Over 800 Egyptians benefitted from India's ITEC prog: envoy

Over 800 Egyptians have benefited from an assistance programme run by India in 280 disciplines across the country's prestigious institutes, India's envoy to Egypt has said.
Ambassador Sanjay Bhattacharyya said the Indian Technical & Economic Cooperation (ITEC) programme was instituted on September 15, 1964 to foster South-South cooperation and sharing of best practices.
He said in the last few years, over 800 Egyptians had visited India under these programmes to participate in various training programmes.
"We have 200 slots for Egyptian nationals from this year, increased from just 40 slots two years ago," Bhattacharyya said during the celebration of 53rd anniversary of ITEC.

Under the ITEC programme, 200 slots are made available every year for Egyptian nationals to undertake training in 52 Institutes of India offering courses in 280 disciplines, including in IT, Public Administration, audit, elections, entrepreneurship, rural development, parliamentary affairs, renewable energy, English language, banking, skill development and employment generation.
Special training in fields like security, defence, counter insurgency for defence personnel is offered by prestigious institutes in India like the National Defence College and Defence Service Staff College.

"Africa has been a special focus for us due to our historical and traditional links," the Ambassador said.
A Bollywood dance troupe from New Delhi performed at the event for the ITEC alumini to revive their memories of India.

ITEC Day serves as a platform to bring together Egyptian friends to rekindle their warm experiences in India and to further strengthen the bonds between the people and becomes a platform for the alumni to cherish the memories of their visit to India, Bhattacharyya said.
ITEC is a bilateral assistance programme run by India. It is a demand-driven, response-oriented programme that focuses on addressing the needs of developing countries through innovative technological cooperation between India and the partnering nation.