In an effort to deepen economic cooperation, Israel has offered its expertise and technological capabilities to India in its ambitious drive to clean up the Ganga.
A preliminary offer on this was made when Amit Lang, Director-General of the Ministry of Economy, Israel, met Indian officials on Tuesday.
Mr. Lang is leading a large trade delegation to continue talks on the Free Trade Agreement (FTA), which both countries had initiated in 2007, as well as expand cooperation in the field of water management, waste water treatment and more. Mr. Lang said the “agenda of the visit is mainly to introduce technologies to India.”
On the delay in concluding the FTA, Mr. Lang said, “We have few challenges on the Indian side.” “Israel has no real concerns… It is an open market,” he added. The Israeli delegation has submitted a proposal to the Indian side on the issue.
The FTA will be further discussed when External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj visits Israel in the next few months.
Israel has made significant technological advancement in desalination and drip irrigation with the world’s largest desalination plants and recycles 90 per cent of water for agricultural needs. India-Israel ties received a major boost when Prime Minister Narendra Modi met his Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu last September.
