ITEC Chronicle A quarterly newsletter from Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation Program April 2021, VOLUME: 03, ISSUE: 1
From The Secretary's Desk Dear Reader,
Namaste! As we embark on this New Year, we must pause and reflect on the year gone by. 2020 will always be remembered as a time when the world faced a global catastrophe. Now, as the pandemic continues to change its contours, the availability of vaccines has given us much hope for a safer tomorrow. However, the world as we once knew, seems to have changed forever. Perhaps the most important learning through these times has been the resilience and diligence of human efforts to overcome challenges and the adaptability of human beings. Our collective resolve to counter adversities has kept us going and shown what we can achieve together as a global community for the common good.
The year 2021 started on a promising note. Despite several setbacks, we at DPA were successful in continuing with our development cooperation engagement with our partner countries, reiterating our commitments to South-South cooperation. ITEC, instituted in 1964, continues to play a fundamental role in our capacity building partnerships. It emerged as a particularly useful modality to continue with people to people interaction, albeit in an online setting. e-ITEC programs skilfully navigated the pandemic times, reinforcing and reinvigorating our commitment and dedication towards sharing our knowledge and experience with our friends across the world. In the first quarter, we were able to conduct 55 e-ITEC programs. We are pleased to inform that all of these programs were resounding successes with participation from more than 65 countries. Programs on good governance, management and entrepreneurship, crime investigations, Covid management, leadership skills, start-ups, Buddhism, to name a few, were much in demand. Most of the programs were available to participants from all across the globe, in different time zones. In addition to this, special customized training programs were also conducted for some of our partner countries based on their specific need assessment. Another notable achievement was the commencement of the prestigious National Defence College course with participation of officer trainees from Friendly Foreign Countries in full strength. As getting a vaccine for COVID-19 was beginning to look like a reality, the world was looking up to India to take the lead in managing this crisis. India rose to the occasion and started supplying its ‘Made in India’ COVID vaccines to different nations in addition to running the world’s largest vaccination program on home turf. Reiterating our commitment to the ‘Neighbourhood First Policy’, Bhutan and Maldives became the first countries to receive the ‘Made in India’ COVID-19 vaccines, followed by Bangladesh, Nepal, Myanmar, Seychelles in the immediate neighbourhood. Thereafter, “Vaccine Maitri” was extended to friends in the extended neighbourhood and those afar, from the Pacific Island nations to the Caribbean region. India has delivered more than 64 million doses of vaccines to over 82 countries so far, in keeping with Prime Minister Modi’s commitment that India would deploy its vaccine manufacturing capacity for the good of all humankind. India, as the ‘Pharmacy to the World’, has rightly extended a helping hand in times of a global crisis and set an example of Global Solidarity through our age old ethos of ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam’. I would like to highlight the ongoing outreach and engagement through our ITEC programs. Overcoming all hurdles of the past year, we have managed to successfully take our capacity building programs to newer heights. Last but not the least, I would like to thank our gracious partner countries, enthusiastic participants and all our premier institutions without whose support and cooperation all of this would not have been possible. Wishing everyone a healthy, safe and prosperous year ahead!
ITEC 2021: New Beginnings, New Hopes
The year 2021 began with hope and perseverance for a better tomorrow. ITEC has successfully conducted 55 e-ITEC programs with 1820 participants from 69 countries. Distinct and unique programs like Virtual Training Course On Building Nursing Leadership For Achieving Universal Health Coverage And Sustainable Development Goals and Forensic And Technical Course On Narcotics And Psychotropic Substances, were conducted which proved to be immensely insightful and helpful for all participants. As we are embarking on this new journey full of challenges and endless possibilities, we must seize this moment and make the most of it. The success of ITEC and our e-ITEC programs is the testimony to the changing global village, more interconnected than ever and at the cusp of cutting-edge new paradigms and technologies.
Programs in Focus Keeping up with the times, the ITEC programs have been functioning in a fully digital mode since March, 2020. The first quarter of 2021 continued with renewed enthusiasm and vigour as a series of innovative programs were rolled out for the benefit of our partner countries on Good governance, Buddhism, Gender, Policing, etc. It can be seen that most of the e-ITEC programs are in alignment with the UN sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) – 2030.
Institute of the Quarter -
National Law University, Jodhpur
National Law University Jodhpur, in its two-decade long academic odyssey, has consistently and gainfully been a precursor in augmenting the ambit of academic delivery and research in the copious and multitudinous spheres of law. The University, ranked Fifth among Law schools in the MoE-NIRF ranking results of 2020, has been at the vanguard, vouching for the highest learning and research standards in the academic fraternity while firmly believing in the ideal of sound education being a stepping stone to the prolific act of nation-building. The University’s wholehearted endeavours have been primarily focused on- consistently driving academic innovation and transforming the sphere of education for a prismatic future consolidation of academic learning; inculcation of the highest ethical standards in our talented students and honouring the canonical legacy of legal systems while contributing proactively towards its timely metamorphosis.
NLUJ and ITEC have commenced an intellectual sojourn which is set to become avant-garde in the domain of continuous legal education and capacity building. The University’s teaching pedagogy focuses on skills and content updation and ensures that practitioners acquire essential skills of intellection, corroboration and extrapolation through cross over learning, argumentation and adaptiveness. NLUJ is proud to be associated with ITEC and has rolled out a customised Capsule Style Training program for Mid-Career Judicial officers of Nepal and has collaborated with the Bhutanese Supreme Court for the Bhutanese judges and judicial officers.
Smt. Poonam Pradhan Saxena Vice-Chancellor, NLUJ National Law University Jodhpur is honoured to be associated with the ITEC in the imperative domain of continuous legal education and capacity building for enabling inimitable and peerless justice delivery systems, locally and globally. The University’s commitment towards the grooming of knowledgeable, intelligent and humane legal fraternity is nonpareils. Multi-pronged pedagogical interventions and academic interactions are being undertaken under the aegis of the training modules to transform the legal arena through its practitioners. The University’s collaboration with ITEC is a peerless precedent of academia, judiciary and administration aligning gainfully for national and international amelioration.
ITEC Experience
Sabrina Olivera ITEC participant, Argentina “Hi, hello everyone, my name is Sabrina Olivera and during the year 2018 I got the scholarship from the Government of India under the ITEC program. In India, I completed the course called Credit for Poverty Reduction which was conducted by the National Institute of Rural Development in Hyderabad City, in the state of Telangana. The experience was unforgettable. First, due to the fact that I could do research for my thesis in international relations. Secondly, because I got the chance to share four weeks with other 19 colleagues from Asia, Africa and even Latin America. And thirdly, it was so enriching owing to the fact that I visited many marvellous places in India. As a consequence, I encourage all those who want to apply to this scholarship by the ITEC program and am thankful to the Government of India and of course to the Embassy of India in Argentina for all their support.”
Ven. Heng Piseth ITEC Participant, Cambodia "Greetings from Cambodia, my name is Heng Pisethi I am residing in Cambodia. I would like to talk about my views about vipassana meditation, the 5 day online training course on Buddha's Words And Teachings which was conducted from 15th to 19th February 2021. The vipassana meditation showed us the life story of Buddha and its universal teaching of love and compassion. It revealed his most precious gifts of Vipassana meditation to all human beings. The technique of Vipassana meditation involves particular ways of achieving real peace of mind and to lead a happy, healthy and productive life with harmony by purifying the mind, free of suffering. It eradicates craving, and other things that are responsible for our miseries. I have learnt a lot from this 5 day online training course taught by many experienced teachers, especially my practice of vipassana meditation gave me peace of mind. If we cannot go outside, we can go inside.
The step by step practice of vipassana meditation leads to the highest spiritual goal of liberation from all mental difficulties. Finally I would like to express my gratitude and profound thanks to the Indian Embassy in Cambodia, Vipassana Research Institute and ITEC, Ministry of External Affairs for giving me a chance to join the 5 day online training course and for organizing this incredible vipassana course during the pandemic of covid-19."
Defence Corner
Tough times no deterrence for Defence ITEC ! ITEC is proud to note that a few Defence training courses for the Friendly Foreign Countries commenced even during the Covid pandemic in July 2020 and thereafter there was no turning back! In the beginning of 2021, we are looking forward and planning for the ensuing Training Year 2021-22. During the first quarter of 2021, the coveted 47 week long course on “National Security and Strategic Studies” commenced in the prestigious National Defence College (NDC), with 34 foreign officer trainees on 1st February, 2021. The National Defence College which celebrated its Diamond Jubilee in April 2020, has steadfastly worked towards the development of strategic leadership, and its alumni include Head of State and Service Chiefs of armed forces of India and abroad. The genesis of NDC was to get strategic inputs for a wider vision of thoughts and expert knowledge to better understand the world and its future. In addition, some special tri-services courses are also being conducted; notably the Defence Services Staff College (DSSC), Higher Defence Management Course (HDMC) and the National Defence Academy (NDA) course, with participation of more than 68 foreign officer trainees. Our continuous efforts in enhancing the Defence ITEC program as well as enthusiasm shown by partner countries to avail the training courses even during the pandemic bear testimony to the professionalism and expertise of our defence institutes and our commitment to capacity building.
Inaugural/Valedictories
Shri Akhilesh Mishra
OSD, DPA, MEA
Addressed the gathering at the Valedictory ceremony of the e-ITEC program on "Buddha's Art of Living", conducted by Vipassana Research Organization.
Shri Ram Mohan Mishra
Secretary Ministry of Women and Child Development
Attended the Inaugural session of the 2-day e-ITEC program on Gender Inclusive Governance for Policymakers by Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration.
Ms. Vini Mahajan
Chief Secretary, Punjab
Addressed the gathering at the Valedictory ceremony of the e-ITEC International Public Health Management Development program conducted by Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education & Research. (PGIMER), Chandigarh.
Ms. Abhilasha Joshi
Joint Secretary, DPA II, MEA
Addressed the Inaugural session of e-ITEC International Training programs on Laboratory Quality Management Systems and Internal Audit by National Institute of Training for Standardization, Bureau of Indian Standards.
Shri Somnath Chatterjee
Director (DPA-II)
Addressed the Inaugural session on Day 1 of the e-ITEC program on "Big Data Analytics for Policy Planners" by the International Statistical Education Centre.
Shri Arindham Bhattacharya
Director (DPA-IV)
Attended the Valedictory ceremony of the e-ITEC programs on “Buddhist Culture Heritage Interpretations & Preservation” conducted by National Museum Institute of History of Art, Conservation & Museology (NMI).
अयं निजः परो वेति गणना लघुचेतसाम्।
उदारचरितानां तु वसुधैव कुटुम्बकम्॥
This is mine, that is his, say the small minded,
The wise believe that the entire world is a family. - Maha Upnishad
Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation Program Development Partnership Administration,
Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India