Chandigarh, March 11:- Haryana Chief Minister Shri Naib Singh Saini on Wednesday held a high-level meeting with a delegation led by the Chairman of the Indo-Canada Chamber of Commerce Shri Prashant Srivastava at his residence Sant Kabir Kutir. Welcoming the members of the delegation, the Chief Minister said that Haryana sees the increasing cooperation with Canada as an important opportunity. He said that in today's global economy, those countries and regions are progressing rapidly, which are establishing partnerships based on knowledge, innovation and technology.
Shri Naib Singh Saini said that Haryana and Canada can work together in many such areas, with which a strong model of shared progress and sustainable development can be created. Mentioning the possible collaboration in Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Smart Governance, he said that the Haryana government is promoting digital and AI-based solutions to make the administration more transparent, efficient and citizen-centric. He said that Canada is one of the leading countries in this field globally and cooperation in areas like smart governance, data-driven decision-making, AI-based solutions for healthcare and agriculture sector can further strengthen governance and public service delivery. The Chief Minister also laid special emphasis on the importance of education and skill development. He said that the state government aims to make the youth of Haryana globally competitive. Canada’s applied learning, polytechnic education and simulation-based training system are recognized internationally. Partnerships in areas like joint degree programmes, skill development programmes, experiential learning and industry integrated courses can create new opportunities for the youth.
In the context of agriculture and agri-tech, the Chief Minister said that collaboration in areas like precision farming, post-harvest management food processing and cold-chain infrastructure can help increase both the productivity and income of Haryana farmers.
He said that startups, innovation and tech entrepreneurship are also a major area for campus collaboration. Haryana is continuously moving towards an innovation-based economy and Canada’s globally renowned tech startup ecosystem can further strengthen the state’s efforts. The youth and entrepreneurship of both the states can get new opportunities through incubation support, research collaboration, technology transfer and entrepreneurship programmes.
The Chief Minister also mentioned the vast potential in the tourism sector and said that Canada's experience in the field of tourism management can prove beneficial for Haryana. The Chief Minister expressed confidence that this initiative can become a strong foundation for long-term and institutional cooperation between Haryana and Canada.
On this occasion, the Chief Minister also presented a copy of the Shrimad Bhagavad Gita to the members of the delegation. The delegation invited the Chief Minister to visit Canada, so that cooperation can be further promoted and the India-Canada partnership can be strengthened.
It is worth mentioning that the External Cooperation Department of Haryana, apart from promoting the state's diplomacy, bilateral and multilateral relations at the international level, provides support to the diaspora Haryanvi community. This department is working to establish Haryana on the global stage by taking forward the vision of the state government's Go Global Approach.
Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister Mr. Arun Kumar Gupta, Principal Secretary, Department of External Cooperation Amneet P Kumar, Advisor to the Chief Minister (External Cooperation) Mr. Pawan Chaudhary and other senior officials were also present in the meeting.