Kerala has agreed to provide trained nurses for the health services in the Netherlands. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan told Dutch Ambassador to India Marten van der Berg in New Delhi on Wednesday that the State would help address the acute shortage of nurses in the Netherlands.
The Ambassador, who called on Mr. Vijayan at Kerala House, said his country immediately needed 30,000 to 40,000 nurses. Nurses from Kerala were in high demand due to their professional excellence and dedication to duty.
Mr. Vijayan directed the Resident Commissioner in New Delhi to coordinate with the Dutch embassy on the steps to be taken on the proposal.
Development programmes
The post-flood reconstruction programme, development of ports and modernisation of museums and Dutch heritage monuments in Kerala also figured in the discussions.
The Kerala State Archives Department would join hands with the National Archives of the Netherlands to modernise 20 museums and the Dutch heritage monuments in Kochi, Mr. Vijayan later said in a Facebook post.
The meeting decided to involve the Rotterdam port in the design and development of the Azheekkal port in Kannur and strengthen the marine research centres at Neendakara and Kodungalloor. The agreement would be signed in October during the visit of a Dutch delegation to the State.
The Netherlands envoy told Mr. Vijayan that Kerala could utilise Dutch expertise in agriculture and floriculture. He also informed the Chief Minister that Dutch companies had shown interest in investing in Kerala.
Mr.Vijayan said the University of Kerala was working on a gift edition of the English version of Hortus Malabaricus.