INDIA CANADA SIGN MOU ON MUTUAL COOPERATION IN GEOSCIENCES

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A memorandum of understanding (MOU) was signed today at Ottawa between India and Canada to set up a framework for mutual cooperation in the field of geo-sciences. Shri Ramesh Bais, Union Minister for Mines and Shri Herb Dhaliwal, the Minister for Natural Resources, Canada have signed the MOU. It will remain in operation for five years unless extended or terminated.Shri Bais has led a delegation of the Minstry of Mines to Canada on March 27 to discuss mutual cooperation between the two countries.

The areas of cooperation and collaboration identified in the MOU are environmental geology and geo-hazards, economic geology, geological mapping, hydrocarbon basic analysis, marine and coastal geology, exploration geochemistry and geophysics, geo-science information system and remote sensing and data integration including cartography.

The MOU envisages organization and support to technical seminars and meetings, exchange of scientists and technical personnel to work on collaborative projects, exchange of scientific and technical information, education and training liaison and coordination with industrial, academic, professional and other organisations and encouragement of cooperation in geosciences with the industrial sector and academia in both countries.