In a bid to check the further spread of COVID-19 pandemic, the Punjab Government sought technological support and expertise from Israel to effectively manage the coronavirus outbreak in the state. As the COVID-19 pandemic spreads globally, Israel has developed technological tools to mitigate and control it efficaciously. Disclosing this here today an official spokesperson said that Invest Punjab, in this regard, had coordinated a special Webinar with Embassy of Israel in India, which was focused on the technological advancements behind Israel’s COVID-19 outbreak management.During the webinar several technological tools were discussed at length, which underscored the need and benefits of an integrated IT tool to not only provide updated information to the citizens but also assist the State Government in effective policy making backed by data and trends. The Punjab Government will be assessing the Israel use case and its potential benefits to scale up the State government’s effort against the COVID-19 pandemic.The Spokesperson further said that this webinar was the latest in a series of continuous engagements between the Punjab and Israel Government across various key sectors to strengthen the State’s economy.
Pertinently, Israeli experts have been closely working with the Punjab Government to develop a Water Management Plan focused on conserving and better managing the State’s water resources. Punjab State Farmer’s Commission has engaged the services of Israeli dairy expert Mr. Yehuda Sprecher to boost the dairy sector thereby supplementing the income of farmers in a result-oriented manner. It may be recalled that a Punjab Government delegation, during its visit to Israel in 2018, led by the Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh signed three MoUs with Israel’s ARAVA Institute, Tel Aviv University (TAU) and Galilee International Management Institute to address issues of Punjab farmers.The webinar was open for the Government agencies personnel only and was attended by Joint Development Commissioner Rural Development & Panchayats and Special Secretary Medical Education and Research Tanu Kashyap, ACEO Invest Punjab and Special Secretary Health Isha Kalia and Managing Director PSIEC, Member State Control Room Dr. Sumeet Jarangal and other officials of the state government. Amongst prominent speakers participated in the webinar discussions included Prof. Siegal Sadetzki, MD, MPH, Director of Public Health Services, Israel Ministry of Health, Ms. Rona Kaiser, Chief Information Officer, Israel Ministry of Health and was moderated by Mr. Ofer Fohrer, Director, Service and Data Management, Foreign Trade Administration, Israel Ministry of Economy and Industry.