.
Trade & Investment
- Decided to expedite negotiations on the Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement (CECA).
- Agreed to move forward on a Bilateral Investment Treaty (BIT).
Energy Security
- Joint framework to ensure reliable supplies of Coal, Natural gas, Diesel and other liquid fuels
Education
- Approval granted for Victoria University to establish a campus in Gurugram.
- Flinders University received a Letter of Intent to open a campus in Bengaluru.
[2020] In India, why are some nuclear reactors kept under “IAEA safeguards” while others are not ?
a) Some use uranium and others use thorium
b) Some use imported uranium and others use domestic supplies
c) Some are operated by foreign enterprises and others are operated by domestic enterprises
d) Some are State-owned and others are privately-owned