The Union Cabinet approved signing of the Memorandum of understanding (MoUs) with various countries and international agencies in the fields of science and technology, air travel and labour welfare. These are the various agreements:

• The agreement between the Ministry of Earth Sciences and the International Seabed Authority (ISA) will allow India to undertake exploration and other developmental activities related to polymetallic sulphides in the allotted area of 10,000 sq km in parts of Central and South-West Indian Ridges (SWIR), located in the Indian Ocean.
• Another agreement cleared by the Union Cabinet relates to air services between India and Taiwan. The proposed agreement has the potential to spur greater trade, investment, tourism and cultural exchanges between the two countries. Another MoU with Taiwan relates to cooperation in the fields of agriculture, horticulture, animal husbandry, fisheries, aquaculture and food processing and genetic resources.
• The Cabinet was also apprised of an MoU between ISRO and Canadian Space Agency (CSA) on cooperation in the field of outer space. It was signed in Ottawa in April last.
• The Cabinet also gave its approval for Indian membership of the International Continental Scientific Drilling Program (ICDP) consortium by signing an MoU with the German Research Centre for Geosciences.
• An agreement on labour co-operation between India and Saudi Arabia also received the ex-post facto approval of the the Union Cabinet. It was signed in Riyadh in April. It would benefit the Indian emigrant workers, especially in the unskilled, semi-skilled and skilled categories of workers who are working in Saudi Arabia without consideration of caste, creed, religion or gender.