Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini today chaired a significant meeting in Chandigarh with a delegation led by Australian High Commissioner to India Philip Green. The meeting focused on expanding cooperation between Haryana and Australia in several areas, including education, higher education, skill development, innovation, agriculture, green energy, sports, tourism, investment and creating global opportunities for the youth.
Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini said India and Australia share a strong and comprehensive strategic partnership. Trade, education, technology, innovation, skill development and people-to-people ties between the two countries are steadily expanding. In this backdrop, there is considerable scope for strengthening cooperation between Haryana and Australia at the state level.
He said it was a priority of the state government to ensure that the benefits of growing India-Australia relations reach Haryana’s youth, students, farmers, entrepreneurs and industries. Cooperation in education, skills, research, innovation and new technologies can give fresh impetus to Haryana’s development, he added.
Chief Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister Rajesh Khullar, Deputy Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister Ajay Kumar, Adviser to the Chief Minister in the Department of Foreign Cooperation Pawan Chaudhary, Joint Director of the Department of Foreign Cooperation Hina Bindlish, representatives associated with the Australia-India Business Council and other members of the delegation were present at the meeting.
Detailed discussions were also held on promoting trade and investment between Haryana and Australia and further strengthening business-to-business cooperation between the two sides.
The meeting placed special emphasis on enhancing collaboration between universities in Haryana and leading Australian universities and research institutions. The two sides discussed possibilities for joint research, student and faculty exchanges, and joint academic programmes in areas such as artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, agriculture, engineering, clean energy and public policy.
The Chief Minister said Haryana was witnessing rapid expansion in higher education, technical education and research. Australian expertise in universities and research institutions could help further strengthen innovation, research and industry-academia partnerships in Haryana, he said.
The meeting also explored possibilities of Australian cooperation in establishing Centres of Excellence, research and innovation hubs, and training centres focused on emerging technologies in Haryana.
The meeting also discussed providing Haryana’s youth with international-level skills and connecting them with global employment opportunities.
Possibilities of greater collaboration between Australian technical and vocational education institutions and Haryana’s ITIs, polytechnics and skill universities were examined. Both sides emphasised industry-oriented skill training, modern curricula, English-language training, certification and other training required to enhance employment opportunities.
The Australian delegation also discussed possibilities of supporting training and skill development for Haryana’s youth in line with employment opportunities in Australia in sectors such as healthcare, construction, advanced manufacturing, hospitality, logistics and IT.
The meeting also explored opportunities to combine Haryana’s agricultural expertise with that of Australia. Potential areas of cooperation identified included precision agriculture, water-efficient farming, climate-resilient agriculture, soil health, farm mechanisation, dairy technology, food processing, cold-chain infrastructure and agricultural innovation.
The two sides also discussed expanding cooperation in areas such as green hydrogen, solar energy, battery storage, renewable energy, waste-to-energy and the circular economy.
The meeting explored possibilities of developing new projects in clean energy and future energy requirements by combining Haryana’s industrial capabilities with Australia’s technological expertise.
Possibilities of Australian investment in sectors such as automobiles, advanced manufacturing, agri-tech, technology, logistics and Industry 4.0 were also discussed.
The Chief Minister said Haryana’s strong industrial economy, developed infrastructure, skilled human resources and rapidly expanding innovation ecosystem offered significant opportunities for Australian companies and investors.
The meeting also discussed cooperation in sports science, high-performance training, athlete development and sports management. Possibilities of leveraging Australia’s expertise in various sports, including cricket, hockey, wrestling and boxing, to benefit athletes from Haryana were explored.
The two sides also discussed promoting tourism and cultural exchanges. Australian High Commissioner Philip Green invited Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini to visit Australia.
The Chief Minister said education, skills, innovation, sports and tourism could play an important role in further strengthening people-to-people connections between the youth and institutions of the two countries.
