Israel's former President Shimon Peres to visit India, call upon PM Modi and Sonia Gandhi

JERUSALEM: Israel's former president and Nobel laureate, Shimon Peres, will be visiting India this week where he will launch a tri-lateral dialogue on food and water security involving India, Israel and Australia.

The elder statesman is scheduled to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Congress President Sonia Gandhi on Friday in New Delhi, a close aide to the Israeli leader told PTI.

Peres, who completed his seven-year tenure as president in July this year, maintains a strong presence in Israeli public life given his international stature.

The nonagenarian leader would travel to India to participate in the World Economic Forum meet, but he would also be actively involved in the launch of a track II dialogue on food and water security.

The formal announcement of the initiative will be made in Delhi in the presence of its three patrons - Peres, Jamshyd Godrej, Chairman of Ananta Centre, and Anthony Pratt, Chairman of Pratt Foundation from Australia.

A special discussion session titled, "Challenges and Opportunities of Creating a Second Green Revolution in India" will also be held in New Delhi which will have an address by the three patrons and Chaired by T N Ninan, Chairman, Ananta Aspen Centre and Chairman, Business Standard.

Another session titled "Increasing India's Food and water Security" will also be held involving experts in the field.

Some of the prominent panelists include, Dr Danny A Chamovitz, Dean of the Faculty of Life Sciences at Tel Aviv University, Dr Ashok Gulati, Chair Professor, Agriculture, Indian Council for Research on International Economic Relations (ICRIER) and Ross Fitzgerald, board member, Visy Industries Pvt Ltd (Australia).