PR 12

To assist children of Persons of Indian Origin (PIOs) and Non-Resident Indians (NRIs) in pursuing Under Graduate courses in higher and technical fields in India, the Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs of the Government of India introduced a Scholarship Programme for Diaspora Children (SPDC) in 2006.  Under this Programme, 67 PIO/NRI students were granted scholarship during the academic year 2006-07 while 81 students were granted scholarship in the next academic year.  The Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs seeks application for the Scholarship Programme for the academic year 20010-11.  The highlights of the scholarship are as follows:

• 100 scholarships are being offered for Undergraduate courses in disciplines including Engineering/Architecture/Technology, Humanities/Liberal Arts, Commerce, Management – BBA/BBM, Journalism, Hotel Management, Agriculture/Animal Husbandry, Science, Law etc. 

• The Programme is open only to children of PIOs/NRIs from the specified 40 countries including Sri Lanka.  

• The last date for receipt of duly filled in prescribed application form by Educational Consultants India Limited (Ed.CIL) is 10th June,  2010.  

• Candidates would be selected on the basis of their performance in the qualifying examination (equivalent to plus 2 stage in India) which decides the eligibility to apply for the scholarship scheme. The candidates would also have to fulfill the entire criteria prescribed for the purpose.  

• The amount of scholarship admissible would be 75% of Institutional Economic Cost (IEC) or US$ 3,600 (US$ Three thousand six hundred), whichever is less.  IEC includes tuition fee, hostel fee and other institutional charges. 

 For further information, please visit Ed.CIL websites www.edcil.co.in; and www.educationindia4u.nic.in 

Colombo 

 

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PR 11

For the forthcoming Mahasivarathri festival at the Thiruketheeswaram temple, Mannar on 12-13 March 2010, Indian artistes- 'Ponisai Thevaramani' Smt. Vijalaxmi Raja Ram and 'Tamil Isaithendral' Smt. Meenakshi Srinivasan from Chennai will render devotional songs. The High Commission is actively supporting the cultural programme, which is expected to be attended by thousands of devotees. 

Further, India is committed to the restoration of the historic Thiruketheeswaram temple, Mannar, which is among the five Eeswaram temples in Sri Lanka. This decision was reiterated during the recent visit to Sri Lanka from 6 to 8 March 2010 of the Indian Foreign Secretary Mrs. Nirupama Rao. A team of experts from the Archeological Survey of India and trained sthapathis from College of Architecture, Mamallapuram, will be visiting Mannar soon to assist in the restoration efforts.

Last year, the Indian Cultural Centre had provided assistance for staging a Bharatanatyam Dance programme by Smt. Rama Vaidyanathan & troupe in Nallur, in the backdrop of the Nallur Kandaswamy festival in August 2009. The programme was a veritable musical treat for the people of Jaffna, and over 3000 people attended the programme. 

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PR 10

A Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) and the University of Colombo for the establishment of a Visiting Chair in Social Sciences at the University of Colombo was signed today at the University Senate Hall by the High Commissioner of India, Mr. Ashok K. Kantha and Prof. Kshanika Hirimburegama, Vice Chancellor of the University. Foreign Secretary, Mr. C. Romesh Jayasinghe, and senior academic staff of the University, including Deans of several faculties, were also present.

The MOU, which is valid for five years and renewable automatically thereafter, would put in place an institutional arrangement under which the University would host a Visiting Professor from India in Social Sciences for up to six months during each academic year.

The Visiting Professor would engage in teaching and research and help in mentoring junior staff and researchers, impart training on research methodology, deliver public lectures and perform other functions that are usually performed in an academic or research setting.  In addition, the Visiting Professor would also write a research paper or monograph, which would be published by the University.  The selection of the Visiting Professor would be made by ICCR and the University in joint consultation. 

In their remarks, the Vice Chancellor and her colleagues spoke of the excellent cooperation between India and Sri Lanka and acknowledged the support extended by India during the difficult period from which Sri Lanka had recently emerged and about how Sri Lanka could benefit from the scientific and technological advances made by India. The Vice Chancellor observed that the MOU would contribute to the exchange of expertise on a regular basis between the two countries. A suggestion was also made that a Visiting Chair could be set up on similar lines in the field of science and technology.

Thanking the Vice Chancellor for her kind remarks, the High Commissioner stated that while India and Sri Lanka were like sisters sharing an excellent relationship, this relationship was not a one-way street and he was sure that India could also count on Sri Lanka’s help whenever it was needed. He stated that the otherwise excellent relationship was however ‘software deficient’ in that there had been a lack of focus on regional studies and observed that more studies focusing on India and Sri Lanka were needed, particularly as such studies provided crucial inputs for policymaking. Reiterating his commitment to make education a core area of partnership between India and Sri Lanka, High Commissioner agreed with the Vice Chancellor that the MOU would enable the University to source academics on a long term basis from India but added that there was much that India could learn from Sri Lanka, particularly in primary and secondary education. He also added that the Visiting Chair should be regarded as a stepping stone for a larger project, namely the establishment of a much needed Centre for Contemporary Indian Studies at the University, the idea of which had already been mooted and had been very well received among various stakeholders. 

The social sciences are an area in which there is a need to work on themes and subjects of relevance to our countries and peoples on a priority basis. The academicians and social scientists who develop linkages and collaborate with their Indian counterparts constitute an invaluable asset for promoting ties of friendship and goodwill between the two countries.

The institution of the Visiting Chair would be a very important step in furthering ICCR’s larger mandate of fostering and strengthening educational and cultural relations and mutual understanding between India and Sri Lanka through exchange of scholars, intellectuals, academicians and artistes.

 

 

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PR 09

1. A Line of Credit Agreement for US$ 67.4 million was signed between Government of Sri Lanka and Export-Import Bank of India earlier today. The Agreement was signed by Dr. P.B. Jayasundera, Secretary, Ministry of Finance and Planning and Mr. Prabhakar Dalal, Executive Director, Export-Import Bank of India in the presence of H.E. Mr. Ashok K. Kantha, the High Commissioner of India in Colombo. The Line of Credit will fund the Second Phase of the Upgradation of Southern Railway Line from Colombo to Matara. The Government of India, through the Export-Import Bank of India, had earlier provided a Line of Credit of US $ 100 million under an Agreement signed in July 2008. The implementation of the First Phase of the Upgradation of the Southern Railway Line is currently ongoing.   
    
2. The upgradation project includes supply of materials for rail track rehabilitation from Colombo to Matara and execution of work for rail track rehabilitation from Kalutara to Matara which is being implemented by IRCON (I) Limited. In addition, the Line of Credit is also being used for supply of 20 sets of Diesel Multiple Units (DMUs), three units of locomotives, spare parts for the existing M8 class locomotives, supply of plant and machinery for maintenance of existing DMUs and construction of maintenance sheds at Aluthgama, Galle and Colombo by RITES India Limited.  
   
   
3. The Upgradation Project would allow the trains to travel on the Colombo Matara sector at speeds up to 100 kmph. It will increase the average operating speed from 40 kmph to 80 kmph allowing a passenger express train to cover the Colombo-Galle distance approximately within 2 hours. The supply of DMUs and locomotives would also increase the train capacity and the frequency of trains, alleviating the existing constraints in this regard on the Colombo-Matara sector.

Colombo

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PR 08

The Foreign Secretary of India, Smt. Nirupama Rao, paid an official visit to Sri Lanka from 6 – 8 March 2010.  On 7th March 2010, she called on His Excellency President Mahinda Rajapaksa, who also hosted a lunch in her honour. The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Sri Lanka, Hon. Rohitha Bogollagama, also received the Foreign Secretary. The Foreign Secretary also met other senior officials of the Government of Sri Lanka, including the Senior Advisor to the President Hon’ble Basil Rajapaksa, Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa, Secretary to the President Lalith Weeratunga, Foreign Secretary Romesh Jayasinghe, Treasury Secretary P.B. Jayasundera and Central Bank Governor Ajith Nivard Cabraal.  In addition, she also met representatives of leading political parties, including Tamil and Muslim parties.

During her meeting with the President of Sri Lanka, the Foreign Secretary congratulated the President on his electoral victory and underlined that the elimination of terrorism and holding of elections provided Sri Lanka with a historic opportunity to initiate a process of political reconciliation where all communities in Sri Lanka can live in peace and harmony. The President appreciated India’s substantial assistance for the rehabilitation and reconstruction of Northern and Eastern Sri Lanka and for the resettlement of Internally Displaced Persons. In particular, the extension of US$ 425 million as Lines of Credit for railway projects in Northern Sri Lanka was welcomed. The President mentioned that around 70,000 IDPs remained in the camps, many of their own volition. The Foreign Secretary welcomed the relaxation of movement restrictions on IDPs, but also expressed the hope that the resettlement process could be expedited, especially in Killinochchi and Mullaithivu, so that the IDPs could resume normal lives in their original places of habitation. She conveyed that India looked forward to opening a Consulate General in Jaffna. The Foreign Secretary noted that the October 2008 Joint Statement of Fishing Arrangements had led to a decrease in incidents of apprehension of Indian fishermen and reiterated the importance of strictly adhering to this understanding.  It was also agreed to convene a meeting of the Joint Working Group on Fishing to discuss issues related to fishermen on both sides.

During her discussions with the Sri Lankan Foreign Minister and other senior officials of the Foreign Office, The Foreign Minister thanked India for its generous assistance towards the ongoing rehabilitation, resettlement and reconstruction activities in northern Sri Lanka. The Foreign Secretary assured the Government of Sri Lanka of Government of India’s intention to continue supporting the task of development and reconstruction in northern and eastern Sri Lanka.  In this context, she announced India’s support for housing projects to be taken up in the Kilinochchi and Mullaitivu districts for the benefit of the IDPs. This will include setting up temporary shelters, repairing and rehabilitating damaged houses and building new houses.  Government of India has also sanctioned the supply of 55 buses to various educational, social and cultural organizations and locally elected bodies in northern, eastern and central Sri Lanka with a view to supporting the transportation sector and strengthening connectivity in these areas. Foreign Secretary also indicated that additional Lines of Credit are being considered for railways projects in Northern Sri Lanka.  The Foreign Minister also thanked India for its strong support to Sri Lanka during the latter’s chairmanship of SAARC. 

Cultural engagement and the preservation of shared heritage have always figured as a high priority in India-Sri Lanka relations.  In this context, Foreign Secretary Smt. Nirupama Rao announced that India had decided to participate fully in the setting up of the International Buddhist Museum in the Dalada Maligawa Complex. Work to set up the Indian gallery will be commenced soon under the direction of the National Museum of India.  Foreign Secretary also announced that India would assist the restoration of the famous Thiruketheshwaram Temple in Mannar. A team from the Archeological Survey of India and the College of Architecture in Mahaballipuram will visit Sri Lanka to take up this work. 

The India-Sri Lanka Foundation is a unique inter-governmental mechanism that has provided crucial support to and helped catalyze a number of initiatives taken by civil society in the area of art, culture, education, human resource development, training, etc. Foreign Secretary announced Government of India’s decision to enhance its contribution to the corpus of the Foundation by another India Rupees 15 million (approximately SLR 38 million) as a one-time grant. This announcement was warmly welcomed by her interlocutors. 

During her visit, Foreign Secretary also inaugurated the Sri Lanka-India Centre for English Language Training in Peradeniya, Kandy on 7th March. The Centre has been set up with the assistance of the Government of India in collaboration with the well-known English and Foreign Languages University, Hyderabad and is meant to support the Sri Lankan Presidential Initiative for English as a Life Skill. The Centre has a state-of-the-art digital language laboratory and has already trained over 4,000 teachers. In her remarks at the inauguration, Foreign Secretary expressed her happiness at participating in an initiative that was aimed at the empowerment of the ordinary people of Sri Lanka

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