Prime Minister Narendra Modi, addressing the Indian community in Paris on Thursday, emphasised that the India–France partnership has become a pillar of trust, stability and cooperation at a time when the world is facing uncertainty and disruption.

He announced that India and France will jointly launch the TRISHNA satellite next year, a mission designed to contribute to global food and water security.

The Prime Minister highlighted the growing scope of the bilateral relationship, noting that cooperation now spans defence, space, nuclear energy, artificial intelligence, critical minerals and high-speed rail. He reminded the audience that earlier this year the two countries elevated their ties to a Special Global Strategic Partnership, underscoring the depth of collaboration.

Referring to his discussions with French President Emmanuel Macron in Nice, Mr Modi said the two leaders had agreed to strengthen bilateral ties for the benefit of the international community. He remarked that the partnership would advance in every field, from defence to nuclear energy, from artificial intelligence to critical minerals and railways.

Announcing a major space collaboration, Mr Modi declared that India and France will launch the TRISHNA satellite in 2027. TRISHNA, or Thermal InfraRed Imaging Satellite for High-resolution Natural resource Assessment, is a joint Earth observation mission developed by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and the French space agency CNES. It is designed to monitor land and water resources through advanced thermal infrared imaging.

The satellite will provide high spatial and temporal resolution monitoring of Earth’s surface temperature, emissivity, biophysical and radiation variables. Its primary objectives include detailed monitoring of the energy and water budgets of the continental biosphere, quantifying terrestrial water stress and water use, and observing water quality and dynamics in coastal and inland waters.

Secondary objectives include assessing urban heat islands, detecting volcanic and geothermal anomalies, monitoring snow-melt runoff and glacier dynamics, and tracking atmospheric water vapour and cloud cover.

Equipped with two primary payloads, TRISHNA combines a Thermal Infra-Red sensor provided by CNES with a Visible–Near Infra-Red–Short Wave Infra-Red payload developed by ISRO.

Together, these instruments will deliver unprecedented detail, with a resolution of around 60 metres and revisit intervals of three days, enabling scientists to track droughts, evapotranspiration, permafrost changes and water quality with far greater precision than existing systems.

Mr Modi underlined that the mission would support agriculture, water management, climate monitoring and environmental sustainability, thereby strengthening food and water security worldwide. He noted that such collaborations demonstrate how India and France are working together for global good.

The Prime Minister also spoke of India’s transformative growth over the past 12 years. He said that 25 crore people have been lifted out of poverty, exports have increased 35-fold, and mobile manufacturing has grown 100-fold, making India the world’s second-largest mobile manufacturer. He stressed that India now stands as the fastest-growing major economy.

Mr Modi described serving the country as an elected Prime Minister for 12 consecutive years as the greatest privilege of his life. He concluded his multi-city visit to France by attending the G7 Summit in Evian, where he engaged in discussions on global challenges alongside other world leaders.

Agencies