Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Tuesday held meetings with delegations led by the Netherlands Ambassador to India Marten van den Berg and the Consul General of Japan in Chennai Taga Masayuki to strengthen bilateral ties and foster cooperation in various avenues including higher education and tourism.
Mr. Berg pledged support towards Kerala’s efforts to establish centres of excellence in the higher education sector. While presenting the State’s ambitions in improving academic standards to become an education hub, Mr. Vijayan highlighted the need for collaborations with technological universities in the Netherlands.
The Chief Minister sought greater cooperation in attracting investments from Dutch companies towards the State’s industrial sector. He also welcomed tourists from the Netherlands to Kerala.
Mr. Vijayan also recounted the recommendations for disaster mitigation and assistance received from the country following the floods of 2018. He said the ‘Room for the River’ programme, a flagship project of the Dutch government, had helped mitigate floods in Kuttanad.
He added the State government has established a centre of excellence to develop value-added products using fruits and vegetables in Ambalavayal in Wayanad with Dutch assistance.
The Dutch delegation pledged cooperation in agriculture, water resources, technical education, and climate studies. Saline agriculture, milk production, and animal husbandry, are other areas identified for cooperation.
In a separate meeting, Mr. Vijayan and Mr. Masayuki finalised plans that would pave the way for collaborations between Osaka University in Japan and universities in Kerala. The discussions touched upon the preliminary talks that were held in this regard when the Chief Minister had visited Japan in 2019.
Mr. Vijayan stressed on the need for collaborations in higher education, tourism, and Ayurveda. He also called for assistance in waste management, fish processing, and agro industries.
Pointing out the sizeable presence of Keralite nurses in Japan, he called for steps to impart them training in Japanese language. Chief Secretary V.P. Joy, Officer of Special Duty (External Cooperation) Venu Rajamony, and the Chief Minister’s chief principal secretary K.M. Abraham, were among those who participated in the discussions.
