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Australia keen on exchange of info, ideas with Rajasthan

‘Our approach is different. Our approach is to help with water, arts’

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South Australia’s minister of trade and industry Martin Hamilton-Smith believes that Rajasthan is a doorway to India for exchange of information and ideas, in the same ways as the former is a doorway to Australia.

“We don’t aim to set up economic zones in our sister state. Our approach is different. Our approach is to help with water, arts, and otherwise, where we can with education. It is to be helpful, to cooperate, to exchange information and idea, rather than setting up for economic zones,” Smith told DNA.

“Like any other relationship, you get out of what you’ve put into it. We’ve put a lot into our relationship, and I think Rajasthan has too. But where we go from here, is up to the two states. When we want to build a relationship, we both have to contribute,” he added.

He then explained that various MoUs have been signed with the Government of Rajasthan to continue the relationship.

“We are building relationship on water and cooperation on water excellence and water science. We’ve opened a joint centre of excellence. We will now have experts coming from Adelaide and South Australia to India, and vice versa, and we share information and ideas. This is very important for farmers, for households, for clean water, and very important for tackling drought,” Smith said.

It is to be noted that University of Adelaide currently seeking crowd funding of AUD$30,000 to fund a pilot project to develop solutions for enabling access to fresh drinking water in villages within Rajasthan.

“The focus is on purification of water in the aquifer, or that has been spoilt. The focus is also on understanding the science of water so that we can have more safe portable water. India has 16 per cent of the world’s people, and only four per cent of the world’s water. In case of droughts India’s water resources will become particularly stressed. That will ruin lot of farmers,” Smith said.

Resource-full

  • South Australian-based water treatment company, Hydro-dis – partnering with Malaviya National Institute of Technology to install pilot plant in one of MNIT student accommodation buildings which will enable performance testing.
  • “South Australia has strong credentials in water management, and we’re actively looking to partner with Indian companies to help address the matter,” he said.
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