High Commission of India

Colombo

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Press Release

 

Celebration of the ‘Indian Technical & Economic Cooperation Day and the ‘International Students’ Day – 28th March 2017, Colombo

 

High Commission of India, Colombo organized joint celebration of ITEC Day and International Students’ Day on 28 March 2017.  The ITEC alumni and Sri Lankan students who underwent training/studied in India under ITEC scheme and ICCR scholarship scheme of the Government of India gathered to celebrate Indian Technical & Economic Cooperation Day (ITEC Day) and the ‘International Students Day’ at Hotel Taj Samudra, Colombo.

Hon. Rishad Bathiudeen, Minister of Industry and Commerce, Government of Sri Lanka, graced the occasion as the Chief Guest. The High Commissioner of India to Sri Lanka H.E. Mr. Taranjit Singh Sandhu was the Guest of Honor. Over 250 alumni of Indian educational and training institutions, from various parts of Sri Lanka, attended the function.

 

Speaking on the occasion, the Chief Guest, Hon. Rishad Bathiudeen lauded India´s valuable assistance for Sri Lankan nationals and acknowledged the contribution to Sri Lankan human resource development and skill development.  He noted that these have boosted cultural ties and have further strengthened people-to-people contact between the two countries. The Hon. Minister termed the cooperation as historic and conveyed his gratitude to the people of India in this regard. He further added that the friendly ties between Sri Lanka and India is also helping in achieving the developmental goals of the current Government.

In his address, High Commissioner Mr. Taranjit Singh Sandhu thanked the Hon’ble Minister for gracing the function as the Chief Guest. He appreciated the large turnout of participants who had come from all over Sri Lanka. He underlined skills are the real strength and Government of India is committed to strengthening the skillset in Sri Lanka. High Commissioner conveyed that Sri Lanka is one of the most important partner countries for the Scholarship Programme.  He added that the ITEC is a demand driven programme and the Government of India has increased ITEC slots from 225 to 370 in the year 2016-17. The High Commissioner added that the meritorious Sri Lankan students can now seek admission in Indian IITs from the current academic session (2017-18).IIT JEE(Advanced) for admission in IITs in India for various undergraduate programs in Engineering, Science and Pharmacy will be held in Colombo on May 21, 2017.  He also spoke about the opening up National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) in India for foreign students through which they can seek MBBS/BDS admission in Indian medical colleges from the academic year 2017-18.

 

Sri Lankan ITEC and student alumni shared their experiences of studying and participating in training programmes in prestigious institutions in India, recollecting their warm memories, appreciating their useful experience and sharing how their exposure has helped them in enhancing their capabilities and using the experience gained for providing better service in their country.

For more details on the scholarship programmes and other educational assistance, please visit the High Commission of India’s websitewww.hcicolombo.org and for more information on the ITEC please visitwww.itecgoi.in

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Colombo

March 29, 2017