A Canadian delegation led by Ranj Pillai, Premier of Yukon territory in Northern Canada, reached the capital city on Thursday as part of exploring cooperation with State government agencies.
The multi-sector delegation, including Ministers, seeks to strengthen business connections as well as explore possible cooperation with various government agencies. Visiting delegation, includes business association leaders from a cross section of industries. Mr. Pillai, with roots in Kerala, is only the second premier in Canadian history of Indian heritage.
“We are excited to be in Thiruvananthapuram to facilitate collaboration, mainly in the areas of tourism, education, and screen production. Mutual exchange of support to technology start-ups, and understanding best practices are also key objectives. We are happy that Awake Trivandrum has set the tone for our three-day visit here,” said Michael Prochazka, Deputy Minister of Economic Development, Government of Yukon. He was speaking at an introductory meeting organised for the delegation by Awake Trivandrum, an urban development think-tank in the capital, on Thursday .
“Though Yukon has a small population, our GDP of three billion Canadian dollars qualifies us for a fast-growing economy in the region,” he added.
44,000 in all
Yukon is the second-least populated territory in Canada, with a population of 44,000.
“We are glad to take the lead in facilitating trade and development engagements, which will accelerate growth of the State Capital Region (SCR). Additionally, Yokon will benefit from the skilled workforce available in Kerala, to overcome the shortage of human resources in select domains. Trained professionals in the medical and tourism sectors stand to gain from opportunities in Yukon,” said R. Anil Kumar, secretary, Awake Trivandrum.
“Yukon, with its small population and high GDP, has the potential to be a testing ground for start-ups in the State to run pilot projects, especially with solutions built for the North American market,” said Robin Alex Panicker, treasurer, Awake Trivandrum.