Profile
Settings
Refer your friends
Sign out
Singapore overcame being a third-world country and became the Tiger of Asia, owing to the policies of its government and people. It can easily be followed by India if there are good leaders who are well-informed and think of efficient ways to develop the country. The government of Singapore has planned to build up its economy on four pillars – Understanding Asian Values, Innovative Economy, Skills Development, and Efficient Government – the 4th pillar is taking care of almost everything.
Infrastructure is not just about roads, bridges, and airports; the growth of Singapore has achieved an unparalleled degree of socio-economic success not because of its natural resources but because of its effective governance.
Growth Of Singapore
Singapore, a small island off the southeastern coast of the Malay Peninsula, recovered in the last quarter of 2021 after a harsh winter freeze and deadly viral outbreak hit the region hard. The economy grew an estimated 6.1% from the previous year in that quarter compared with a revised 5.4% expansion in the previous three months, outpacing most estimates for 5.7%. According to the data released by the Ministry of Trade and Industry, a full-year growth came to 7.4%, compared with 4% in 2020.
Singapore’s economy has emerged from a two-year contraction to lead all of Southeast Asia in the growth of Singapore for the final quarter of 2021 and the entire year. The nation’s gross domestic product expanded 2.6% in the fourth quarter from three months earlier, more than forecast, and at an annualised rate of 2.5%, the fastest since 2007.
Singapore is likely to outperform the rest of Southeast Asia with stable economic growth and a strong government balance sheet, said Barclays Plc economist Brian Tan. The economy has dwarfed other developing nations in the region after Southeast Asia’s worst recession on record amid the global financial crisis. Growth should continue this year, driven by manufacturing and exports of services such as finance and telecommunications.
The economic growth of Singapore is likely to remain resilient even if the threat of avian influenza persists, with the government getting more powers to qualify and quarantine patients and schools remaining open, according to the economist at Barclays Plc.
India And Singapore
Though the global economy slowed down in 2015 mainly due to the Covid-19 pandemic and disruptions in supply chains, India and Singapore continued to strengthen their ties. Several high-level visits and meetings led to increased collaboration between the two countries. In 2016, both countries signed several agreements boosting bilateral cooperation across various fields, including defence and cybersecurity.
As part of their close bilateral ties, India and Singapore signed 12 agreements in various sectors on 17 January 2021, consolidating the existing cooperation and setting the stage for further collaboration. The agreements were signed after delegation-level talks between the two countries led by their respective Prime Ministers – Narendra Modi and Lee Hsien Loong.
India and Singapore enjoy an extensive and deep-rooted relationship that has continued to grow in all dimensions. The two countries commit to democracy, pluralism, and competitive markets as the basis for sustained economic growth and to regional peace, stability, and prosperity. India is Singapore’s largest trading partner in South Asia.
India and Singapore share a long-standing relationship. Both countries are also key players in the Indo-Pacific region. We are committed to further deepening our cooperation as equal partners in various areas, including trade, economic cooperation, defence and security, skill development, urban planning, and technology.
India and Singapore launched an innovation platform called the India-Singapore Hackcelerator. This innovation challenge aims to foster collaborative idea generation that is targeted at solving problems faced by businesses and communities. To this end, the collaboration between India and Singapore in biotechnology, which has grown from strength to strength over the last decade, will continue to be mutually beneficial.
Who Is More Powerful: India Or Singapore?
India and Singapore have both been recipients of global integration. We received early economic liberalisation from the 1960s onwards, which provided a solid foundation for our economies to grow. It also enabled us to develop close political, social, and cultural ties with the wider world. Today, our foreign policy objectives converge around the belief that we live in an interdependent world. That world is one where multilateral cooperation is vital for addressing political challenges and issues like security and terrorism. And it is a world where open markets drive growth and development, leading to greater prosperity for our people.
Amid the chaos of this upside-down world, India and Singapore – both at different stages of development – have a shared goal of creating new opportunities for our people.
Conclusion
In a joint statement, India and Singapore discussed further strengthening their strategic partnership, which has shown its resilience during the last four decades. The two countries aim to advance the common vision of peace, security, and prosperity in a stable and increasingly prosperous Indo-Pacific region.
India and Singapore’s partnership is historic and built on shared values of democracy, peace, economic prosperity, and mutual trust.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Ireland on September 23, 2015. It was the second time an Indian Prime Minister had visited Ireland. The first being Jawaharlal Nehru’s visit in 1956. Ireland is an island nation located in Northwestern Europe and surrounded by the North Atlantic Ocean.
The Prime Minister of Ireland, Enda Kenny, had hosted PM Modi during his visit. The PM was attended by other dignitaries such as the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Charles Flanagan, and Ireland’s Ambassador to India, Feilim McLaughlin. The main aim of the visit was to create stronger ties and improve trade and cultural relations. Described below is the impact of the PM’s Ireland visit.
Impact on trade and commerce
India and Ireland have strong bilateral trade and business relations. Before the PM’s visit, trades with Ireland were valued at €650 million in business in 2014. This included exports worth €248m and imports worth €402 million.
The indigenous exports increased from €32 million in 2012 to €55 million in 2014. In 2019, the total bilateral trade was around €1.2 billion. The exports and the imports have also increased to €636 million and €480 million respectively. Currently, the total trade between India and Ireland is valued at €4.2 billion. This resulted from improved bilateral ties between the two nations, owing to Prime Minister Modi’s visit to Ireland.
Indian Companies in Ireland
Many Indian companies carry out trade and commerce in Ireland. They provide services to Irish markets and consumers across various industries. Pharmaceutical giants such as Reliance Genemedix and Amneal Pharmaceuticals operate in Ireland. Major IT companies such as Wipro, Infosys, TCS, and HCL also have a strong presence in the country. The trade relations were bolstered after Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Ireland.
Other companies like Crompton Greaves, Deepak Fasteners, Jain irrigation systems, and Shapoorji Pallonji provide consumer goods and services. Likewise, many Irish companies conduct their business in the Indian market. These companies include pharmaceutical and nutrition players like ICON and Glanbia, IT firms like Globoforce and other companies like Keventer, CRH Taxback Group, and Connolly Red Mills.
Impact on Education
Ireland has been a coveted destination for higher education for Indian students. Over 5000 Indian students have enrolled for higher studies in various institutions in Ireland. The students are admitted to engineering, technology, medicine and management colleges. More than 30 research agreements have been signed between the two nations that allow institutes in both countries to collaborate.
Many reputed institutes like Trinity College, Dublin, and Thapar University, Patiala, have signed MOUs for engineering and science disciplines programmes. Thus, Ireland is an essential collaborator in graduate and doctoral research. This collaboration is also considered an impact of the PM’s Ireland visit.
Indian Community in Ireland
Ireland is diplomatically significant for India also due to the large number of Indian citizens residing there. The Indian origin population is approximately 45,000 people, of whom 18,500 are Non-Resident Indians (NRI), and others are Persons of Indian Origin (PIO). The majority of the residents are working professionals employed in engineering, healthcare and management positions.
It has helped in establishing many policies for the Indian origin population. Two such policies in practice are wearing hijab as a part of the police uniform and the non-requirement of obtaining an additional work permit for the spouse or the partner of Critical Skill Employment Permit holders.
Cultural Impact
As a result of a large population of Indian origin citizens in Ireland and the relationship between the two nations, Ireland promotes Indian culture in various forms. One such example is the celebration of Diwali in Ireland since 2008. The event is organised every year in collaboration with Irish and Indian committees.
Further, an annual contemporary film festival is also a part of the celebration of Indian culture. The promotion of such events indicates the importance of cultural exchange between the two nations. The Irish communities also take a keen interest in conventional practices such as cultivating and consuming Indian herbs and spices. This connects the agricultural practices between the two nations. The cultural ties between the countries were strong, and Prime Minister Modi’s visit to Ireland helped strengthen them further.
Another significant practice is the celebration of International Yoga Day in Ireland. The Irish communities have accepted Yoga as a form of a healthy lifestyle. The practice is similar to the Indian tradition.
Tourism
India attracts around 44,000 Irish tourists every year. Indian tourists too visit Ireland in similar numbers. This was facilitated by the introduction of the common British-Irish visa scheme. This scheme allows the tourists to visit the U.K. and Ireland under one visa, rather than applying for two separate visas. It is valid for short stays. India also extended its Electronic Tourist Visa facility to Ireland to digitally facilitate visa approval and generation. The impact of the PM’s Ireland visit was such that it has also helped establish the tourism sector in both countries.
Conclusion
The diplomatic ties between Ireland and India have been impacted positively after Prime Minister Modi visited Ireland in 2015. It was an essential step toward strengthening the bilateral relationship between these two nations. India and Ireland have been important to each other since the 1900s.
In 2010 and 2017, two honorary consulates were established in Chennai and Kolkata. Later in 2019, a formal and fully functional consulate general in Mumbai. Ireland and India have also shown their allegiance to fighting terrorism after the Pulwama attack. India has also hosted several Irish dignitaries on various occasions. These visits were directed toward engagement in business, education, health and tourism.
Further, many agreements were signed to provide opportunities for employment to people of both countries. Prime Minister Modi’s visit to Ireland helped revive relatively stagnant relations between these two nations. Several cultural and historically similar instances bind these two nations. From Yeats and Tagore to cricket and Diwali, the cultural semblance between these two nations has helped create a strong tie between them.
