Canadian Envoy to India Nadir Patel today evinced keen interest in collaboration with the Punjab Government in varied fields of skill development, agriculture, food processing, education, renewable energy, nutrition besides dairying and livestock management. A Canadian delegation led by Mr. Patel called on Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal here at his residence this afternoon. During his interaction with the Chief Minister, Mr. Nadir Patel said that there was a huge scope of bilateral cooperation in these areas as both Punjab and Canada had demonstrated their strength and dominance in agriculture and allied farming due to their vast experience and expertise. He apprised the Chief Minister that both Punjab and the several provinces of Canada were already working closely in the field of Veterinary sciences adding that there was tremendous potential for the mutual cooperation in the other allied sectors of agriculture and animal husbandry. The visiting High Commissioner also assured Mr. Badal of every technical help in the arena of food technology, food processing, nutrition and Agri bio-technology. He also offered to forge an alliance in the nutrition sector through signing a MoU between the PAU Ludhiana and Memorial University, St. John’s.
Earlier, taking part in deliberations the Chief Minister, while recalling the historic and strong ties between Punjab and Canada, informed Mr. Nadir Patel that for all Punjabis ‘Canada was a second home’. He said that as both were primarily agrarian economies with very strong agriculture base so as to mutually benefit from technology transfer, cooperation and support. Mr. Badal urged the Canadian High Commissioner to carry forward the proposals mutually agreed upon by both of them to its logical end so that these should not merely confine to the papers. He said that Punjab and Canada would soon have strategic alliance in the area of skill development, agriculture, nutrition and bio-technology. Underscoring the need for students and teachers exchange program, Mr. Badal said that the modalities in this regard could be worked out and formulated mutually by the senior functionaries of the state education department and the Premier Educational Institutions of Canada.
He also laid thrust on need of Farmers' Exchange Program for fast and easy transfer of technologies to the fields for introducing new and scientific farm practices to the Punjabi farmers. He invited leading educational institutions and universities from Canada to collaborate with the state government to set up their campuses at the upcoming Edu-city and Medicity near Chandigarh.The Chief Minister was accompanied by Additional Chief Secretary Development Mr. Suresh Kumar, Principal Secretary to CM Mr. SK Sandhu, Principal Secretary Health & Family Welfare Mrs. Vinni Mahajan, Principal Secretary School Education Mr. C. Roul, Secretary Local Government Mr. Ashok Gupta and MD Punjab Agro Mr. KS Pannu, The visiting delegation comprised Consul General, Canadian Consulate in Chandigarh Ms Rajni Alexander, Trade Commissioner Mr. Gurbans Sobti and Mr. Jens Michael Schaal, Counsellor (Commercial-Onratio), Ontario International Marketing Centre.