NEW DELHI: India and Singapore on Wednesday reviewed bilateral cooperation in key areas such as connectivity, digitalisation, healthcare and skilling and identified new initiatives for collaboration.
These matters were discussed at the third meeting of the India-Singapore Ministerial Roundtable (ISMR), a special mechanism created in 2022 to advance cooperation in crucial sectors such as technology, investments and advanced manufacturing.
The two sides reviewed the progress on cooperation under the six pillars of ISMR - advanced manufacturing, connectivity, digitalisation, healthcare and medicine, skills development and sustainability. The two sides also “deliberated on ways to further deepen bilateral cooperation, particularly under these six pillars, and identified a number of specific initiatives to pursue,” the external affairs ministry said in a readout.
The Indian delegation included finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman, external affairs minister S Jaishankar, commerce minister Piyush Goyal, and electronics and information technology minister Ashwini Vaishnaw.
The Singapore team included deputy prime minister Gan Kim Yong, coordinating minister for national security K Shanmugam, foreign minister Vivian Balakrishnan, digital development minister Josephine Teo, manpower minister Tan See Leng and acting transport minister Jeffrey Siow.
The ministers from Singapore also met President Droupadi Murmu.
{{/usCountry}}The ministers from Singapore also met President Droupadi Murmu.
{{/usCountry}}People familiar with the matter said about 10 agreements covering topics under the six pillars of the ISMR were finalised during the meeting. These agreements are expected to be unveiled during a meeting between the prime ministers of the two countries next month.
Deputy prime minister Gan, who is also Singapore’s trade minister, visited Mumbai on Tuesday to take stock of investments by Singapore companies – PSA’s Bharat Mumbai Container Terminal (PSA Mumbai) Phase 2 and CapitaLand Investment’s (CLI) new data centre in Navi Mumbai. These investments underscore Singapore’s confidence in India’s long-term economic trajectory, officials said.
Gan and Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis toured the port facilities and received a briefing from PSA on how the development of Phase 2 will enhance India’s trade and maritime connectivity. Gan also witnessed the signing of an MoU between Mapletree Investments and the Maharashtra government to commit foreign direct investments equivalent to ₹3,000 crores in Maharashtra through the development of industrial parks, logistics parks and data centres.
Gan inaugurated CLI’s new data centre in Navi Mumbai, for which the firm is investing $453 million.
The external affairs ministry said India views Singapore as an important partner in “Act East” policy. Ties between the two sides were elevated to a comprehensive strategic partnership in September 2024.