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India-PH technical cooperation trains over 1K Filipinos

By Joyce Ann L. Rocamora

March 22, 2023, 9:59 pm

MANILA – India is set to train more Filipinos as its continuing training program for the Philippines reach more than 1,000 beneficiaries.

India Ambassador to the Philippines Shambhu Kumaran on Wednesday said New Delhi would be allocating 65 slots for Filipinos under the Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation (ITEC) initiative annually.

“[W]e are perhaps entering the best and certainly the most substantive phase of India-Philippines relations. From economic and trade ties, to close political dialogue, to our growing defense and security partnership, as well as our culture, education and people-to-people interactions, we are witnessing more and varied, as well as deeper and meaningful engagement between our countries,” he said during the ITEC Day reception in Makati.

“Our ITEC and training engagement is a powerful strand in this wide-ranging and mutually beneficial people centric partnership,” he added.

ITEC courses are currently offered in three categories—the virtual eITEC, ITEC Defense and the ITEC Regular, which covers short or long term training in India.

Under this, over 1,000 Filipino nationals have so far been trained in a range of disciplines such as artificial intelligence, cyber technologies, engineering and technology, agriculture, entrepreneurship, trade, election and pharmaceuticals, among others.

Defense training, meanwhile, covered specialized fields like maritime law, diving and aerospace safety to name a few.

For defense, a total of 56 slots to train in India were offered to the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the Philippine Coast Guard, 22 of which have been filled as of posting.

The Indian Embassy in Manila said government agencies and other public institutions are free to nominate their personnel for ITEC courses relevant to their development needs.

For Filipino participants, the program is fully funded by the Indian government, including their round-trip tickets, accommodation and study tours.

Details on the ITEC training courses and upcoming courses may be accessed at https://itecgoi.in/index (PNA)

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