Punjab and Israel to collaborate in water conservation, security

SOME OTHER VITAL ISSUES WERE ALSO DISCUSSED BETWEEN CAPTAIN AND ISRAEL’S AMBASSADOR TO INDIA DANIEL CARMON

Punjab and Israel have agreed to explore technology transfer in the areas of water conservation and security, besides cooperating in the fields of agriculture and social development.

These, and some other vital issues of mutual interest, were discussed between Punjab chief minister Captain Amarinder Singh and Israel’s ambassador to India Daniel Carmon over a breakfast meeting here on Friday. The Israeli ambassador was making a courtesy call on the CM ahead of his scheduled departure from India at the end of the month.

With the Indian government clearing his visit to Israel, Amarinder said he looked forward to visiting the West Asian country soon. However, he expected some important memorandums of understanding (MoUs) to be signed even before that, when the five-member cabinet subcommittee on groundwater conservation travels to Israel, Captain Amarinder said. He told the envoy that the sub-committee had been formed to study Israeli methods on agricultural diversification to minimise water consumption and also on use of waste water.

Citing the precarious groundwater situation in Punjab, the CM suggested pilot projects through private Israeli companies, equipped with the latest technologies, under the umbrella of the Israeli government, to tackle the problem.

The suggestion came in response to the ambassador’s statement that Israel has a government agency - Newtech – to coordinate projects with various Indian state governments and private companies in his country. He mentioned that three Israeli companies were working on drip irrigation projects in Gujarat and Maharashtra