Tel Aviv, Nov 18 (IANS) Chief Ministers Prakash Singh Badal of Punjab and Prem Kumar Dhumal of Himachal Pradesh are in Israel, separately seeking trade, technology and agricultural ties.
A delegation led by Badal Tuesday called on Israel’s Industry, Trade and Labour Minister Binyamin Ben-Eliezer and discussed ways to further enhance cooperation in areas of trade and farming including water technology.

Badal stressed the need to identify cutting-edge technologies related to water management, desalination, waste water management and reverse osmosis with Israeli firms.

India’s ambassador to Israel, Navtej Singh Sarna, was present at the meeting at the Indian embassy here.

Leading Israeli companies dealing with multifaceted water technologies made presentations before the chief minister. Badal also visited “WATEC Israel 2009″, an international exhibition and conference on water related technologies.

A similar presentation on water management and other technologies was also given to Chief Minister Dhumal, who too is exploring possibilities of cooperation with Israel in various fields.

He was accompanied by a high-level government and business delegation.

He also met Israeli Minister Binyamin Ben-Eliezer.

Dhumal would later meet Israeli Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Daniel Ayalon.