THE Government of India will soon be offering 19 scholarships to the men and women serving in the Guyana Defence Force (GDF), according to the country’s High Commissioner to Guyana, Dr. K.J Srinivasa. The Indian envoy, in a recent interview with the Guyana Chronicle, said that this will be the first time that Guyana, and possibly the entire Caribbean Region, will have access to such scholarships. “We want to share our expertise in various aspects with the Guyanese defence forces,” Dr. Srinivasa said. He explained that of the 19 slots, 10 will go towards training army officers, while five will cater for the Air Corps and the remaining four will be for members of the Coast Guard. The scholarships will be for the year 2021 to 2022, and is being offered under the Government of India’s Technical and Economic Cooperation (ITEC) Programme in Defence. “We are going to fund it completely; we are going to give them the air tickets, we are going to take care of the tuition fee, we are going train them in India; we are going to take care of all their living expenses and everything,” Dr. Srinivasa posited.
He added, “It’s not one set of courses which will start today and finish off together; these are various courses spread over multiple months; one will be a three months’ course; one will be a six months course; it will start at various time periods.”

Since taking office in August 2020, the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces President Dr. Irfaan Ali has publicly committed to strengthen institutions across Guyana, especially in relation to security. The need for strengthened security systems have become even more important, as Guyana continues to face threats of territorial incursion.
Only recently, Guyana was the host nation for the 36th iteration of Tradewinds, a 13-country, three-week tactical training which saw the participation of 350 ranks from the Guyana Police Force (GPF) and GDF who benefited from training in various military skills, including close-quarters combat.
Local ranks were also trained in marksmanship; emergency medical evacuation; search-and-rescue and recovery responses and mechanical and engineering repairs for both air and water transportation, among other areas. Guyana was initially scheduled to host Tradewinds in 2020; however, the exercise was cancelled because of COVID-19.
Additionally, Guyana has also moved to strengthen security of its water spaces, in light of recent incursions. During a recent sitting of the National Assembly, the Irfaan Ali government announced the purchase of a brand new, custom-made offshore patrol vessel for the Guyana Defence Force’s Coast Guard.

The US$11.5 million vessel is being constructed by a company named United States-based company called Metal Shark.
Minister of Parliamentary Affairs and Governance, Gail Teixeira, told the House earlier in the month that the new vessel, which is slated to arrive in 2022, will assist with patrolling and ensuring the security of Guyana’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) which continues to be threatened, mainly owing to Guyana’s territorial dispute with neighbouring Venezuela.
Teixeira was at the time defending her government’s move to withdraw GY$618 million from the contingency fund to make the initial payment to the ship’s manufacturer.
Aside from persons travelling to India for training, the Indian government will also be sending to Guyana, a fisheries expert, who will be responsible for training fisherfolk and fishing agencies located not only in Guyana, but across all 15 Caribbean Community (CARICOM) member states.
Added to that, India is also funding a number of massive infrastructural projects being undertaken in Guyana. The country also continues to offer a number of academic scholarships, which could possibly increase in the coming years.