Hyderabad: Australian envoy’s visit to shore up ties with Telangana State

Hyderabad : Australia’s High Commissioner to India Barry O’ Farrell is on a three- day visit to Hyderabad to further strengthen ties with Telangana. He is accompanied by Consul-General for South India Sarah Kirlew.

The High Commissioner said, “With entry into force of our free trade agreement, Australia-India Economic Cooperation and Trade Agreement (AI-ECTA), and the growing Indian diaspora in Australia, there has never been a better time in our bilateral relations. We see lots of potential to do more with Telangana in the fields of technology, education, health and space.”

He met KT Rama Rao, Minister for Information Technology, Industries and Municipal Administration, to discuss ECTA opportunities in Telangana. Both of them reviewed the growing ties and prospects for future collaborations. The High Commissioner appreciated the efforts made by the minister in achieving significant outcomes in India and Australia collaboration in technology, health, education and water.

“Looking back on the progress over the last three years, it is fair to say that today, in 2023, the Australia-Telangana relations are more active than ever has been. In particular, we have seen many delegations visiting Telangana over the past two years to explore links in technology, cyber, and space, Barry O’ Farrell said.

On Tuesday he visited the Medha-Rubicon plant in Nacharam. Medha-Rubicon is a joint venture between Melbourne-based Rubicon Water and city-based Medha for the manufacture of smart irrigation gates used in India and abroad. Upon his visit to the plant, he tweeted, “Australian technology meets Indian manufacturing capabilities at Medha-Rubicon water in Hyderabad. Visited the facility to see a brilliant example of Australia and India’s collaborative efforts for improved management practices.” Medha Rubicon is working in Karnataka to improve the efficiency of irrigation systems with the help of smart software, a radio communications network and 4,300 automated irrigation gates and metres. Its water technologies are being trailed at the Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Project with great success and is expected to be expanded to the rest of the region. The high commissioner will announce an Australian Direct Aid Program (DAP) grant in support of mental health. This project will be implemented by the George Institute. Total funding will be approximately Rs 10 lakh which will be used to improve the implementation of the district mental health programme in Telangana by sharing Australian skills and approaches. The High Commissioner also visited the newly unveiled Ambedkar statue.