Ladies and gentlemen, as Canada’s first Senator from Uttar Pradesh, I take pride in the many accomplishments of UP. I am pleased with the hard work of Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav, who is committed to taking UP forward by improving infrastructure and by attracting domestic and foreign investment.
I will take a few moments to speak on each of the themes of this section. Agriculture, energy and education.
When it comes to agriculture, there could be no better state in India than Uttar Pradesh. UP is the breadbasket of India with 66 percent of its workforce employed in this field. UP leads in wheat, maize, barley, gram, sugarcane, potato and oilseeds production, making UP the largest producer of vegetables in India. The agriculture and food industry are strong drivers of jobs and growth in both of our nations. The Canadian food and beverage processing industry is the largest manufacturing industry in Canada, and the largest manufacturing employer. In India, the processing industry serves a seventy-billion-dollar market. That is why as part of our Government’s strategy for economic growth and prosperity, we have been pursuing a very ambitious pro-trade plan and I know that UP is ripe with opportunities in this field.
UP has the unique distinction of producing 4% of the world’s wheat and it also has the largest livestock population and highest milk production in India, offering excellent opportunities for setting-up various food-processing units. Floriculture, mushroom and other horticulture-based industries provide exciting prospects as well. In food processing, we can work together to facilitate the processing of cereals, fruits and vegetables. We can focus on key pillars like food security, sustainability and safety.
Canada can help India meet its ambitious goal of tripling the size of its food processing industry by 2015. This will require working together to enhance the competitiveness of the food processing industry; one example for growth can be seen in the sugarcane industry where UP has the potential to produce about 50% of the India’s sugar production. Canadian companies can help by integrating food processing infrastructure from farm to market; and can also provide expertise in the area of handling, storage and equipment in grain to help the industry in India reduce losses and capture new opportunities.
We must also work towards making the sector attractive for domestic and foreign investors by promoting comprehensive policies that encourage investment. It seems clear to me that opportunities to collaborate in the field of Agriculture are present.
Another area where I believe UP and Canada can collaborate is energy. The energy deficit in Indian energy imports has topped 80% of domestic consumption, and the need for a greater diversity of sources has intensified. India currently gets most of its oil and gas from the Middle East. But I believe that Canada could be one of India’s most important and secure energy partners thanks to improved infrastructure in both countries. Canada and India are enjoying renewed confidence in their ability to work together in matters of energy; and Canadian companies like SNC Lavalin and Energy Advantage are working with Indian partners to modernize UP’s energy infrastructure. Energy development will be crucial to the success of Uttar Pradesh. Together we can work towards ensuring UP can provide clean, sustainable, and safe energy to its citizens and its clients.
I would like to speak briefly on what I believe to be the greatest opportunity for collaboration between Canada and India, and that is in education and research exchange. As I mentioned during my opening statements, UP is the home to many top Indian institutions. This has not gone unnoticed and Canadian education institutions have become active in UP, primarily in the form of student exchange programs between Canadian and Indian institutes,
Many top school like the Indian Institute of Management in Lucknow, the Indian Institute of Technology in Kanpur and the Birla Institute of Management Technology. Canadian institutions actively recruit students from the region. And Canadian students are increasingly coming to UP, which is an epicenters of learning in India, South Asia, and the world.
In fact, The High Commission of Canada will be actively participating in a “techfest” at IIT Kanpur in spring 2014 to promote Canada as a post-graduate study destination amongst these top students. India is home to a vibrant Canadian Studies network including an association with more than 800 members and 25 Canadian Studies centres.
Over the past 35 years, the Government of Canada has supported many initiatives like the Canadian Studies Program in Lucknow and UP.
Recently our government announced thirteen million dollars to support the Indian Research of Excellence with universities in UP. The Indian Institute of Technology in Roorkee is an important partner for the Canada India Research Centre of Excellence IC-IMPACTS initiative. They work with partners like the University of British Columbia, the University of Toronto, and the University of Alberta. In the area of student exchanges IIM Lucknow has exchanges with McMaster University at the Michael G. Degroote School of Business; Brock University. Birla Institute of Management Technology has an exchange program with Brock University Undergraduate student exchanges exist between IIT Kanpur and University of Waterloo, And IIT Roorkee has student exchange programs with the University of Waterloo and University of Western Ontario.
The goal is to ensure Canada is connected to the international supply of ideas, talent and technologies in order to succeed in this increasingly competitive global arena. Currently, the India- Canada Centre for Innovative Multidisciplinary Partnership to Accelerate Transformation and Sustainability is the first, and only, Canada-India Research Centre of Excellence established through the Canadian Networks of Centres of Excellence. IC-IMPACTS brings together a large international team of researchers, industry innovators, community leaders, government agencies, and community organizations from India and Canada, to work hand-in-hand to find solutions to the key challenges that affect the quality of life of millions of people in Indian and Canadian communities.
The centre will focus on three key areas: safe drinking water, reliable infrastructure, such as well-constructed hospitals, and effective prevention and treatment of water-borne and infectious diseases. The centre welcomes new partners and I encourage all UP academic institutions to participate in its programs.
Another valuable partner is the Shastri Indo-Canadian Institute. Lead by president Dr. Shanthi Johnson, they support the creation of binational links between academia, government, the business community and civil society organizations by funding research and hosting seminars. I am also proud to Dr. Devendra Gupta, the Vice-Chancellor of King George’s Medical University, UP’s best medical school and my alma mater.
Ladies and Gentlemen, I would like to conclude by saying that Canada and India should demonstrate how to create tomorrow’s sustainable economy through innovation today; and we need show the world our capacity to connect minds and cultures, not just markets and money. I encourage you to share your stories with those gathered here today and also bring your experiences of this conference back home.I would like to express once again what a pleasure it is to bring this first-of-its-kind delegation to Uttar Pradesh. Our efforts today will resonate for a long time and I look forward to working together to make Uttar Pradesh and Canada strong partners in the 21st century. Thank you.