India and Bhutan

♦ India and Bhutan have signed an MoU on Technical Cooperation in Agriculture and Allied Sectors.

♦ Secretary, Agriculture Ministry Devesh Chaturvedi and Bhutan’s Agriculture Secretary Thinley Namgyel signed the MoU in Thimpu.

♦ The MoU will serve as a framework for collaboration in various areas including agricultural research and innovation, livestock health and production, post-harvest management, value chain development, and the exchange of knowledge, skills, and expertise.

Defence Ministry has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU)

♦ The Defence Ministry has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Quality Council of India in New Delhi to strengthen the delivery of pension, healthcare, resettlement, and welfare services for over 63 lakh veterans and their dependents.

♦ Under the MoU, QCI will support the Department of Ex-Servicemen Welfare (DESW) in digital evaluations, impact assessments, and evidence-based policy recommendations.

♦ The Ministry said, DESW will facilitate data access and stakeholder coordination with State Governments, Zila Sainik Boards, Armed Forces Headquarters, and empanelled hospitals. 

India and Eurasian Free Trade Agreement

♦ India and the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU), comprising Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz Republic and Russia, have signed the Terms of Reference (ToR) to launch negotiations on a Free Trade Agreement (FTA).

♦ The ToR was signed by Additional Secretary of the Department of Commerce Ajay Bhadoo and Eurasian Economic Commission’s Deputy Director of Trade Policy Department Mikhail Cherekaev in Moscow.

♦ The proposed FTA will boost exports, support Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) and diversify market access. 

♦ During the signing ceremony, both sides noted that trade turnover between India-EAEU reached 69 billion dollars in 2024, registering a 7 percent increase over 2023.

♦ The two sides also reaffirmed their commitment to the early conclusion of the agreement and to building a long-term institutional framework for trade cooperation. 

India-Russia Business Forum meeting in Moscow.

♦ External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar co-chaired the 26th Session of the India-Russia Inter-Governmental Commission on Trade, Economic, Scientific, Technological and Cultural Cooperation (IRIGC-TEC) in Moscow on 20 August 2025.  

♦ He addressed the India-Russia Business Forum meeting in Moscow. 

♦ During the visit, the External Affairs Minister also met Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and review the bilateral agenda and share perspective on regional and global issues.

♦ The visit aims to further strengthen the longstanding and time-tested India-Russia Special and Privileged Strategic Partnership. 

Assam Rifles

♦ Assam Rifles, in collaboration with IIIT Manipur, signed a Memorandum of Understanding at Mantripukhri on 19 August 2025 to promote drone technology for defence and security. 

♦ As part of the initiative, an Advanced Drone Training and Refresher Course was also launched for Assam Rifles personnel, covering drone flight operations, maintenance, and DGCA-certified training. 

♦ The programme aims to strengthen surveillance, reconnaissance, and logistics support capabilities. 

Narendra Modi met Wang Yi

♦ Prime Minister Narendra Modi met Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in New Delhi on 19 August 2025.

♦ Modi stressed the need for peace and stability along the India-China border and reiterated India's commitment to a fair and mutually acceptable boundary resolution. 

♦ During the meeting, PM Modi welcomed what he described as “steady and positive progress” in bilateral relations since his discussions with Xi in Kazan last year (2024).

♦ He noted that ties had been guided by principles of mutual respect, mutual interest, and mutual sensitivity, and referred to the resumption of the Kailash Manasarovar Yatra as a step forward in people-to-people exchanges.

Unique Identification Authority of India

♦ The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) has signed an agreement with the Indian Statistical Institute (ISI) for joint research and development to further enhance the robustness, security and reliability of Aadhaar operations on 12 August 2025.

♦ The agreement effective for a period of five years, will cover areas such as fraud and anomaly detection, development of biometric liveness detection tools, identification of high-risk enrolment/update categories, improvements in biometric matching algorithms, and other priority areas as mutually decided.

♦ The agreement was signed by Tanusree Deb Barma, Deputy Director General (Technology Centre) at UIDAI and Prof B. S. Daya Sagar, head of Indian Statistical Institute, Bengaluru. 

8th High-Level Meeting

♦ The 8th High-Level Meeting between the Indian Coast Guard (ICG) and the Sri Lanka Coast Guard (SLCG) was held in New Delhi.

♦ The discussions centred on strengthening cooperative engagements in the fields of marine pollution response, maritime search and rescue, and maritime law enforcement, along with enhanced capacity building and technical assistance initiatives. 

♦ The Indian delegation was headed by ICG Director General Paramesh Sivamani while Director General SLCG Rear Admiral Y.R. Serasinghe led the Sri Lankan delegation.

Industry 4.0 Workshop for CPSEs

♦ Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) and Numaligarh Refinery Limited (NRL) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to accelerate India’s digital transformation and industrial modernisation.

♦ This happened during the “Industry 4.0 Workshop for CPSEs” organised under the aegis of the Ministry of Finance in Guwahati.

♦ Under this MoU, BSNL and NRL will collaborate to deploy India’s first 5G CNPN (Captive Non-Public Network) within the refinery sector, ushering in a new era of secure, ultra-reliable, and real-time industrial connectivity.

♦ This initiative is a pioneering step in leveraging indigenous 5G infrastructure for mission-critical operations.