By Manish Chand, IANS,
Addu Atoll (Maldives) : India Thursday committed itself to building capacities of SAARC nations by announcing a slew of measures in educational and cultural fields, apart from calling for greater linkages between the eight nations in the connectivity, communication and information sectors.
Among the measures announced by Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh while addressing the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) summit at this Maldivian city are an increase in the scholarships at the New Delhi-based South Asian University from 50 to 100, of which 75 would be for masters and 25 for doctoral research, apart from 10 scholarships for post-graduate and doctoral studies at the Dehradun-based Forest Research Institute.
“Post-graduate courses in the South Asian University have started in July 2010. India will increase the number of SAARC Silver Jubilee Scholarships for the South Asian University from 50 to 100. Seventy-five of these will be at the masters level and 25 at the doctoral level,” he said.
“We will provide a total of 10 scholarships per year to SAARC member states for post-graduate and doctoral studies in forestry courses at the Forest Research Institute, Dehradun,” he added.
Manmohan Singh also said India will host a conclave of a top dozen tour operators of South Asia in New Delhi to boost tourism exchanges in the region, apart from initiatives to establish a travelling exhibition of 100 archeologically-significant pieces that could be hosted by member-nations in their museums in turn for three months each.
“We will host a conclave of the top dozen tour operators from the SAARC region to boost tourism exchanges,” he said.
“We will take the initiative to establish a travelling exhibition on the ancient history of South Asia. This could comprise a hundred archeologically-significant pieces per country to be selected by member states. The exhibition can be hosted in each of our national museums in turn for three months,” the prime minister added.
Manmohan Singh said protecting the environment even as the region pursues rapid growth is essential and added that the India Endowment for Climate Change, which he had announced last year, had been established.
“We look forward to receiving project proposals from our SAARC partners,” he added.
Manmohan Singh said the SAARC summit’s theme ‘Building Bridges’ eloquently summarised the imperative of greater regional integration and that India is fully committed to this objective.
He said one such initiative taken last year was the launch of the South Asia Forum that brought eminent South Asians from different walks of life together.
He said the reciprocal initiative to provide unrestricted access to airlines from SAARC states to four metropolitan cities and 18 other destinations in India he had suggested in the Dhaka Summit in 2005 had resulted in partial improvement in connectivity and that this initiative must be taken forward.
“We should aim to conclude a regional Air Services Agreement, for which India would be happy to host a meeting of officials next year,” he said.
Noting that there has been talk of a Regional Railway Agreement and a Motor Vehicle Agreement for long, Singh asked the SAARC leaders to agree to conclude them as a matter of priority.
He pointed out that India, Maldives and Sri Lanka are in the process of developing regional ferry services. “We should replicate many more such connectivity arrangements in other parts of our sub-continent,” he said.
Manmohan Singh said SAARC should follow up on the latest South Asian Postal Union agreement by improving telecommunication linkages to reduce call rates and telecommunication tariffs and interconnection termination charges.
“India will be ready to facilitate the development of a regional telecommunications infrastructure to improve the quality of connectivity,” he said.
Calling for encouragement to greater broadcasting, television and film exchanges among the member-countries, the prime minister said it is time that South Asian nations “overcome” the information deficit among them.
“We should encourage our people to know more about each other,” he added.
(Manish Chand can be contacted at [email protected])