PR-29

A delegation of Indian agricultural experts comprising officials from the Indian Ministry of Agriculture, the Indian Council of Agricultural Research and various State Agricultural Universities visited Sri Lanka from 16-19 September 2009.  The visit took place in the context of India’s commitment towards reconstruction and development efforts, particularly the revival of agriculture, in Northern Sri Lanka.  

During the visit, the delegation met with officials of the Ministry of Agriculture Development and Agrarian Services, the Ministry of Nation Building and the Sri Lankan Council for Agricultural Research Policy.  The delegation also called on Hon. Basil Rajapaksa, Senior Presidential Advisor and Chairman of the Northern Reconstruction Task Force, as well as Hon. Hemakumara Nanayakkara, Minister of Agriculture (Non Cabinet).  The delegation also visited Vavuniya for discussions with provincial officials connected to agriculture and to assess other possibilities for cooperation and assistance. 

 The Indian experts and their Sri Lankan counterparts discussed and identified a number of possible areas for mutually beneficial cooperation.  In particular, specific issues concerning the restoration of livelihood and the requirements of the internally displaced persons in the context of their resettlement in places of their original habitation were discussed.  The possibilities of cooperation in the provision of seeds for the upcoming Maha and Yala seasons, supply of agricultural equipment, vocational training, sea-based livelihood activities, exchange of experts, restoration of agrarian service centres, revival of fruit orchards and plantations, etc., were discussed.  In addition, the prospects of cooperation over the longer term in human resources development and capacity building in the field of agriculture and fisheries were also discussed in detail.  

The Government of India will carefully and urgently consider the report of the delegation and propose areas for short, medium and long term cooperation to the Government of Sri Lanka in the field of agriculture revival in the North.  The overall objective of the cooperation remains the rehabilitation of the displaced people in Northern Sri Lanka and to enable them to resume a life of normalcy with food and livelihood security.

Colombo 

PR - 28

A reception hosted by High Commission of India was organized at Hotel Taj Samudra on September 15, 2009 to celebrate the Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation (ITEC) day in Colombo.  The reception was attended by ITEC alumni from various parts of Sri Lanka who have received training in India in a variety of fields over the last few years under this programme in India. Each year, India offers over 100 training slots to Sri Lanka which are utilized by government officials and executives working in private sectors. The most notable utilization of this programme over the last two years has been utilization of 40 training slots for training of English teachers in Sri Lanka as part of the Presidential Initiative “English as a Life Skill” in Sri Lanka.

ITEC is a Government of India funded programme that aims to share the Indian developmental experience acquired since independence with a large number of developing countries in Asia, East Europe, Central Asia, Africa and Latin America. The programme was started in 1964 and has completed 45 years of operation. It has five components, viz. (1) Training in India of nominees of ITEC partner countries; (2) Projects and project-related activities such as feasibility studies and consultancy services; (3) Deputation of Indian experts to partner countries for training and advice; (4) Study Tours; and (5) Aid for Disaster Relief (ADR). India spends about US$ 10 million annually on ITEC activities. Since 1964, India has provided over US $2 billion worth of technical assistance to developing countries, including to Sri Lanka and other neighbours of India.

Training courses are offered in top Indian institutions in a wide variety of fields, including IT and English, Advanced Computing, Public Administration and Management, Engineering, Agriculture, Banking, Enterprise Development, Space Sciences, Education, Power, Roads, Railways, Parliamentary Studies, and Rural Development. Information about these courses is available in detail at http://itec.nic.in/ . The entire cost of training under this scheme is borne by the Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India. 

Colombo 

PR 27

India-run field hospital provided medical assistance to over 50,000 IDPs Medical supplies worth SLR 125 million given to Sri Lanka since January 2009.

After six months of successful operation, providing medical assistance to over 50,000 Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs), the India-run field hospital in Manik Farm is returning to India. During the period, the hospital as part of its operation utilized medical supplies and drugs worth SLR 100 million. In addition, Government of India donated medicines and other medical supplies worth SLR 125 million to the Ministry of Health, Government of Sri Lanka. Appreciating India’s support, the Health Minister of Sri Lanka acknowledged that India’s response to the IDP situation was very timely and much needed medical assistance was provided in time of urgent need. 

To affirm its continued commitment towards the Government of Sri Lanka, India donated medicines and medical supplies worth SLR 25 million to Hon Mr. Nimal Sripala De Silva, Honorable Health Minister of Sri Lanka at a brief send off ceremony held at the capital today. “India is committed to supporting Sri Lanka in every way possible. We have worked very closely with the Ministry of Health and would like to place on record their wholesome cooperation without which this initiative of deploying a hospital would not have met with the measure of success that it did. India remains open to providing similar assistance in the future if required and is committed to providing continued assistance to the Government of Sri Lanka in all areas required for the speedy resettlement of the IDPs.” said H.E. Alok Prasad, High Commissioner of India to Sri Lanka. 

Recognizing the need for providing medical assistance to the IDPs, the Indian Medical team arrived in Colombo on 9 March 09 and set up a 50 bed field hospital in Pulmoddai, within 72 hrs of its arrival in Sri Lanka. The Indian Field Hospital was later upgraded to include 115 beds, housing state-of-the-art medical facilities, including an operation theatre, trauma centre, laboratory, blood bank, ultra sound and X ray machines. 

Apart from providing medical assistance to IDPs ferried by the ICRC, onboard the vessel MV Green Ocean, the Indian medical team also rendered medical assistance to hundreds of residents of Pulmoddai. Some of them were referral cases from the local hospital doctors. After the ICRC assisted ship evacuation stopped, the medical team shifted its focus to providing medical assistance to the IDPs housed in three camps at Pulmoddai.  Over the period, the team during its stay at Pulmoddai received a total of 21 ships and treated nearly 7,000 IDPs. The hospital continued operation for over two months at this location. 

In May 2009, the Hospital was moved to Manik Farm IDP Zone One in Cheddikulam to render much needed medical assistance to IDPs there. This was a larger hospital, which was designed to meet the needs of the much larger population residing in the IDP camps. A novel feature of the hospital were the  five air-conditioned containerized cabins for housing various hospital facilities such as an operation theatre, a laboratory, a Blood Bank, X-Ray machines and Ultrasound facilities. 

The response from the IDPs was overwhelming. The hospital treated not only patients from its own zone but from other zones as well.  The disease pattern included respiratory diseases, gastro intestinal disorders, skin infections, malnutrition, hepatitis, malaria and suspected enteric fever. Using an innovative approach, a full-fledged operation theater was set up in a 40 foot container which conducted about 500 major surgeries and over 3,500 minor surgeries. Besides this 4,500 patients were treated at the day care centre established at the hospital and over 500 patients admitted to the hospital. The laboratory was swamped with work and conducted over 22,000 investigations at the facility. More than 40,000 people, including women and children have been provided medical assistance by the Indian medical team during its operations at Manik Farm till 31 August 2009. 

Over time, this Indian hospital earned the reputation of being a very competent medical establishment, complete with all facilities and served as a single window to attend to most medical needs of the IDPs, including disbursing medicines prescribed by doctors.

Colombo 

A ceremony to hand over Scholarship Certificates to 40 Sri Lankan English language teachers will be held at the Indian Cultural Centre (ICC), No. 133, Bauddhaloka Mawatha, Colombo-04, at 1100 hrs on Monday, 7th September 2009.  The Scholarships have been awarded under the Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation (ITEC) Programme of the Government of India.

 The Certificates will be handed over by Hon. Susil Premajayantha, Minister of Education of Sri Lanka and H.E. Mr. Alok Prasad, High Commissioner of India.

 These 40 Teachers who have been selected from different parts of Sri Lanka will undergo training for a period of three months at the English and Foreign Languages University (EFLU), Hyderabad, India.  They will leave for India on 15th September 2009 and return on 9th December 2009.

 This is the second batch of Sri Lankan English language teachers undergoing training in India.  Earlier in 2008, scholarships had been awarded by Government of India to the first batch of 40 Sri Lankan teachers to study at EFLU, Hyderabad.  These Sri Lankan teachers have since returned to Sri Lanka and are serving as master teacher trainers.

 It may be recalled that Government of India and Government of Sri Lanka had signed an MOU to establish a Centre of English Language Training at Peradeniya, Sri Lanka on 3rd September 2009.

 These initiatives are contributions of Government of India to the Presidential Project to develop “English as a Life Skill” in Sri Lanka.

September 4, 2009
COLOMBO

PR 25

India and Sri Lanka today signed a Memorandum of Understanding to establish a India-Sri Lanka Centre of English Language Training (CELT) to be located at the National College of Education in Peradeniya, Sri Lanka. The MOU was signed by H.E. Mr. Alok Prasad, High Commissioner of India to Sri Lanka and Prof. Abhay Maurya, Vice Chancellor of the English and Foreign Language University (EFLU) on the Indian side. On the Sri Lankan side, the MOU was signed by Mr. ADS Premajayantha, Hon’ble Minister of Education, and Mr. Lalith Weeratunga, Secretary to the President. The project being developed with Indian assistance is part of the larger Sri Lankan Presidential Initiative to develop “English As a Life Skill” in Sri Lanka and is a significant milestone in the “Year of English and IT” being observed in Sri Lanka in 2009.

The CELT is aimed at establishing a permanent institution in Sri Lanka that will help in development of greater proficiency in English language among various sections of the Sri Lankan society, including civil servants, students and business community. It will conduct regular courses in English language with an emphasis on development of job-oriented communicative English language skills. It will also train English language teachers from schools, colleges, and universities in Sri Lanka to update them on recent trends in English language teaching. 

To implement this project, the Government of Sri Lanka has provided the necessary space for housing the Centre. It will also arrange for local faculty and staff for the Centre and incur the operational costs of running the Centre. 

On behalf of the Government of India, the English and Foreign Language University (EFLU), Hyderabad will serve as the Technical Consultant for the project. They will depute 2 experts for a period of 2 years for training selected teachers and master teacher trainers and also provide professional input and support to the Centre, including preparation of testing material for assessment of trainees and audio-visual lessons for English teaching. A digital language lab will also be set up at CELT with Government of India assistance. 

Earlier in 2008, as part of this project, the Government of India had awarded 40 scholarships for Sri Lankan English teachers to undergo training at EFLU. EFLU will conduct a similar course for another batch of 40 Sri Lankan English teachers beginning September 15, 2009.

Colombo