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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