Dr Parwinder Kaur, an award-winning scientist of Indian origin, and Punjabi writer Mintu Brar are facilitating the Punjab leg of the delegation’s India visit and they expressed hope that the visit would prove to be fruitful for both Punjab and Western Australia.
A part of an Australian delegation led by Western Australia deputy premier Roger Hugh Cook will be on a three-day Punjab visit from July 6 to 8, according to sources. The delegation will visit the Golden Temple in Amritsar on July 6 and meet Punjab government officials in Chandigarh and Mohali on July 8, said sources.
“Australia’s leading businessmen and politicians are part of the delegation. This visit can be very important for Punjab in the various fields of trade, investment and culture. We are hopeful that Punjab and Australia both will benefit from this interaction,” said Brar.
Dr Kaur, who is the director of DNA Zoo in Western Australia, said: “The focus of the visit is to strengthen government and industry connections, unlock opportunities for Western Australian (WA) business in the Indian market and promote the state as a destination for tourists, students, talent, events, business and investment. The visit includes a range of programmes and initiatives across Delhi, Mumbai, Vijayawada and Chennai apart from Punjab.”
“The visit will include ministerial meetings, group briefings, industry roundtables, one-to-one business meetings, networking events and Invest and Trade WA events. India is the world’s largest democracy and has a population of 1.3 billion people. Its youthful population, diversified economy and strong growth trajectory present significant opportunities for WA businesses,” added Kaur.
“In 2021, India was WA’s seventh-largest trading partner with total trade valued at AUD 4.6 billion, accounting for more than 17 per cent of total trade between Australia and India. With the recent signing of the interim Australia-India Economic Cooperation and Trade Agreement, there are further opportunities for the state to strengthen this important relationship,” said Roger Cook in a press statement.