India ties up with Israel to turn it into ‘Villages of Excellence’

The Government of India has joined hands with the Government of Israel to create 150 ‘Villages of Excellence’ in 12 States of the country, to help farmers to adopt the latest technology in the farm sector. Israel would provide Technical assistance and other expertise to make agriculture a more profitable business.

Villages of Excellence

• 150 villages which are located around CoEs will be converted into ‘Villages of Excellence.
• Out of these, 75 villages will be converted in first year to commemorate 75th year of India’s independence, in collaboration with Israeli government.

India-Israel Relation

• India had recognized the Jewish State of Israel in 1950. But the diplomatic relations between both were established in 1992.
• Since then, there has been an upswing in the relations in light of common concerns regarding global terrorism and religious extremism. Both the countries have strengthened their cooperation in intelligence sharing and counter-insurgency operations.
• India has become a major buyer of armaments from Israel. Countries are also cooperating in field of science and technology, specifically in areas like dryland farming.

Defence Collaborations

• India has brought radar and surveillance equipment for military application from Israel.
• Israel also provides counter-insurgency training to India’s anti-terror forces. Collaborations between both the countries have increased since 2014.

Cooperation in Agriculture

• India and Israel started an agricultural fund worth USD 50 million, in 2008.
• It focused on dairy, micro-irrigation and farming technology. This led to constitution of Indo-Israel Agricultural Project.

Economic Relations

• India is the third-largest trading partner of Israel, in Asia after China and Hong Kong. Trade of diamond accounts for more than 53% of total bilateral trade.
• Trade has further diversified to include several sectors such as agriculture, IT, pharmaceuticals, and telecom & homeland security.
• India exports precious stones, metals, textiles, textile articles and chemical products etc to Israel.