A reception was hosted by the High Commissioner of India, Mr. Ashok K. Kantha, at Hotel Taj Samudra on 2 February, 2011 to celebrate the Indian Technical and Economic (ITEC) Day in Colombo. Every year, “ITEC Day” is celebrated to bring together the alumni of ITEC programme. Hon. Prof. G. L. Peiris, Minister of External Affairs, Government of Sri Lanka, was the Chief Guest. The reception was attended by over 200 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. The function was also attended by officials from various government departments, chambers of commerce and media.

In his remarks, High Commissioner said that bilateral cooperation between India and Sri Lanka was wide–ranging and growing strongly and that education was a key dimension of the partnership. He also referred to the Knowledge Initiative launched during the visit of H.E. the President of Sri Lanka last year to India and noted that ITEC is an important component of this partnership. Speaking on the occasion, Hon. Prof. G. L. Peiris said that the ITEC programme is a very useful initiative of the Government of India and an effective instrument of South-South cooperation. He added that the wide range of ITEC training programmes has been developed with creativity and imagination to fulfill the needs of the developing countries and to help develop human potential thorough structured training.

The Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation (ITEC) programme was launched on 15th September, 1964 as a bilateral programme of assistance of the Government of India. Being essentially bilateral in nature, ITEC is about cooperation and partnership for mutual benefit. Over the years, it has established itself as a widely-appreciated flagship programme of the Government of India which is demand-driven and response oriented. It is focused on addressing the needs of developing countries and has a wide geographical coverage. The programme has five components: (i) Training ( civilian and defence) in India of nominees of ITEC partner countries; (2) Projects and project-related activities such as feasibility studies and consultancy services; (iii) Deputation of Indian experts to partner countries for training and advice; (iv) Study tours; and (v) Aid for Disaster Relief.

Under ITEC and its corollary SCAAP (Special Commonwealth Assistance for Africa Programme), 159 countries in Asia & the Pacific, Africa, Latin America & the Caribbean and East & Central Europe are invited to share in the Indian development experience. The ITEC & SCAAP programme of cooperation attracts more than 5000 participants every year from 159 ITEC/SCAAP partner countries to attend vocational training courses which cover a wide and diverse range of subjects. The programme covers diverse areas, including IT, diplomacy, management, mass communication, finance, rural development, railways, remote sensing, parliamentary studies, public administration and management, banking, rural development etc. 46 institutes in both public and private sectors, which are leading centers of learning in their fields of specialization, offer more than 230 courses, both short term and long term, in the area of relevance and interest to developing countries.

The entire cost for training under the ITEC programme including the return international airfare, tuition fees, accommodation, emergency medical treatment, stipend, book allowances and study tour are met by the Ministry of External Affairs. Further information about this programme is available at http://itec.mea.gov.in/

Sri Lanka is one of the largest beneficiaries of the training training programme under ITEC and has been allocated 145 seats for 2010-2011, up from 80 slots in 2007-2008 to 145 in 2010-2011.