(KPL) Indian Ambassador to the Lao PDR Dinkar Asthana hosted in Vientiane a reception to celebrate the 71st Republic Day of the Republic of India on Jan 24.
The celebration was joined by Minister of Post and Telecommunications Thansamay Kommasith, Minister of Public Works and Transport Bounchanh Sinthavong, Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Thongsavanh Phomvihane, Former Minister to the Prime Minister’s Office and President of Lao-India Friendship Association Bountiem Phissamay, Members of the Lao-India Friendship Association.
The function was also attended by other senior government officials of the Lao PDR, ambassadors, heads and representatives of international agencies in Laos, and members of Indian community.
India achieved independence on August 15, 1947 and the Constitution of India was adopted on January 26, 1950 which is the day Indian people celebrate as the Republic Day of India on an annual basis.
“The Constitution of India enshrines all the fundamental rights and duties of its citizens. It is the bulwark on which the modern nation of India has been built,” said Ambassador Dinkar.
India today stands as a bright spot among the global economies. The economy is growing sustainably on the back of multiple economic reforms by the Indian government.
India has made a tremendous leap in the Ease of Doing Business Index by 14 positions and is presently ranked 63rd among 190 countries assessed by the World Bank in its report released in October 2019.
After the establishment of political relations in February 1956, various high-level visits between the Lao PDR and India have added momentum to the relationship at different times.
The year 2019 was an important year for India-Lao PDR with Lao participation in 11th Delhi Dialogue and other ministerial level visits for bilateral and multilateral events in India.
India has so far extended nearly USD 250 million worth of concessional credit and grants for various projects in the Lao PDR including projects in the pipeline.
An MOU was signed in May 2007 with the Lao Ministry of Information, Culture and Tourism for the restoration of the UNESCO World Heritage site Vat Phou. India had allocated around US$4.1 million for the project over an 8-year period.
The work on the project began by the experts from Archaeological Survey of India in June 2009 and first phase comprising eight seasons of restoration work by ASI was completed in May 2017 with a project cost of around US$4.1 million.
As the monument still required a lot of restoration work, the Government of India has further approved the second phase of Vat Phou restoration project for a period of ten years from 2018 - 2028 at a total cost of nearly US$ 3.5 million.
Restoration work for the second season of phase-II has already begun since November 2019 with the experts from Archaelogical Survey of India.
India continues to support the Lao-India Entrepreneurship Development Center through donation of equipment and sharing of expertise.
The Government of India through a grant project has funded the setting up a Centre of Excellence in Software Development and Training (CESDT) in the Institute of Information and Communication Technology of the Ministry of Post and Telecommunications of the Lao PDR.
“I am happy to inform that the CESDT is functional now and catering to the needs of the Lao PDR. This will pave the way for an exponential growth in IT and software training in the Lao PDR and will be India’s contribution to the IT growth story in the Lao PDR,” said the ambassador.
The government of India is also considering taking up the restoration work of Vat Pakhae in the UNESCO world heritage area of Luang Prabang.
Presently a report has been prepared by the experts who surveyed the temple in late 2018. Based on the report further action is being taken in coordination with Lao side.
In September 2019, an MOU has been signed between the Institute of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Lao PDR and the Foreign Service Institute of the Ministry of External Affairs of India to strengthen their work in capacity building through human resource development and studies on foreign affairs for Lao personnel.
The Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation Programme or ITEC was instituted by a decision of the Indian Cabinet on 15 September 1964 as a bilateral programme of assistance of the Government of India.
It is a demand-driven, response-oriented programme that focuses on addressing the needs of developing countries through innovative technical cooperation between India and the partnering nation.
In 2019, nearly 150 scholarships under various courses have been offered for candidates from the Lao PDR under the various schemes.
During 2018-2019 there was a total trade of US$ 40.40 million performed between India and the Lao PDR.
The Lao PDR Air Services Agreement was signed during the Global Aviation Summit 2019 in India. This provides the framework for cooperation in civil aviation including the possibility of direct flights between India and the Lao PDR.
Once the air links are operational, this would provide further impetus to trade and tourism between our two countries.
KPL
