India celebrates 50th anniversary of ITEC programme -PM Hinds hails India’s support over the years
Sitting in the front row are Prime Minister Samuel Hinds (second from left), H.E. Venkatachalam Mahalingam besides PM Hinds, Minister Westford and Secretary General of the Caribbean Community (Caricom), Irwin La Rocque.
Sitting in the front row are Prime Minister Samuel Hinds (second from left), H.E. Venkatachalam Mahalingam besides PM Hinds, Minister Westford and Secretary General of the Caribbean Community (Caricom), Irwin La Rocque.

PRIME Minister Samuel Hinds acknowledged the support Guyana has received from India over the years, as that country celebrated the 50th anniversary since the establishment of the Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation (ITEC) programme.During a luncheon ceremony Monday at the Aagman Indian Restaurant on Sheriff Street, Prime Minister Hinds expressed his greatest appreciation to the people and Government of India for their support through many areas, particularly for the ITEC programme.
According to the Prime Minister, “Guyana is a small developing country which is seeking to find our way in the world of 200 countries, but we are happy to have India as one of our traditional friends.
“Our relations with the Government of India are soundly founded on many historical things, especially being members of the Commonwealth, and also in the British time which saw the largest quantity of our Indian ancestors coming to work on our sugar estates,” he said.
He also noted that over the years the ties between Guyana and India have been maintained and strengthened, dating back to the past when India gained Independence and subsequently Guyana did the same.
Apart from the history of the two countries, PM Hinds in closing reiterated that Guyana is grateful for the support of the ITEC programme from the very start and also other sorts of support, particularly in the area of agriculture.
MAJOR BENEFICIARY
Also speaking at the event Monday was High Commissioner of India, H.E. Venkatachalam Mahalingam, who highlighted that “ITEC in Guyana has become a regular feature as Guyana has been one of the major beneficiaries through this programme…also our bilateral cooperation on this programme has been steadily increasing year after year.”
Thus far under the programme, the High Commissioner noted, over 600 persons from Guyana and other countries within the Region have been trained. And in the technical fields around 36 countries in this Region, particularly Latin America, the Caribbean and Central America have also benefited from training programmes through ITEC.
H.E Mahalingam stated that one of the important aspects of ITEC is the implication of experts in the various fields… “Currently there is one ITEC expert in the field of agriculture who has completed his two- year attachment with the National Agricultural Research & Extension Institute (NAREI) and is now working with the Guyana Rice Development Board (GRDB), where he is working on improving the rice cultivation practices in Guyana,” he said.
ITEC PROGRAMMES
Apart from that he said that other forms of cooperation which are being undertaken under the ITEC programme are study tools, project development, agriculture, coconut production, telecast and telecommunication, just to list a few.
“We immensely value the cooperation of the Government of Guyana in giving us the opportunity of participating in the development of the country through the ITEC programme. I am sure it will go a long way in capacity building and institutional building and also in helping technological and economical enhancement,” said the Indian High Commissioner.
At the ceremony, one of the participants from the ITEC programme shared her experience which she gained from her participation. She disclosed that the knowledge gained through the ITEC programme has taken her a far way, noting that “it was a life changing experience to interact with the foreigners and have the teachings of an expert in the capacity of auditing.”
Meanwhile on behalf of the Government of Guyana, Minister of Public Service, Dr. Jennifer Westford, expressed great thanks to the people and Government of India for unswervingly, over the years, ensuring that Government got places to send the Guyanese people, especially from the public sector to acquire further training in various fields.
“We don’t have any sector in the Government which doesn’t have persons that were trained in India… India has left an indelible mark on the public sector as we learnt a lot and there have been a lot of improvements as we are hoping to get more scholarships from the Government,” she said.

By Navendra Seoraj

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