Vijayawada: The average salary of Indians working in Germany is 40% more than the average salary of Germans, Dr Philipp Ackermann, German ambassador to India, told TOI on Tuesday. Ackermann, who earlier met chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu, added that the Indian diaspora is hugely contributing to the wealth and prosperity of his country. Describing Andhra Pradesh as “a new powerhouse” and “one of the best-performing states in India”, he praised the initiatives of Naidu in the renewable energy sector, especially in green hydrogen, noting that India can turn into an energy exporter through green hydrogen. The German ambassador also saw huge opportunities for collaboration in the development of capital Amaravati. “The govt of Andhra Pradesh should reach out to German companies, which are technologically advanced, to explore mutually beneficial opportunities. Companies like Siemens already have a base in Andhra Pradesh along with other states, and another company, Bauer, is involved in the Polavaram project. More opportunities will come, particularly at a time when German businesses are looking more and more towards India,” he said.Ackermann said there was a 20% increase in the number of students from India coming to Germany in the previous academic year, which could go up to 35% this year given the number of applications received by German universities. “The US situation may be one of the factors contributing to the increase in the number of students going to Germany. Students can stay in Germany for 18 months after completion of their studies to look for a job. Though the labour market is currently on the slower side, it is likely to pick pace next year. However, there are plenty of opportunities available in the fields of IT, engineering, nursing, and caregiving,” he explained.He further suggested that Indian companies can take advantage and grow through joint ventures and mergers with technologically advanced German companies. “The big companies, having their own training programs to create skilled manpower, will come down to India if they have joint ventures with local companies and offer the same level of skilling programs to employees in India,” he added.Batting for collaboration in the defence sector, Ackermann said it’s a new area of cooperation that will be interesting in the future as German defence production is coming to India as part of de-risking measures and to reduce dependency on China. “A lot of Indian companies have also started investing in Germany. As of today, over 750 Indian companies have operations in Germany. About 10 years from now, this number will increase by many folds, and the number of the Indian diaspora is likely to double in the next couple of years,” he said, adding that “India will look more towards Germany, and Germany will experience much more of India in the coming days”.
