India-Netherlands Relations

• 26 Aug 2021

Why in News

Recently, India and Netherlands reviewed bilateral cooperation in Science and Technology and Innovation.

Key Points

• Highlights of the Meeting:
  
  • India emphasized that the trinity of Health, Agriculture and Water are bedrock of close mutual collaboration between the two nations.
  • Netherlands proposed to work together in the area of Green Hydrogen and ocean sciences.
  • Both countries agreed to support joint research and development regarding Smart Energy Grids, Big Data and Internet of Things.
  • India invited Netherlands for exchanges in the Space sector particularly in the wake of path-breaking reforms initiated by India in the recent past allowing the private sector to have a level playing field in satellite launches and space based activities.
  • Bothe countries also flagged future collaboration in Solar Energy, Gas-based installations, Cyber Security, Data Science, Urban Water System and emerging areas, which will create jobs for people in India.
  • Climate Change as a key area of concern for the entire World was also highlighted.

Note

• The Government of India, on the occasion of Independence day, announced the National Hydrogen Mission to make India a Global Hub for Green Hydrogen Production and Export.
• Also, the Ministry of Earth Sciences has recently launched the Deep Ocean Mission, with a view to explore the deep ocean for resources and develop deep-sea technologies for sustainable use of ocean resources.

• India-Netherlands Relations:
  
  • Economic and Trade: The Netherlands is the sixth largest contributor of foreign investment into India in FY 2021.
    
    • The Netherlands is India’s 5^th largest trading partner in the European Union. It is also one of the leading investor nations in India.
  • Historical Relations: Indo-Dutch relations can be traced back to more than 400 years when the first Dutch EIC (East India Company) was established in India (in around 17^th century AD).
    
    • The official relations between the two nations were established in the year 1947 which, since then, have been cordial and friendly.
    • The two countries also share common ideals of democracy, pluralism and the rule of law.
  • Cultural Relations: The Netherlands currently is home to the largest Indian community on the European mainland.
    
    • An Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) Cultural Centre "The Gandhi Centre" was established in The Hague in October 2011.
  • Cooperation in Science & Technology: The Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research (NWO) collaborates with the various departments in the Indian Government.
    
    • For instance, there is an ongoing project titled “Local Treatment of Urban Sewage Streams for Healthy Reuse (LOTUS-HR)”.
    • The LOTUS-HR project is an India-Netherlands joint collaboration of universities and companies funded by the India`s Department of Biotechnology and the Dutch NWO-TTW.
  • Collaboration in Water Management:
    
    • A platform called Dutch Indo Water Alliance Leadership Initiative (DIWALI) has been developed in which India and Netherlands could participate in designing solutions for water challenges.
  • Collaboration in Agriculture: Agriculture is one of the core sectors identified by the Netherlands for enhancing bilateral cooperation with India.
    
    • The 5^th Joint Agriculture Working Group (JAWG) meeting on Agriculture took place in New Delhi in 2018.
    • Under the JAWG, an Action Plan was signed which envisages cooperation in establishing Centres of Excellence (CoE) in horticulture, animal husbandry & dairy, fisheries and food processing.
    • This is also accompanied by skill development & capacity building in the fields of cold chain, supply chain management etc.
  • Healthcare Cooperation:
    
    • An MoU for Cooperation in the Field of Healthcare and Public Health was signed in January 2014 to promote greater research collaboration in emerging health challenges associated with communicable diseases and antimicrobial resistance.

Source: PIB