India, Australia strike new pacts

India and Australia signed five agreements to boost investments and enhance cooperation in key sectors like disability, agricultural research and education as Indian President Ram Nath Kovind met Australian Prime minister Scott Morrison in Sydney recently. Indian Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said that during the state visit of President Kovind to Australia, five agreements were exchanged in the presence of Marise Payne, Foreign Minister of Australia, and Anantkumar Hegde, Minister of State for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship. The first agreement was for cooperation in the area of disability and to deliver services to the differently-abled. The second one was between Invest India and Austrade to facilitate bilateral investment. The third agreement was signed between the Central Mine Planning and Design Institute, Ranchi, and the Commonwealth Scientific and Research Organisation, Canberra, to foster scientific collaboration and innovation. The fourth one was between the Acharya N.G. Ranga Agricultural University, Guntur, and the University of Western Australia, Perth, for cooperation in agricultural research and education and the last one was between the Indraprashta Institute of Information Technology, New Delhi, and the Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane for a joint PhD agreement.