Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan began a four-nation tour of Europe on Wednesday with a visit to the Netherlands at the invitation of the Dutch government to explore possibilities of cooperation in water management, flood prevention and agriculture.
During his visit, Mr. Vijayan is scheduled to meet Minister Cora van Nieuwenhuizen, Dutch Minister for Infrastructure and Water Management; and Jan Kees Goet, Secretary General, Ministry of Agriculture.
Following the devastating floods last year, two Dutch water experts were part of the joint mission to Kerala involving the United Nations, Asian Development Bank, World Bank and the European Union. Subsequently the Dutch government had sent a four-member Risk Reduction Mission, which submitted a report to the Kerala government on Kuttanad.
A press note issued by the Indian Embassy, The Hague, said Mr. Vijayan would interact with representatives of the business community in a meeting organised by Hans De Boer, President VNO-NCW (Dutch employers' federation).
To meet experts
The Chief Minister will visit the Port of Rotterdam to discuss inland water management and also see first-hand measures taken for flood control and water management by the Dutch government. He will meet agricultural experts of the University of Wageningen to understand the latest agricultural techniques in horticulture and floriculture.
The Chief Minister’s itinerary includes a visit to the National Archives of the Netherlands to view items in their collection pertaining to the Dutch presence in Kerala in the 17th century. He will hold discussions on digitizing Dutch records in the possession of Kerala State Archives.