India, Germany to cooperate in skill development, river cleaning

New Delhi, Sep 8 (PTI) India and Germany today agreed to prepare a roadmap for cooperation in skill development, solid waste management and cleaning of rivers as visiting Foreign Minister Frank Walter Steinmeier met Prime Minister Narendra Modi who described the two nations as "made for each other". During the meeting here, Steinmeier conveyed Germany’s strong desire to work with the new government in India to further expand and deepen bilateral relations. Modi lauded Germany’s remarkable economic resurgence over the past decade, a PMO statement said. He said India and Germany, which are bound by democratic values, are "made for each other" because of complementary skills and resources to power the next generation of industrial development through partnering in manufacturing and infrastructure development, it said. Suggesting use of Germany's strength and experience in the area of skill development, he said both sides should develop a concrete time-bound plan for training of Indian youth to meet Indian needs and the global requirement of skilled human resources. Modi also pressed for taking forward the ongoing cooperation in the area of clean energy and forging new partnerships in the areas of solid waste management, waste water treatment and cleaning of rivers, the statement said. It was agreed that both sides will undertake preparations with the aim of finalizing concrete roadmap for cooperation in each of these areas at the next Inter-Governmental Consultations meeting. The move to take Germany's help in skill development, waste management and river cleaning assumes significance as Modi has enlisted cleanliness as his priority agenda. Recalling his fruitful telephone conversation with Chancellor Angela Merkel on July 17 while transiting through Germany, Modi expressed appreciation for her personal interest and commitment to India-Germany relationship. He said India looks forward to the visit of Merkel for the next round of Inter-Governmental Consultations in 2015. PTI