NEW DELHI: Canada Monday made a strong pitch for strengthening business ties with India, especially in environment friendly technologies as the two sides signed an agreement on cooperation in science and technology. The memorandum of understanding on scientific cooperation will focus on building ties in the fields of 'geomatics', a combination of geography and information technology, officials said. The potential market for services and equipment in this sector is estimated at $4 billion over the next five to seven years. Officials from the two sides signed the agreement in the presence of Canadian Natural Resources Minister Herb Dhaliwal and Indian Minister of State for Science and Technology Bachhi Singh Rawat here. Dhaliwal, who is in India on a weeklong visit to improve business and trade ties, also launched a business development mission. "The agreement will provide an umbrella to develop specific projects and to collaborate in a number of areas, including geomatics," Canada's Assistant Deputy Minister for Natural Resources Irwin Itzkovitch said. The new partnership will focus on establishing standards for using IT applications in geographical areas like mapping and geological surveys. "It will give Canada access to Indian technology in the IT sector. After all, India is a leader in the dot-com world," said Itzkovitch. The two sides will share satellite data for mapping and disaster management, officials said. Workshops will be organized in both countries for experts to share their experiences. Dhaliwal noted that Canada was moving towards the ratification of the Kyoto Protocol and would be under a "lot of pressure" to implement measures to cut emissions of greenhouse gases. India and Canada, he said, could work on developing environment friendly technologies, including renewable and alternative energy sources. "I noticed that three wheeled public transportation in India is just making the switch to compressed natural gas (CNG). In Canada, we have been using CNG for decades. We also have technologies like the fuel cell and ethanol produced from biomass," Dhaliwal said. Pointing out that partnerships and synergy were needed to compete in the globalize economy, he said he would explore opportunities for Canadian firms to invest or bring their expertise to India. Canadian officials said there were also opportunities for their country in India's space program and the oil exploration and production sector. Dhaliwal, who is heading a large business delegation comprising representatives of 45 companies will visit Hyderabad, Mumbai and Chandigarh. He noted that India was Canada's largest trading partner in South Asia, with trade between the two sides worth $2 billion in 2001. During the same period, Canada's exports to India also grew by almost 20 percent to $656 million. "In addition, Canada and India share a belief that a key to improving quality of life is through sustainable resource development, meeting our needs today while ensuring that future generations are able to meet their needs." Dhaliwal said.
Source: IANS