TORONTO: Canada India Foundation hosted J. P. Dalal, Minister of Agriculture, Animal Husbandry, and Fisheries, Haryana, India, at a reception attended by prominent community leaders and businesses in Mississauga.
Welcoming Minister Dalal to the CIF Forum, Satish Thakkar, Chair, said, while assuring CIF’s cooperation and support to Haryana’s efforts modernizing its many sectors, “Canada has always been a world leader in agriculture and related technologies. Canada and India have enjoyed a long-standing friendly relationship in terms of sharing this knowledge. Canada has lots to contribute to Haryana’s efforts.”
A high-powered team accompanied Minister Dalal, consisting mainly of scientists, managers from the Department of Animal Husbandry. The delegation visited Canada’s prairie provinces to assess best practices and technologies suitable for Haryana.
Minister Dalal drew their attention to the several initiatives launched by the State Government. Haryana is already a leader in manufacturing and agri sectors with a fast-growing IT sector. “We already have many headquarters of major international corporations active in India located in the state. A 1000-acre commercial centre coming up in Gurugram will house all these companies. It will become a global hub. In the next four to five years, a lot more companies will be moving there.”
Dalal highlighted the special efforts by his government in building network capabilities to boost connectivity and innovation. Dalal assured the audience that “We are doing everything to make our state totally business friendly.”
Another suggestion made by Dalal was for Indian businesses in Canada to identify and adopt villages in Haryana. Satish Thakkar welcomed the proposal and said, “This is an excellent idea – We are keen to do a pilot project as soon as possible.”
Ritesh Malik, National Convener, CIF, added, “Each one of us sitting in this room is keen to contribute to the development of India while also encouraging our two countries to expand and deepen bilateral engagement.”