New Delhi (TIP): India and Singapore on Wednesday,  Jan 20,  signed an implementing agreement on submarine rescue support and cooperation between their navies during the 5th Defence Minister’s Dialogue held over video conference, a joint statement said. The signing of an implementing agreement is very significant between two submarine operating navies, said maritime affairs expert Rear Admiral Sudarshan Shrikhande (retd). “We have had a growing defence relationship with several ASEAN  members and naval cooperation between Singapore and India goes back to the early 1990s. Cooperation in submarine rescue enables sharing of resources and expertise and much faster response should an accident happen. It is cost-effective and, importantly, time-effective when time is the most critical factor,” Shrikhande said. In another move to deepen military cooperation, defence minister Rajnath Singh and his Singaporean counterpart Ng Eng Hen expressed their support to the early conclusion of agreements to facilitate live firing drills and to establish reciprocal arrangements for the cross-attendance of military courses.

Punjab, Haryana among 10 most innovative states

Haryana (sixth) and Punjab (10th) find place among the top 10 most innovative states as Karnataka ranks first, the Centre’s policy think tank, NITI Aayog, has said in its report — India Innovation Index 2020. Released by NITI Aayog Vice Chairman Rajiv Kumar in the presence of members VK Paul (Health), Ramesh Chand (Agriculture) and CEO Amitabh Kant, the index places Himachal Pradesh at the top among the hill and north-eastern states. Chandigarh has made a leap forward to rank second among the UTs after Delhi.

The index, launched last year, ranks states based on whether they provide a conducive environment for registering new businesses, applying for patents, human capital and investments, among other measures.In the second edition, Maharashtra has overtaken Tamil Nadu for the second spot. Telangana has claimed the fourth place, with Kerala moving one notch up to fifth slot, pushing Haryana to sixth place on the list of 17 major states. Bihar has featured at the bottom. “There is a very strong correlation between innovation and development. As states become more innovative, their per-capita GDP (gross domestic product) rises,” said Amit Kapoor, chairman of the Institute for Competitiveness, a Gurugram-based organisation that worked with NITI Aayog to develop the index.