… Indian Gov’t to build Information Technology Centre of Excellence in Guyana
…calls for permanent Indian seat on a Reformed UN Security Council
…Guyanese to get ‘Visa on Arrival’ in India

PRESIDENT, Donald Ramotar, currently on his first official State visit to India, has secured a US$58M ‘Line of Credit (LoC), to fund the new East Bank Demerara-East Coast Demerara bypass road (US$50M), as well as to add an additional passenger ferry (US$8M) to Guyana’s current fleet.

The President met yesterday with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and the two, during a bilateral meeting, agreed to the concessional loan for the two ventures.

The President, only recently in his New Year’s Day address to the nation, had announced that the feasibility study for the proposed 20 kilometer stretch of road has been completed.
The Indian Prime Minister, during the meeting with President Ramotar, also agreed and announced that his Government would set up an Information Technology Centre of Excellence in Guyana, the first such facility to be established on the South American continent.
Another major development coming out of the meeting between President Ramotar and Indian Prime Minister, Modi is that Guyanese will now be afforded a ‘Visa on Arrival’ facility.Guyana now joins an exclusive list of only 44 countries across the world that is afforded this facility.

SUPPORTING DEVELOPING COUNTRIES
President Ramotar was invited by the Indian Government as the ‘Chief Guest’ at the 13thPravasi Bharatiya Divas (Indian Diaspora Conference), an event that also marks the centenary anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi’s return to India.
Addressing the inaugural session of the annual conference, which saw representation from thousands of delegates from 40 countries, President Ramotar, called on the Indian Government to be a more proactive voice for small developing countries such as Guyana.
Speaking to opportunities that exists for the Indian Government, President Ramotar noted that just as how that country played a pivotal role in providing leadership—theintellectual and political—that led to the granting of political independence for a wave of nations, including Guyana, “so too today can India provide leadership in representing the interests and concerns of the developing nations of the world.”
Speaking directly to the Indian Prime Minister, President Ramotar reminded that “India occupies a seat in many of the major councils of the world, where smaller countries like mine have no voice.”
He was making reference to World Councils such as the G20, the Brazil Russia India China South Africa (BRICS) and others.
According to President Ramotar, “Countries like mine turn to larger more influential friends like India to be the voice through which the concerns of the developing world could be expressed.”

STRIKING ABSENCE
Ramotar also advised too that there are opportunities for India to be more active as a participant in the global development effort.
According to him, while India is a member of some of the regional development banks, such as the African Development Bank, its absence as a member of institutions from this hemisphere “is striking.”
He was making reference to the institutions such as the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB).
“Apart from the obvious political opportunity that it presents, membership will also bring important business opportunities for Indian companies and Indian nationals, according to President Ramotar.

BUSINESS POTENTIAL
The Guyanese Head of State observed too that there is considerable room for Indian companies to be more aggressively outward looking.
He said, “India’s potential role as a major source of outward foreign direct investment is still to be fully realised…Indeed, considering the size and diversity of the Indian economy, there are many opportunities for Indian companies and entrepreneurs to establish a bigger global footprint.”
According to him, there is also a need for air and maritime links to be strengthened to allow for the easier flow of goods, services and peoples between the two countries.
The President also used the opportunityto pledge Guyana’s commitment to continue to work towards strengthening the relations with the countries that have emerged from the anti-colonial struggles.
“Even though colonialism is history, the world governance still favours the rich and powerful countries…the net flow of capital continues to be from the developing to the developed world…it is for this reason that the struggle is far from over,” he said.
President Ramotar told Prime Minister Modi that Guyana remains deeply appreciative of the role India continues to play in the global community of nations and among the developing countries of the world, and that his government looks forward to the further consolidation of this role in the future.

REFORMED UN SECURITY COUNCIL
President Ramotar, on the international platform, addressed the fact that among the issues of priority that need to be addressed is the post-2015 development agenda and the reform of the United Nations Security Council.
“These are two issues that India must continue to champion and play a key role in bringing together developing countries to advance the changes and recommendations that are necessary to confront the changing conditions of the new world that we live in today,” said President Ramotar.
As it relates to the United Nations Security Council, President Ramotar reminded that the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) continues to advocate for its reform, taking into consideration the need for adequate representation of small states in a new and expanded Security Council.
“Guyana will continue to collaborate with India towards the reform of this body,” said President Ramotar, who also used the opportunity to reiterate to Prime Minister Modi, the support of the Guyana Government for India’s candidature for a permanent seat on an expanded Security Council.
Speaking to the global challenge of Climate Change, President Ramotar said too that India today must play an important role in confronting phenomenon, “a cause my Government continues to champion in the international arena.”
The Guyanese Head of State is among 15 Non Resident Indians (NRI) selected from around the world to be honoured at this year’s Pravasi Bharatiya Divas Centenary Celebrations and was bestowed with the Pravasi Bharatiya Samman award.
Other awardees include Mala Mehta from Australia; Kamaljeet Bakshi from New Zealand; Nandini Tandon from US; Ashraf Palarakunnummal from UAE; Essop Esoop Goolam from South Africa; Bharatkumar Jayantilal Shah from UAE; Rajmal M. Parakh from Oman; Justice Doraikannu Karunakaran from Seychelles; Sanjaya Rajaram from Mexico; Lord Raj Loomba from Britain; Mahendra Nanji Mehta from Uganda and Kamlesh Lulla from the US and Nathu Ram Puri.

(By Gary Eleazar)