8INDIAREVIEWDECEMBER, 2025INDIA, GERMANY PUSH INTEGRATED SHIFT TO ELECTRIC MOBILITYIndia and Germany are now working together to support India's next step in its move towards electric mobility; Representatives from all sectors of India's EV sector met in New Delhi to discuss a way forward on an overall strategy for adoption of electric vehicles.India-Germany electric mobility cooperation focuses on an integrated mobility strategy to accelerate the EV transition, promoting clean transport in India, sustainable mobility, and EV policy cooperation to drive the green transport shift.The event was part of the Indo-German Partnership for Green and Sustainable Development (GSDP). The participants included people from multiple sectors, including central ministries, State governments, Cities Admin, Public transport, DISCOMs, Finance people, industry members as well as International partners.Five identified priority areas will be the main focus of the two countries' collaboration: Scalable Financing, Charging Infrastructure & Grid Preparedness, Battery Safety, Multimodal Electrification and Workforce Development.Both countries have stated that integrated planning across Energy, Mobility, Manufacturing, Finance and Skills is needed in order for India to meet its EV targets, and successful transitions from stand-alone pilot projects into a cohesive and coordinated National Program will be the key to long-term success.On the backdrop of the increasing policy ecosystem regarding e-mobility in India, various measures were introduced, namely the PM eDrive scheme, with an outlay of 10,900 crore for vehicle electrification; (2) the PM eBus Sewa programme focused on deploying 10,000 electric buses; and (3) the 3,435 crore Payment Security Mechanism introduced in 2024.The Charging Infrastructure Guideline, issued by the Ministry of Power and the Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE) in 2024, was identified as an essential first step to establishing standards and interoperability for Charging Infrastructure.Experts emphasized the value of integrating metro systems, bus fleets, shared mobility, and last-mile services to support multi-modal electrification.In addition, better coordination with Distribution Companies (DISCOMs) for grid readiness, development of battery circularity, and promotion of skill development in a gender-neutral manner for the new jobs created by electric vehicles (EVs) have all been put forward as priorities.Both countries continue to share a mutual commitment to supporting clean, effective and equitable mobility and to deepen their collaboration across several critical areas. IMRFollowing a summit, Russia has agreed to develop a programme to manufacture military equipment and spare parts in India. This will enable Russian weapons and defence systems to be maintained by Indian armed forces for Russian-made procurement. Strengthening all aspects of defence cooperation was an essential component of talks between Prime Minister Modi and President Putin.Indian Armed Forces have raised numerous concerns about delays in receiving spare parts and critical equipment from Russia, which have created issues with maintaining the operational readiness of Russian-produced military systems acquired by India.In addition to the establishment of defence partnerships, both nations also agreed to work together to create new ventures that will satisfy Indian armed forces' needs and position to make them available for sale to other friendly nations.The joint statement from both countries indicates that the focus of the defence relationships between India and Russia will remain on the development and production of advanced defence technologies and systems through joint efforts."Both sides agreed to encourage joint manufacturing in India of spare parts, components, aggregates and other products for maintenance of Russian origin arms and defence equipment under Make-in-India programme through transfer of technology", the statement read.In a second meeting, Defence Ministers Rajnath Singh (India) and Andrey Belousov (Russia) committed to building on their previously established mutual trust by expanding bilateral defence cooperation even further.The Indian side indicated that it was interested in procuring additional batches of S-400 missile systems, as well as exploring the procurement of the more advanced S-500 systems, in order to improve its own combat capabilities.Furthermore, the Ministers agreed to continue working toward establishing a bilateral trade settlement system based on national currencies and enhancing the ability of both countries to interact with one another in terms of payment and financial messaging systems. There was also an agreement to explore the possibility of creating a central bank digital currency platform(s).The Ministers were pleased to report that significant progress has been made toward concluding a Free Trade Agreement between the Republic of India and the Eurasian Economic Union on goods, and they have agreed to make every effort to reach a mutually beneficial investment protection agreement.Both countries also discussed how to create long-term supplies of fertilisers to the Republic of India, including through the creation of joint venture in this area. IMRTOP STORIESINDIA, RUSSIA BOOST DEFENCE TIES WITH LOCAL MANUFACTURING
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