India News | Union Minister Calls for Indo-Dutch Collaboration in Areas of Health, Agriculture
Get latest articles and stories on India at LatestLY. Science and Technology Minister Jitendra Singh on Friday called for a Indo-Dutch collaborative model in the areas of health and agriculture, according to a statement.
New Delhi, Aug 20 (PTI) Science and Technology Minister Jitendra Singh on Friday called for a Indo-Dutch collaborative model in the areas of health and agriculture, according to a statement.
He said water, agriculture and health have been the bedrock of the close collaboration between India and the Netherlands.
"Jitendra Singh emphasised Indo-Dutch collaboration in health and agriculture, which are the priority areas of the government headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and said that since the trinity of health, agriculture and water has been, for many years, the bedrock of close mutual collaboration between India and the Netherlands, the Indo-Dutch collaboration could be evolved into a model for others to follow," the statement said.
The minister was speaking to a delegation from the Netherlands, led by Ambassador Marten van den Berg, who called on him to discuss and review bilateral cooperation in the field of science and technology and innovation.
Principal Scientific Adviser K Vijay Raghavan, Secretary, DST Ashutosh Sharma, Secretary, DBT Renu Swarup, CSIR DG Shekhar Mande, S K Varshney, Head, International, DST, Ujjwala Tirkey, International Division, DST, Rama Bansal, Head, International, CSIR, and other senior officers of the ministry attended the meeting.
Singh said scientific technology will determine the status and contours of future global economy and India is poised to play a leading role in the comity of nations. He said India is emerging as a huge investment destination and called upon the private sector also to seize this opportunity for furthering ties in all walks of life as both the countries enjoy deep historic and cultural ties.
Singh also welcomed a Dutch proposal to work together in the area of green hydrogen and said the prime minister, in his Independence Day address, announced the "National Hydrogen Mission" to make India a global hub for green hydrogen production and export.
Similarly, smart energy grids, functional materials, big data and IOT have been supported for joint research and development, he added.
Referring to the Dutch ambassador's proposal for collaboration in ocean resources, the minister said the Centre has recently approved a proposal of the Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES) on "Deep Ocean Mission", with a view to explore the deep ocean for resources and develop deep-sea technologies for a sustainable use of ocean resources with an estimated cost of Rs 4,077 crore.
He also invited the Netherlands for fruitful exchanges in the space sector, particularly in the wake of the reforms initiated by India in the recent past, allowing the private sector to have a level-playing field in satellite launches and space-based activities.
In his address, the Dutch ambassador said future collaboration in solar energy, gas-based installations, cyber security, data science, urban water system and emerging areas will create jobs in India.
He said institutional frameworks for cooperation are already in place and now, there is a need to work effectively on the ground.
He also highlighted climate change as a key area of concern for the world and said both India and the Netherlands can work in areas like carbon capture through the public-private partnership mode.
(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)