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A delegation from the French Senate's Interparliamentary Friendship Group concluded its visit to India from April 10 to April 15, with a focus on sustainability initiatives and strengthening the India-France strategic partnership, the French Embassy in India said on Friday.
According to a statement issued by the embassy, the delegation, led by Senator Mireille Jouve, included senators Louis-Jean de Nicolay and Jean-Marie Mizzon, and the visit covered multiple cities, including Mumbai, Puducherry, Chennai and New Delhi, with a focus on sustainability, infrastructure and bilateral cooperation. The delegation began its visit in Mumbai, where it toured the Jawaharlal Nehru Port Authority, observing its role as India's largest container port and a key logistics hub. The senators also reviewed the contribution of the French shipping company CMA CGM in strengthening supply chain solutions. They later visited the Worli water treatment and waste management project being developed by Suez that serves around 2.5 million people. In Puducherry, the delegation visited a social housing project under the Smart City initiative supported by the French Development Agency and the European Union. They also visited the Lycee Francais de Pondichery, which is marking its bicentenary, and paid tribute at the French War Memorial dedicated to soldiers who died in World War I. During their stop in Chennai, the senators held discussions with Purvaja Ramachandran of the National Centre for Sustainable Coastal Management on coastal resilience, marine biodiversity and marine pollution. At the National Institute of Ocean Technology, they reviewed ongoing cooperation under India's Deep Ocean Mission in partnership with the French research body IFREMER, focusing on deep-sea research, marine technologies and ocean-based renewable energy. The delegation also visited the Saint-Gobain Research and Development Centre in India to understand industry-academia collaboration in sustainable innovation. In New Delhi, the delegation met Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla to discuss enhancing parliamentary cooperation and also held talks with members of the India-France Friendship Group led by Congress MP Shashi Tharoor. The senators met External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar to discuss bilateral ties, highlighting the elevation of the relationship to a "Special Global Strategic Partnership". On the occasion of Ambedkar Jayanti, the delegation paid tribute to BR Ambedkar at the Dr Ambedkar International Centre and also met Virendra Kumar, Union Minister for Social Justice and Empowerment. As part of its sustainability-focused engagements, the delegation visited a waste-sorting centre run by Chintan Environmental Research and Action Group, highlighting the role of civil society in promoting recycling, circular economy practices and reducing single-use plastic waste. The visit underscored growing cooperation between India and France across sectors, including environment, technology, infrastructure and parliamentary exchanges. (ANI)
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