Staff Reporter
Wellington, January 31, 2020
The Indian government has provided US$ 250,000 (about NZ$ 375,000) to the Samoan government towards relief and rehabilitation of victims and families who were affected by the measles epidemic in recent months.
India’s High Commissioner to New Zealand Muktesh Pardeshi, who is also the accredited Non-Resident High Commissioner to the Independent State of Samoa handed over a Certificate of Bank Transfer to the High Commissioner of Samoa to New Zealand Leasi Papali’I Tommy Scanlan in Wellington on Tuesday, February 28, 2020.
Mr Pardeshi said that India and Samoa enjoy friendly and cordial relations.
Aid for Knowledge Society
“In recent months, India granted US $ 1 million for launch of Samoa Knowledge Society Initiative under the aegis of India-UN Development Partnership Fund.
“Designed as a South-South Cooperation Initiative, it aims to draw on relevant experience of India while sharing solutions with all the Pacific Island Countries and is aimed to promote knowledge-based sustainable development in Samoa. India has also set up a Centre of Excellence in Information Technology in Apia and has deputed two personnel from Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (CDAC) for providing training to Samoan nationals in Information Technology,” he said.
Credit Finance to PI countries
Last year, India announced grants and credit financing valued at US$ 162 million to 12 Pacific Island countries including Samoa.
A report appearing in Samoan Observer recently said that India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi made the announcement on the sidelines of the meetings of the UN General Assembly in New York in September 2029.
Mr Modi met his Samoan counterpart Tuilaepa Dr Sa’ilele Malielegaoi and other Heads of State and governments from Fiji, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Nauru, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu at the Third India-Pacific Islands Development States Leaders Meeting.
“The meeting discussed Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), cooperation in renewable energy, a newly launched Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure, capacity building and the implementation of India-UN Development Partnership Fund projects,” the Report said.
