External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, front row fourth right, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, front row fourth left, Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal, front row second left, and Minister of State Jitin Prasada, front row second right, pose for a group photograph alongside Singaporean Deputy Prime Minister Gan Kim Yong, front row centre, Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan, front row third right, and other senior dignitaries during the India-Singapore Ministerial Roundtable (ISMR), in Singapore. The high-level bilateral meeting focused on expanding strategic and economic ties between the two nations across advanced manufacturing, semiconductors, digital connectivity, fintech, green economy, and clean energy domains.
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India and Singapore are set to deepen cooperation in semiconductors, digital connectivity, fintech, green hydrogen, healthcare and industrial parks, while working to strengthen trade in agricultural and processed food products, as the two sides seek to give greater momentum to their Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.The areas of cooperation were discussed at the fourth India-Singapore Ministerial Roundtable (ISMR) in Singapore on Thursday, attended by senior ministers including Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, Minister of External Affairs S Jaishankar, Commerce & Industry Minister Piyush Goyal and Minister of State for Commerce & Industry and Electronics & IT Jitin Prasada, along with their Singaporean counterparts.“The Ministers noted the progress achieved under the ISMR pillars, such as significant increase in UPI-PayNow Connect transactions, implementation of the pilot for registration of Indian generic medicines in Singapore; export of litchis, mangoes, cherries and plums from India to Singapore,” according to a statement issued by the Ministry of External Affairs on Friday.Other progress areas evaluated by the two sides included approval of Indian establishments by Singapore Food Agency for export of processed poultry products to Singapore, development of the National Centre of Excellence (NCOE) for Skilling in Chennai, organisation of the 4th Singapore-India Hackathon in Singapore, forthcoming rollout of the Green Lane Initiative for Semicon, green hydrogen supply chain development; and opening of Singapore Business Federation office in Bengaluru.The Singaporean side was represented by Deputy PM and Trade Minister Gan Kim Yong, National Security and Home Minister K. Shanmugam, Foreign Affairs Minister Vivian Balakrishnan, Digital Development and Information Minister Josephine Teo and Transport and Second Finance Minister Jeffrey Siow.The two sides agreed to explore greater engagement between Singapore and Indian states, including through regular visits by chief ministers to Singapore. Goyal also addressed the India-Singapore Business Forum and held meetings with potential investors and industry partners.The semiconductor push comes amid India’s efforts to build a domestic semiconductor ecosystem and attract global investment into chip manufacturing and related supply chains. Prasada participated in a semiconductor industry roundtable during the visit.The ministers witnessed the exchange of two memoranda of understanding and a letter of intent. An agreement between India’s Food Safety and Standards Authority and the Singapore Food Agency will facilitate technical information-sharing on food safety and is aimed at easing bilateral trade in agricultural and food products.The latest roundtable follows the elevation of India-Singapore ties to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Singapore in September 2024. A roadmap for the partnership was subsequently adopted during Singapore Prime Minister Lawrence Wong’s visit to India in September 2025.The Indian ministers also called on the Singapore PM during the visit.Published on August 21, 2026
