MEA may eliminate Automatic Renewal Clause in MoUs with other countries

The ministry of external  affairs (MEA) is assessing if memoranda  of understanding (MoUs) by various  departments with different countries should come to an end at a specific date.

Sources said the ministry is assessing the utility of automatic clause of renewal in these MoUs  and  may do away with it. 

For instance, all MoUs signed by the ministry of Human Resource Development has  an auto renewal  clause. As such, all the MoUs continue to remain alive. 

Over 290 MoUs inked by various ministries and departments with their  counterparts in other countries are more than five years old. 

The recommendations to  this effect was given  by a recent meeting of the group of officers.

Besides, it was decided that ministries and their departments may undertake  review of  inactive MoUs to identify those  which need not be continued. 

However, the exact decision on this  issue would  be taken only in consultation with MEA. 

There are roughly 82  MoUs which are  inactive. For  example, six  MoUs signed by the Department of Science  and Industrial Research with other countries are inactive. These MoUs relate to scientific exchanges and outcomes. The Council of Scientific and Industrial Research is  taking steps to revise these MoUs, including those with China and Russia.

The Department of Electronics and Information Technology has 36 MoUs which are inactive. MoUs are inked with many nations after 2000 as India made a phenomenal  progress in IT since then. These were closed when the validity period expired.  End 

Some officers expressed an opinion that most  MoUs should  not  need approval of the Cabinet. In fact, consultations with MEA, the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion and the Law  Ministry should be adequate, they opined. 

However, it was clarified that approval of the Cabinet and the Prime  Minister is needed  before entering into  cooperation with other countries, particularly when these relate to strategic and sensitive areas