Chandigarh, Haryana government held a high-level meeting with a delegation led by Australian High Commissioner to India Philip Green and discussed ways to enhance cooperation in various areas.
During the meeting held under the chairmanship of Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini, detailed discussions were held on ways to cooperate in areas such as education, skill development, innovation, agriculture, green energy, sports, tourism and investment, and on providing global opportunities to the youth, the Haryana government said in a statement.
Saini said India and Australia share a strong and comprehensive strategic partnership, and ensuring that the benefits of this growing relationship reach the state’s youths, students, farmers, entrepreneurs and industries is a priority of his government.
Cooperation in education, skills, research, innovation and emerging technologies can give fresh impetus to Haryana’s development, he said.
Chief Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister Rajesh Khullar, Advisor to the Chief Minister in the Department of Foreign Cooperation, Pawan Choudhary, representatives of the Australia-India Business Council, and others were present.
Detailed discussions were held on promoting trade and investment between Haryana and Australia and further strengthening of business-to-business cooperation.
The meeting placed special emphasis on strengthening collaboration between leading universities on both sides.
The delegations discussed possibilities on launching joint research, student and faculty exchange programmes and joint academic programmes in areas such as artificial intelligence, cyber security, agriculture, engineering, clean energy and public policy.
They explored the possibility of Australian cooperation in developing Centres of Excellence, research and innovation hubs and training centres focused on emerging technologies in Haryana.
Focus was given on providing international-level skills to Haryana’s youth and connecting them with global employment opportunities, and strengthening collaboration between Australian technical and vocational education institutions and Haryana’s Industrial Training Institutes, polytechnics and skill universities.
Both sides emphasised the need for industry-oriented skills training, modern curricula, English-language training, certification and employment-focused training.
The Australian delegation offered cooperation in training and skill development for Haryana’s youth aligned with employment opportunities in Australia in healthcare, construction, advanced manufacturing, hospitality, logistics and IT sectors.
They explored the possibility of linking mutual expertise in the agricultural sector. The potential areas of cooperation highlighted were precision agriculture, water-efficient farming, climate-resilient agriculture, soil health, farm mechanisation, dairy technology, food processing, cold chains and agri-innovation.
Discussions were also held on enhancing cooperation in areas such as green hydrogen, solar energy, battery storage, renewable energy, waste-to-energy and the circular economy. Possibilities of developing new projects in clean energy and future energy needs by combining Haryana’s industrial capabilities with Australia’s technological expertise were explored.
On sports, the delegations explored cooperation in sports science, high-performance training, athlete development and sports management. They discussed leveraging Australia’s expertise in various sports — including cricket, hockey, wrestling and boxing — for the benefit of Haryana’s athletes.
Discussions were also held on promoting tourism and cultural exchanges.
Australian High Commissioner Philip Green invited Nayab Singh Saini to visit Australia. PTI
