The Haryana government on Wednesday held a high-level meeting with a delegation led by Australian High Commissioner to India Philip Green, exploring closer cooperation in education, skill development, innovation, agriculture, green energy, sports, tourism and investment. The meeting, chaired by Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini, also focused on creating international education and employment opportunities for young people from the state.
Saini said India and Australia share a strong comprehensive strategic partnership and his government wanted its benefits to reach Haryana’s students, farmers, entrepreneurs, industries and youth. He said greater cooperation in education, skills, research, innovation and emerging technologies could provide fresh momentum to the state’s development. Chief Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister Rajesh Khullar, Advisor to the Chief Minister in the Department of Foreign Cooperation Pawan Choudhary and representatives of the Australia-India Business Council were among those present.
Australian jobs for Haryana youth
A major focus of the discussions was equipping Haryana’s youth with internationally recognised skills and connecting them with employment opportunities overseas. The two sides explored collaboration between Australian technical and vocational education institutions and Haryana’s Industrial Training Institutes, polytechnics and skill universities. Industry-oriented training, modern curricula, English-language proficiency and internationally recognised certification were among the areas discussed.
The Australian delegation offered cooperation in training Haryana youth for employment opportunities in Australia, particularly in healthcare, construction, advanced manufacturing, hospitality, logistics and information technology. The discussions also covered mechanisms to ensure training is closely aligned with actual industry requirements and global labour-market demand.
Universities explore joint programmes
Both sides discussed strengthening ties between leading universities in Haryana and Australia through joint research, student and faculty exchanges and collaborative academic programmes. Artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, agriculture, engineering, clean energy and public policy were identified as priority areas. Possibilities were also explored for Australian participation in setting up Centres of Excellence, research and innovation hubs and emerging-technology training centres in Haryana.
Trade and investment figured prominently in the talks, with both sides discussing ways to strengthen business-to-business engagement. Haryana sought to combine its industrial base and location advantages with Australian expertise and investment, particularly in technology-driven and emerging sectors.
Agriculture and clean energy in focus
In agriculture, the two sides identified precision farming, water-efficient cultivation, climate-resilient agriculture, soil health, farm mechanisation, dairy technology, food processing, cold-chain infrastructure and agri-innovation as potential areas of collaboration. The discussions were aimed at combining Australian expertise with Haryana’s large agricultural economy to improve productivity and introduce advanced farming technologies.
Green hydrogen, solar power, battery storage, renewable energy, waste-to-energy and the circular economy were also discussed. The two sides explored the potential for new clean-energy projects combining Haryana’s industrial capabilities with Australian technology and expertise. Cooperation in sports science, high-performance training, athlete development and sports management was also considered, with Haryana looking to draw on Australia’s experience in cricket, hockey, wrestling and boxing.
Tourism and cultural exchanges were another area identified for greater engagement. At the conclusion of the meeting, Green invited Saini to visit Australia as the two sides sought to take the proposed partnerships forward.