Monday 23 / December / 2024
Muscat: Indian Technical & Economic Cooperation Programme (ITEC) Day 2016 was celebrated by the Indian Embassy in Muscat yesterday in the presence of more than 150 ITEC alumni from Oman and eminent guests, including Hafiz bin Salem Ba Omar, chief of the Arab Cooperation Department, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and Mohsin bin Khamis Al Balushi, advisor, Ministry of Commerce and Industry.
The Ambassador of India to Oman, Indra Mani Pandey, in his welcome speech, thanked the International Cooperation Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Oman for its cooperation in implementation of the ITEC Programme in Oman.
He referred to the historical ties between India and Oman, being the maritime neighbours, stressing that India’s relationship with Oman is based on mutual understanding and respect for each other’s interests, priorities, sensitivities and concerns.
He noted that the four key pillars of the India-Oman strategic partnership are security, defence, trade and investment and the Indian community.
He also underlined the priority accorded by the Embassy to enhancing bilateral trade and investment relations and outlined the mutual benefits of boosting trade and investment.
Referring to the priorities of Oman, including the diversification of the economy, development of non-oil sectors, development of SMEs, skill development and Omanisation, the ambassador noted that the development of human resources and skill development are the key to achieving these goals.
He also underlined that the ITEC Programme of India provides a perfect opportunity to Oman for the development of its human resources and skills.
The ITEC Programme, the Government of India’s flagship programme for sharing its development experience and offering its expertise to developing countries for their capacity building, is offered to 161 countries.
A wide variety of training courses are offered under the ITEC Programme, which is open to both government officials and non-government nominees, chosen by the Government of Oman.
Given the importance that India attaches to its relationship with Oman, the number of ITEC slots for Oman has been increasing year-after-year and reached 150 slots during the April 2014 to March 2015 period.
India has again offered 150 slots during April 2015 to March 2016 period. The ambassador underlined the need for full utilisation of the slots offered to Oman.
He also stressed the need to nominate candidates who are qualified, who are likely to contribute in the future and who come from priority fields for human resource and skill development identified by the Government of Oman.
ITEC Alumni were invited to speak and share their experience of training under the ITEC Programme in India.
They spoke about the benefits of ITEC courses not only in providing knowledge and expertise but in giving an opportunity to interact with trainees from other countries and learn more about India and its culture and traditions. The idea to create a regular platform for interaction among the ITEC Alumni—a WhatsApp or Facebook group—was also presented.
Over sumptuous Indian dinner, ITEC Alumni and other distinguished guests interacted and shared their impressions of India.
