NEW DELHI: The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi has approved the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between India and Russia on Bilateral Cooperation in the Road Transport and Road Industry.
The MoU will be signed during the upcoming visit of Russian President to India.
In order to develop and establish formal platform for cooperation in the Transport and Highways sector, a Memorandum of Understanding in the field of Road Transport and Road Industry has been jointly negotiated and finalized by both countries.
Both the countries will benefit by mutual cooperation in the field of Road Transport and Road Industry. Increased co-operation, exchange and collaboration with Russiawill contribute to establish a long-term and effective bilateral relationship of communication and cooperation in road transportation and road industry and Intelligent Transport System (ITS).
This will also help in planning and administration of road infrastructure and road network management, transport policy, technologies and standards for the construction and operation of highways in the country and will further go a long way in strengthening ties and bilateral relations between India and Russia.
Background:
India and Russia enjoy long-standing relationship and have maintained strong economic ties at a strategic partnership level. Russia has developed technological solutions for satellite based tolling solutions. Similarly, they have also adopted advanced intelligent traffic management systems including crash reporting/ monitoring systems. Considering Russia’s proven experience in adoption of technology in the road transport sector, it would be beneficial to learn from such best practices through close interaction.
India is implementing at a rapid pace its highway infrastructure augmentation plans. To make full use of the road infrastructure it is necessary to embrace technology to enhance transport productivity and safety. This will also help in reducing overall logistic cost. India’s own plans for massive highway and expressway infrastructure development can be attractive opportunity to infrastructure development entitles in the Russia.
A partnership between the two countries will provide a platform for interaction at the operational level and supplement initiatives associated with all International groupings and forums where both countries are members.