Punjab CM meets Israeli biz leaders, seeks investments

Chandigarh, October 22

Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh, who is on a five-day official visit to Israel, on Monday held a series of interactions with Israeli business leaders to seek investments in the state and assess potential for collaboration in infrastructural, agricultural and water management sectors.

The meetings laid the ground for strong collaborations between the two sides in some of Punjab’s most vital areas of development, and gave a boost to the close economic and historical ties between Punjab and Israel, as per government release issued here.

At a meeting with officials of Tyros International Group Ltd, the chief minister discussed possibilities of investment by the Group in the areas of energy, water, affordable housing, construction of schools and hospitals.

The officials briefed the Punjab delegation led by the chief minister on the work being done by the Group, which specialises in impact investments and projects, in India, where it has decided to open an FDI fund dedicated for impact assessments as part of its future plans.

Amarinder discussed with the officials the investment that the Group could make in Punjab, which now offers immense potential for global investment and capital fund companies, given his government’s strong focus on industrial and infrastructure development.

During his tour of NaanDan Jain Irrigation farms, the chief minister lauded the work being done by the 80-year-old company which was recently acquired by a leading micro-irrigation-based Indian company, in the field of precision agriculture and horticulture, in order to boost productivity.

The chief minister studied the latest technologies being used by the company on its farms to improve the quality and yield of various vegetables and fruits, including brinjal/eggplant avocado and citrus varieties.

NaanDan Jain has been present in Punjab since 1993 through various completed and ongoing projects, including a Crop Diversification Farmfresh (Farm to Home) project for food and spice processing industries, as well as a Water Conservation Resource to Roots) project.         

During the first day of his Israel trip, the chief minister also visited The Dan Region Wastewater Treatment Plant (Shafdan) and met officials of Mekorot, Israel’s National Water Company.

The Shafdan is a complex inter-regional system that collects, treats and reclaims municipal wastewater in high density urban areas and industrial zones, and is the largest wastewater treatment plant in Israel. — PTI