Haryana, Australia explore cooperation in education, skills, innovation, investment
Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini held a high-level meeting in Chandigarh with a delegation led by Australian High Commissioner to India Philip Green to discuss strengthening cooperation between Haryana and Australia across education, higher education, skill development, innovation, agriculture, green energy, sports, tourism and investment.
The meeting focused particularly on creating global skills and employment opportunities for Haryana’s youth. Chief Minister Saini said India and Australia share a strong and comprehensive strategic partnership, with growing cooperation in trade, education, technology, innovation and skill development.
He said the state government’s priority is to ensure that the benefits of strengthening India-Australia relations reach Haryana’s youth, students, farmers, entrepreneurs and industries. Cooperation in education, skills, research, innovation and emerging technologies, he added, could provide fresh impetus to Haryana’s development.
University and Innovation Cooperation
Discussions focused on strengthening collaboration between Haryana universities and leading Australian universities and research institutions. Joint research, student and faculty exchanges, and academic programmes in artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, agriculture, engineering, clean energy and public policy were among the areas discussed.
Possibilities of developing Centres of Excellence, research and innovation hubs, and emerging-technology training centres in Haryana were also explored.
Global Skills and Employment Opportunities
The two sides discussed collaboration between Australian technical and vocational education institutions and Haryana’s ITIs, polytechnics and skill universities. Industry-oriented training, modern curricula, English-language training, certification and employment-focused programmes were emphasised.
Potential training aligned with employment opportunities in Australia in healthcare, construction, advanced manufacturing, hospitality, logistics and IT was also discussed.
Cooperation in Agriculture and Clean Energy
The meeting explored cooperation in precision agriculture, water-efficient farming, climate-resilient agriculture, soil health, farm mechanisation, dairy technology, food processing, cold chains and agri-innovation.
Discussions also covered green hydrogen, solar energy, battery storage, renewable energy, waste-to-energy and the circular economy. The possibilities of combining Haryana’s industrial capabilities with Australia’s technological expertise for clean-energy projects were explored.
Investment, Sports and Tourism
Australian investment opportunities in automobiles, advanced manufacturing, agri-tech, technology, logistics and Industry 4.0 were also discussed. Saini highlighted Haryana’s industrial base, infrastructure, skilled workforce and growing innovation ecosystem as potential advantages for Australian companies and investors.
The meeting further discussed cooperation in sports science, high-performance training, athlete development and sports management, including opportunities to leverage Australian expertise in cricket, hockey, wrestling and boxing.
Tourism and cultural exchanges were also discussed. Australian High Commissioner Philip Green invited Chief Minister Saini to visit Australia.
Saini said cooperation in education, skills, innovation, sports and tourism could further strengthen people-to-people connections between the youth and institutions of India and Australia.
Chief Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister Rajesh Khullar, Deputy Principal Secretary Ajay Kumar, Advisor to the Chief Minister in the Department of Foreign Cooperation Pawan Choudhary, Joint Director of the Department of Foreign Cooperation Hina Bindlish, representatives associated with the Australia-India Business Council and other members of the delegation were present at the meeting.