)
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
