TEL AVIV: Punjab Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh on Monday held a series of high-level interactions with officials of some of Israel's leading companies to explore investment opportunities and to assess the potential for collaboration in the state's infrastructural, agricultural and water management sectors.
The meetings laid the ground for strong collaborations between the two sides in some of Punjab's most vital areas of development, and gave a boost to the close economic and historical ties between Punjab and Israel.
At a meeting with officials of Tyros International Group Ltd, the Chief Minister discussed possibilities of investment by the Group in the areas of energy, water, affordable housing, construction schools and hospitals.
The officials briefed the Punjab delegation led by the Chief Minister on the work being done by the Group, which specialises in impact investments and projects, in India, where it has decided to open an FDI Fund dedicated for impact assessments as part of its future plans.
Capt Amarinder Singh discussed with the officials the investment that the Group could make in Punjab, which now offers immense potential for global investment and capital fund companies, given his government's strong focus on industrial and infrastructure development.
During his tour of NaanDanJain Irrigation farms, the Chief Minister lauded the work being done by the 80-year-old company which was recently acquired by a leading micro-irrigation based Indian company, in the field of precision agriculture and horticulture, in order to boost productivity.
He studied the latest technologies being used by the company on its farms to improve the quality and yield of various vegetables and fruits, including brinjal/eggplant avocado and citrus varieties.
He examined the potential for adopting the latest technologies used by the company to boost agricultural development in Punjab.
NaanDanJain is present in Punjab since 1993 through various completed and ongoing projects, including a Crop Diversification Farmfresh (Farm to Home) project for food and spice processing industries, as well as a Water Conservation Resource to Roots) project through a pilot in Kandi, where the company has established the world's largest standalone power micro irrigation systems for community and individuals.
The company is also working on the creation of alternate source of irrigation by utilisation of treated water from sewerage treatment plants and village ponds of Punjab, besides introduction of hydroponics and aeroponics technologies, especially for potato and seed production, as well as replacement of open canal system with HDPE pipes.
Capt Amarinder Singh underlined the need for further strengthening such technical collaborations to boost Punjab's infrastructural and economic development.
The two sides agreed to explore more avenues to create the necessary environment for greater cooperation and investment in key areas of Punjab's progress.
During the first day of his Israel trip, the Chief Minister also visited The Dan Region Wastewater Treatment Plant (Shafdan) and met officials of Mekorot, Israel's National Water Company.
The Shafdan is a complex inter-regional system that collects, treats and reclaims municipal wastewater in high density urban areas and industrial zones, and is the largest wastewater treatment plant in Israel.
It was constructed by Igudan Environmental Infrastructure in order to treat wastewater in the Dan Region, an urban area in Israel located along the country's Mediterranean coastline, and to recycle it into water that can be used for agricultural irrigation for all types of crops in Israel.
The treatment facility is operated by the Shafdan Unit of the Central District of the Mekorot Water Company, Ltd., which acts as a contract operator for the Association.
Capt Amarinder Singh was informed that the facility has been handling all of the wastewater from the Metropolitan Dan Region, amounting to about 120,000,000 m³ per year, so that wastewater is not discharged into the Mediterranean Sea.
The treated wastewater is sent to the Negev Desert and contributes to its development.
More than 60 per cent of agriculture in the Negev is irrigated by Shafdan water.
The Chief Minister concluded his first day in Israel with presentations made by several reputed Israeli companies in the fields of Intelligence Generation and Analysis, Social Media Sentiment Analysis and Use of Technology in Police functioning.
These companies are world leaders in the Law Enforcement field and have been working with many International Intelligence agencies and police forces.
Capt Amarinder underlined the importance of adopting the latest technologies in the functioning of police & intelligence as a tool to prevent terrorist crime and for maintenance of peace and communal peace in the border state of Punjab.
Later, the Chief Minister was hosted at dinner by India's Ambassador to Israel, Pavan Kapoor.