India-Netherlands | 15 Oct 2019

Recently, the King and Queen of the Kingdom of Netherlands visited India to give an impetus to the bilateral ties shared by the two nations.

Key Highlights

• Economic partnership between India & Netherlands is a key pillar of the bilateral ties.
  
  • The Netherlands is India’s 4^th largest trading partner in the European Union. And is also one of the leading investor nation in India.
  • The Dutch companies (in India) have a global name in the fields of agriculture, water management, port development, waste management, and urban planning.
• Historical Relations: Indo-Dutch relations can be traced back to more than 400 years when the first Dutch EIC got 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. The growing Indian student and professional community in the Netherlands is making the cultural knot stronger and the technological partnership deeper.
• Significance of Netherlands to India:
  
  • Netherlands’ has supported India’s membership to the different Export Control Regimes and India’s claim to a permanent seat in the UN Security Council.
  • India and the Netherlands share common concerns with regard to contemporary challenges that include climate action, cyber-security, and terrorism.
  • Smart Cities, green energy, start-ups, smart solutions, and new-age products are bringing the two nations closer. India is keen to share and learn from the Netherlands on the river rejuvenation.
  • LOTUS: During the recent visit, a joint launch of the second phase of the Local Treatment of Urban Sewage Streams for the Healthy Reuse (LOTUS-HR) program was done by the Union Minister for Science & Technology for the treatment of sewage water.
    
    • The project was initiated in July 2017 and aims to manifest a novel holistic waste-water management approach that will produce clean water, which could henceforth be reused for various purposes.
    • The LOTUS-HR project is jointly supported by the Department of Biotechnology and the Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research /STW.
  • WETLAB: It is a design challenge that is jointly supported by the Department of Biotechnology-Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council (DBT-BIRAC) and Netherlands Enterprise Agency.
    
    • It provides a unique learning and networking platform for young professionals and students to think differently for innovative ideas to solve India’s urban water challenges and contribute to cleaning up of India’s rivers.

Source: PIB