BERLIN (IDN) – Leading German companies have expressed interest in backing three environmental undertakings of top priority to the Government of India. These relate to rejuvenating the legendary Ganges river and supporting a national campaign to clean the streets, roads and infrastructure of the country.
Known as the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan (Clean India Mission), the campaign covers 4,041 statutory cities and towns.
A third priority campaign, called Smart Cities Mission, relates to an urban renewal and retrofitting program of the Government of India with a view to developing 100 cities all over the country and making these both citizen-friendly and sustainable.
German companies are considered global leaders offering advanced solutions in the water and waste sectors.
Addressing a business meeting organized for the German investors and technology providers in the water and waste sector at the Embassy of India Berlin on June 30, Dr. Andreas Jaron from the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Building and Nuclear Safety (BMUB) said that both countries were identifying specific areas and projects in India.
These, he said, include identification of Best Available Technologies, assistance in capacity building, developing markets, business models and a roadmap for bilateral cooperation.
Germany has pledged €126 million (some $140) for the Ganga rejuvenation mission and also identified the cities of Kochi, Coimbatore and Bhubaneswar for development as Smart Cities.
According to official sources, several German companies from the waste management and water to-energy sectors are keen to “expand their footprint in India”. In this regard, the business event organized on June 30 by the Embassy of India, Berlin in partnership with the BMUB and German Water Partnership sought to mobilize greater B2B (business-to-business) collaborations in the sectors of water and waste.
Speaking on the occasion, Arun Lakhani, Chairman and Managing Director of the Vishvaraj Infrastructure Ltd and Member of the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) Water Mission, asked German companies to take note of the rapidly changing market developments in the water and waste sector in India. He advised them to adapt as well as improve their technologies and solutions to suit the Indian conditions.
Senior officials from German Water Partnership and German Recycling Technologies and Waste Management Partnership (German ReTech Partnership) joined the event and identified potential areas of cooperation with India leveraging the strengths of the German industry in water and waste sectors.
Many of the German companies showed interest to forge new partnerships with India seeking support under the Make In India Mittelstand(MIIM) programme, being run by the Indian Embassy to ease the entry of small and medium-sized German enterprises to India.
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