Press Information Bureau

Government of India

Ministry of Corporate Affairs

08-November-2011 18:33 IST

Netherlands Delegation Calls on Shri R.P.N. Singh

Issues of Bilateral Interest Discussed during the Meeting

Dr.Henk Bleker, Minister for Agriculture and Foreign Trade, Kingdom of Netherlands along with his delegation, had a meeting with Shri R.P.N.Singh, Minister of State for Corporate Affairs here in New Delhi today. Mr.Bob Hiensch, Ambassador of the Kingdom of the Netherlands to India, and Shri Naved Masood, Secretary, Ministry of Corporate Affairs were present, along with others.

While the Indian side recognized the leadership role being played by the Government of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in the field of Corporate Social Responsibility, and expressed its desire to learn from the experiences of Dutch Companies, the Dutch side conveyed that this was an ever-growing sphere, and that there would be enough scope for both the sides to learn from sharing of information and exchange of knowledge through mutual cooperation, creating a win-win situation for both the sides. The Indian side also outlined the steps being taken by the Ministry in improving the business and investment environment in the country.

The discussions were held in an atmosphere of cordiality and friendship in the spirit of enhancing mutual cooperation in Corporate Affairs.

It may be recalled that on June 7, 2011, a Letter of Intent (LOI) was signed between the Ministry of Corporate Affairs, Government of India, and the Ministry of Economic Affairs of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in the areas of Corporate Governance and the Corporate Social Responsibility. The LOI provides for setting up of a Joint Working Group to further the cooperation in these areas.

*****

ST/-

Corporate Social Responsibility cooperation expands bilateral knowledge exchange and establishes a joint working mechanism to strengthen corporate governance. A bilateral cooperation framework advances collaboration on Corporate Social Responsibility and corporate governance through knowledge sharing and capacity-building, and a Letter of Intent provides for a Joint Working Group to operationalise cooperation, dialogue, technical exchange and follow-up activities to implement shared initiatives.