Lifting the ban of several decades on blue
collar workers securing a job in Germany, the country is not only opening its
door for non-European countries but already in process of preparing Indians to
take up jobs in Germany. In discussion with Dr Jürgen Morhard, Consulate
General of the Federal Republic of Germany, noted that the law lifting the ban
will be in force from March 2020.
Preparing ahead, nurses in Kerala are being
taught German in partnership with hospitals to fill up the vacancies in the
country. In face-to-face interview, Morhard shared more details about the
Indo-German alliance.
Ques: Do you see an opportunity to invest
in Indore and nearby industrial area?
Morhard: Definitely! Indore is inspiring
with a good image. From becoming the cleanest city of India to lesser issues of
traffic and indiscipline, it is definitely a city to look for investing. The
only issue has been air connectivity. With good air connectivity that is
currently developing, Germany would definitely form alliances in Indore and
nearby areas.
Ques: The number of Indian students in
Germany is rising, but why are German students not choosing to study in India?
Morhard: Currently, we have 17,800 Indian
students in Germany, which is rising every year. The reason behind Indian
students opting for studies abroad is the lack of capacity in universities in
India to accommodate the students. About 70 percent of Indian students are
going abroad for completing their education and post education employment. In
recent, developments the number of Indian students in Germany bypassed students
in UK. There are not a lot of administrative reasons for German students not
opting for India, because we do allow transfer of credits. However, most German
students don’t know much about studying in India, as it is not promoted enough.
Ques: What is the status of alliance
between India and Germany in the sector of research?
Morhard: There is a lot of work that Indian
and German researchers are collaborating on. However, we don’t bring it much to
limelight. The latest research projects taken by the countries together are in
the field of electro-active materials. The latest tie-up was established with a
technical university in Pune, where the amount invested is in double digits in
Euros. Further, there are investments in the sector of developing a simulation
of a brain tumour and Indian Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio (ISEER)/
Ques: What can Indian and German system of
education learn from each-other?
Morhard: The Indian system of education emphasizing
on compulsion of doctorate degrees is definitely inspiring. Germany has almost
an equal and standard delivery of education irrespective of institutes, which
could be a goal for India.
Ques: What is the current trend of foreign
direct investment (FDA) of Germany in India?
Morhard: The trend had seen a spike from
2010 to 2016 due to lack of opportunities in Europe. However, the investment is
not jumping as it did that time, but it is still on a steady rise.
Ques: What are the major industries where
Germany is investing?
Morhard: We are not investing into a
particular sector. Rather, most of Germany’s investment in India is in small
and medium scale industries that are working on providing component parts. Some
of the examples where we have our major investments are hinges, bottle caps and
springs.
Ques: What are the possible alliance
opportunities in Indore for Germany?
Morhard: There are many component firms.
Further, the packaging machinery is quite strong here. There could many other
industries, but we need to analyse them first.