India signed MoU with Finland to deepen defence cooperation:

India signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Finland on 15 January 2020. The MoU was signed by Defence Secretary Dr. Ajay Kumar and Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Defence of Finland Mr. Jukka Juusti. The MoU is signed on the sidelines of Raisina Dialogue 2020.

MoU Highlights:

♦ The MoU is aimed at further defence cooperation between India and Finland.

♦ It will enhance co-operation in the field of Production, Procurement, Research and Development (R&D) of Defence-related Equipment and Industrial cooperation. 

♦ The MoU will induce cooperation between Finnish companies and Indian Defence Public Sector Undertakings. 

♦ Since DefExpo 2018, a draft MoU between the two countries in the field of defence cooperation was under discussion. It has now been approved in the run-up to DefExpo 2020.

Background:

In 2019, Mr. Jukka Juusti led a delegation to Aero India in Bengaluru to participate in the Make in India vision. His visit formalized an arrangement for Defence Industrial cooperation through an MoU. Also, a delegation from Finland had visited India between 29 November and 2 December 2018, to explore new business opportunities for Finnish companies.

Previously, on 13 February 2016, Prime Minister of Finland Mr. Juha Sipila visited India for the inauguration of the Make in India week and held bilateral discussions with Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi during his visit to India. On 17 April 2018, Prime Minister Modi held a bilateral meeting with Mr. Sipila during his first India-Nordic Summit held in Stockholm, Sweden.

Note: DefExpo 2020 is has been scheduled to be held in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh from 5-9 February 2020.

GoI signed agreements to end Bru-Reang refugee crisis:

Union Minister for Home Affairs Amit Shah headed the signing of an agreement between the Government of India, Governments of Tripura and Mizoram and Bru-Reang representatives in New Delhi 16 January 2020. The agreement will end the 23-year old Bru-Reang refugee crisis. This historic agreement is in line with PM Modi`s vision for the progress of the North East and the empowerment of the people of the region. 

Background:

In 1997, around 5,000 families comprising around 30,000 Bru-Reang tribals were forced to flee Mizoram and seek shelter in Tripura due to ethnic tension. These people were housed in temporary camps at Kanchanpur, in North Tripura. Since 2010, the Central Government took efforts to permanently rehabilitate these refugees and it has been assisting the two State governments to take care of the refugees. Until 2014, 1622 Bru-Reang families returned to Mizoram in different batches. 

On 3 July 2018, an agreement was signed between the GoI, the two State governments and representatives of Bru-Reang refugees and 328 families comprising of 1369 individuals returned to Mizoram.