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India Connect

Commercial Wing
 
India Connect
 
January-February 2019
 
 
A. Embassy Events:
 
 
Tourism Seminar
 
The Embassy of India and Incredible India Tourism Office organized an India Tourism Seminar. Ambassador HE Pavan Kapoor made the welcome remarks and conveyed the immense tourism potential India has for the Israeli traveler beyond backpacking to luxury tourism, family tours, medical tourism and as a shoppers paradise. Air India flights between Tel Aviv and Delhi which commenced in March 2018 has witnessed an unprecedented increase in passenger occupancy both ways. Further, along with El Al flights and the recently announced Arkia flights to Goa and Cochin, India will be an affordable and convenient tourist paradise for the Israeli population. He presented the winner of the winning Air India lottery. The seminar included presentations on Kerala, South India, North East India, Luxury Tourism and Wellness Tourism. The seminar was well attended by tour operators, officials and media. B2B meetings were also held before the seminar. February14.
 
Incredible India booth at International Mediterranean Tourism Market (IMTM)
 
Ambassador HE Mr. Pavan Kapoor inaugurated the Incredible India booth, followed by the Kerala Tourism booth at the annual “International Mediterranean Tourism Market” (IMTM). He also released “One Heart, Two Worlds”, a coffee table book on Jewish culture in Kerala. The event was well attended by members of the Indian diaspora, general public and friends of the Embassy. February 12.
 
Cybertech  2019 – India participation
 
The Embassy facilitated the participation of Mr. Dhananjaya A. Tambe, Deputy Managing Director & Chief Information Officer, State Bank of India at the Cybertech 2019 held in Tel Aviv. Mr. Tambe participated as a panelist in the session “Banking and Insurance in the Cyber Era”. 30 January
 
Meeting at the Ministry of Agriculture
 
DCM Tshering W Sherpa held an overview meeting with Senior Deputy Director General Mr. Itzhak Ben-David and his team at the Ministry of Agriculture, Israel. He also welcomed his successor Mr. Yakov Poleg and assured Embassy’s cooperation to further enhance our partnership in agriculture. DCM expressed appreciation on behalf of the Embassy to Mr. Ben- David for his contribution and wished him success in his future endeavors. 27 February 
 
Sunrise Open Challenge Hackathon in Tel Aviv
 
Andhra Pradesh Innovation Society held a Sunrise Open Challenge Hackathon in Tel Aviv on 27-28 January 2019. Five Israeli companies were selected from the areas of water supply, waste water management, agriculture and cyber crime. Embassy of India was represented by Pramod Sharma, First Secretary (Commerce), at the award ceremony. 28 January.
 
Dinner with CEOs of Indian companies in Israel
 
Ambassador HE Pavan Kapoor interacted with some of the CEOs/Representatives of Indian companies having presence in Israel. This is in continuation to the regular interaction between the Embassy and the companies. 17 January 
 

All women farmers delegation from the State of Jharkhand
 
Ambassador HE Pavan Kapoor interacted with the first ever all women farmers delegation from the State of Jharkhand. The delegation also consisted of officials and is organized by the State Government of Jharkhand. Ambassador briefed the delegation on the bilateral relationship including the ongoing cooperation in the India-Israel Agricultural Project. 15 January 
 
 
NABARD delegation to Israel
 
DCM Tshering W Sherpa addressed the Indian delegation led by NABARD visiting Israel for an exposure visit organized by the Weitz Centre for Sustainable Development. The focus of the visit was Dairy Resource Management. DCM also handed over the BIRD, NABARD and Weitz completion certificates to the delegates. 10 January.
 
Pravasi Bhartiya Divas celebrations
 
The Embassy of India in Tel Aviv celebrated the Pravasi Bhartiya Divas wherein, in his opening remarks, Ambassador HE Pavan Kapoor called the diaspora outreach an important component of India’s foreign policy objectives. While urging the community to make use of government initiatives/facilities like PBK, KIP and OCI to maintain their links with India, he also briefed them on the special initiative of the Pravasi Bhartiya Divas Convention 2019 and encouraged them  to participate. He also highlighted the strengthening bilateral relationship between the two countries and appreciated the community’s role as a bridge between the two nations. 9 January
 
B. Prominent India related News
 
India's Lohia Group acquires Israeli defense company Light & Strong Ltd.
 
India's Lohia Group has entered the aerospace and defense sector by acquiring Israeli composite company Light & Strong Ltd.  Based in the Kannot Industrial Park near Gedera, south of Tel Aviv, Light & Strong Ltd.  specializes in aerospace and military carbon fiber and glass fiber composite components production. Lohia Group stated that the Israeli firm’s military technology manufacturing capabilities will provide a synergistic fit for its expertise in large scale manufacturing across sectors. The Israeli firm is a well-established aero-structure manufacturer for platforms such as Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) and passenger and cargo aircraft. Lohia Group added that it would leverage Light & Strong’s client base, which includes Israel's Ministry of Defense, and these customers will now be supported by Lohia Group with its facilities in Israel and India.
As part of the Government of India’s ‘Skill India’ and ‘Make in India’ initiatives, Lohia Group has stated that it will use this acquisition to establish India as an exporter of customized composite products to global OEMs. February 23
 
Arkia to launch two Israel - India routes
 
Israeli airline Arkia Airlines Ltd. announced that it would introduce flights to two destinations in India: Goa and Cochin in the state of Kerala. Arkia is joining El Al Israel Airlines Ltd. which operates direct flights to Mumbai and Air India which flies from India to Tel Aviv ( a shorter route passing through Saudi Arabia airspace). Arkia will operate the new flights from September 2019 using recently acquired Airbus 321neoLR airliners. The flight duration will be seven hours and will operate all year round, except for the summer period in Israel, which is the monsoon season in India. 11 February
 
 
 
Indian media company Eros International partners with advertising company Artimedia
 
Mumbai-headquartered media company Eros International Media Ltd. has entered into a collaboration with Israeli video advertising company Artimedia Technologies Ltd. Together, the two companies will establish a new video advertisement platform targeting the Indian market. The new platform will focus on programmatic advertising automated purchase and placement of ads in real time on Indian television programming. 18 February.
 
 
Israeli Rafael to set up facility in India to execute US$30 million IAF communications deal
 
Israeli firm Rafael will be setting up a new facility in Hyderabad for its ARC subsidiary to execute a US$ 30 million Indian Air Force (IAF) communications deal that was signed in 2017. Rafael's BNet communications systems classified as software, are customized to meet operational requirements of the IAF. 26 February.
 
 
Government approves 54 drones from Israel for Indian Air Force
The Defence Ministry approved 54 Israeli HAROP attack drones which can crash into high-value enemy military targets to destroy them completely.  The IAF already has an inventory of around 110 of these drones which have now been renamed as P-4. These are equipped with electro-optical sensors to loiter over high-value military targets such as surveillance bases and radar stations before exploding them.  13 February.
 
 
Israel Aerospace signs US$ 93 million Indian missile deal
 
Israel Aerospace Industries Ltd.  (IAI) announced that it has signed agreements worth US$ 93 million for the supply of Naval MRSAM (Medium Range Surface-to-Air Missile) systems. The contracts are with the Indian Navy and Cochin Shipyard Limited. Under the terms of the contracts, IAI will provide complementary systems for the air defense system, involving follow up orders for a range of maintenance and other services for various sub-systems of IAI’s advanced MSRAM ADS. 30 January.
 
 
India Successfully Tests Barak 8 Long-Range Surface-to-Air Missile (LRSAM)
 
India successfully tested the Barak 8 LRSAM from the naval warship INS Chennai against an incoming aerial target flying at a low altitude. The test took place off the coast of Odisha in eastern India and saw the Barak 8 LRSAM destroy the incoming target with a direct hit.
 
  The Barak 8 is an advanced LRSAM naval air-defense system jointly developed by India’s Defense Research and Development Organization (DRDO) in close collaboration with Israel’s IAI’s subsidiary ELTA, as well as Rafael Advanced Defense Systems. 25 January.
 
 
C. Upcoming Events in India
 
Home Expo India 2019
                 
Export Promotion Council for Handicrafts (EPCH) has been organizing the Indian Handicrafts & Gifts Fair for over 24 years and is organizing the 8th edition of Home Expo India 2019 from 16-18 April, 2019 at India Expo Centre and Mart, Greater Noida.
 
Home Expo India 2019 will have a display of following three product-specific segments:
                                                                                                                                                                                       
  • Furnishings, Floorings & Textile
  • Furniture & Accessories
  • Houseware & Decorative
 
The Expo is expected to attract more than 250 exhibitors drawn from different parts of India displaying around 900 types of designs and styles of products (ethnic yet modern and contemporary) which will be specific to India. Detailed information can be obtained from the following website www.epch.in/homeexpo
 
The Council will extend travel support (reimbursement of air travel and complimentary hotel accommodation for three nights) as a buyer Promotional Scheme.
 
For more details & registration kindly write to us: com.telaviv@mea.gov.in
 
 
-For comments, suggestions, economic  information  and business opportunities, please contact the Embassy's Commercial Section:
 
--Mr. Tshering W. Sherpa, Deputy Chief of Mission and Head of the Commercial Wing
dcm.telaviv@mea.gov.in
 
-Mr. Pramod Sharma, First Secretary (Commerce)
dcmoffice.telaviv@mea.gov.in
 

Commercial Wing local team:
-Mr. Yakir Dahari, Marketing Officer
-Ms. Nitzan Bitan, Commercial Officer
-Ms. Sharona Shimson, Trade Assistant 


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