India and the Netherlands will share crucial information on terrorism and cyber crime. During a meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Netherlands counterpart Mark Rutte, the two sides have decided to set up a Joint Working Group on Counter Terrorism. The Working Group will hold its first meeting on June 19 during which India will share its counter-terrorism experience in the region and the Dutch will share their experience in fighting ISIS in Iraq.
The two sides will also engage each other in investment, infrastructure, health, agriculture and renewable energy. Modi said Rutte expressed support for the ‘Make in India’ Mission, including in the Defence sector. “We have also agreed to leverage Dutch expertise in developing coastal roads and metro lines in India and set up a joint working group on skill development,” the PM said at a joint statement. Modi has announced e-visa for tourists from The Netherlands.
During the visit it was decided that Netherlands will invest in manufacturing of dredgers in India at the Cochin Shipyard and in manufacturing of Measles and Rubella vaccines along with transfer of technology. Rutte said that with the Modi Government in power, Dutch companies are keen to invest in India in sectors like water management, waste management, agriculture, infrastructure, smart cities, banking and pension funds. At present, 180-200 Dutch companies are operating in India and over 60 branches of Indian companies in the Netherlands.
“The fact that he (Modi) came to power as Prime Minister, and is a rock star all over the world, and the same time having a very clear vision on how to grow the economy means that in Netherlands, India is high on the list again. We were interested in India before. But let’s say in the last 12 months this has accelerated because of the new Government and the fact that this new Government is so much focusing on these particular programmes where you can easily add value from a fresh perspective by bringing our expertise, knowledge and companies,” he said.