The Embassy of India in Kathmandu celebrated the 59th Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation (ITEC) Day, with approximately 300 attendees, including Members of Parliament, senior Government officials, ITEC alumni, and notable Nepalese alumni of Indian academic institutions. The ITEC program, initiated in 1964, leverages India’s extensive expertise in governance and development, providing short and long-term capacity-building programs in over 160 partner countries, including Nepal. Over 200,000 government officials, professionals, and industry representatives worldwide have benefited from ITEC.
Ambassador of India to Nepal, Naveen Srivastava, emphasized India’s commitment to partnership through principles like ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam’ and ‘Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas, Sabka Vishwas, and Sabka Prayas.’ He highlighted the growing India-Nepal capacity-building partnership and announced more tailored courses for administrators, railway officials, agriculturists, and parliamentary officials based on Nepal’s interests.
The celebration featured an Odissi dance performance by a troupe from India and insights from Shekhar Koirala, an alumnus of AIIMS, on enhancing India-Nepal cooperation in development and education. In 2023-24, 444 professionals from Nepal received training in various courses in India, with 30 engineers enrolled in a 2-year MTech course at IIT Roorkee. Additionally, 21 customized courses were conducted for various professionals, including doctors, government attorneys, and police personnel.
“Young think tanks/researchers from Nepal attended the Neighbourhood- First Fellowship Programme at St Stephen’s College, Delhi under ITEC. 21 customized courses (specially designed tailor-made courses) were organized for Doctors (50); Government Attorneys (30); Department of Money Laundering Investigation (DMLI) (25); members of the National Judicial Academy of Nepal (15), Nepal Police (180) and Armed Police Force (25) in 6 prominent institutes of India in 2023-2024,” the Embassy stated in the release.
Nepal has been an active partner in the ITEC initiative, with over 2,000 officials trained in the past 15 years. These programs not only support Nepal’s human resource development but also contribute to the region’s socio-economic growth.