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(KPL) India Ambassador to Laos, Mr Prashant Agrawal hosted a reception party to celebrate the Development Partnership between India and the Lao PDR in Vientiane on Oct 6.
India Ambassador to Laos, Mr Prashant Agrawal
(KPL) India Ambassador to Laos, Mr Prashant Agrawal hosted a reception party to celebrate the Development Partnership between India and the Lao PDR in Vientiane on Oct 6.
Minister of Education and Sports Phouth Simmalavong, Major General, Khamlar Phunxayasouk, Political Commandant of Kaysone Phomvihane Academy, National Defense, President of the National University of Laos, Mr Oudom Phonekhampheng and alumni of India attended the event.
Minister of Education and Sports Phouth Simmalavong
Ambassador Prashant Agrawal highlighted important of the development partnership between India and the Lao PDR. Since 1956, when diplomatic relations between our countries were established, India’s development cooperation with the Lao PDR has been built on three pillars including capacity building through Indian Technical and Economic (ITEC) Programme and long-term ICCR scholarships for higher studies, projects under Lines of Credit or soft loans, and joint Lao-India centres for English language training and entrepreneurship development, and Centre of Excellence for Software Development and Training, and a unique heritage conservation project of restoration of UNESCO World Heritage site, the iconic Vat Phou (an ancient Shiva temple, originally), by the Archaeological Survey of India deputed under the ITEC Programme.
“ITEC is Government of India’s flagship program started in September 1964. It is aimed at sharing India’s own development experiences with fellow developing countries on the basis of partnership and cooperation for mutual benefit. Its major thrust area is on capacity building targeted towards skill development and professionalism of the trainees in their respective fields of activity,” said Ambassador Prashant Agrawal.
“ITEC programmes have been increasingly gaining reputation due to the quality training imparted by Indian institutions and the warm hospitality extended by India to the scholars. I am happy to note that so far about 1500 Lao nationals have been trained under ITEC,” he mention.
The Government of India has also been providing a large number of scholarships annually to Lao nationals under various schemes. These include fully-funded scholarships by Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) for studies in undergraduate, postgraduate and PhD courses in Indian universities and we have a large number of ICCR scholars now who have studied in India.
“On behalf of the Government of the Lao PDR, I would like to express my gratitude and thanks to the Government of India and the people of India for supporting the human resources development as well as contributing to the economic and social-economic development in Laos,” said Minister of Education and Sports Phouth Simmalavong.
Under the Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation (ITEC) program, the government of India will provide short and long-term funding to Lao students and people to train in various courses. It will also provide scholarships for Lao students to study at the bachelor's, master's and doctoral levels in India, supported by the Indian Council for the Promotion of Cultural Relations (ICCR).
The Indian government has built Lao-India Entrepreneurship Development Centre and Lao India Centre for English Language Training Center to promote and strengthen human resource development under the Ministry of Education and Sports.
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