India signs pacts with Rakhine State for capacity building, economic development

Yangon [ Myanmar], Sept 12 (ANI): Indian Embassy on Wednesday signed two agreements with Myanmar's Rakhine State Government to facilitate capacity building and economic development in the province. The pacts will help promote agricultural mechanisation and support computer literacy among the youth of Rakhine State to prepare them for employment opportunities in the software sector.
The agreements were signed between U Kyaw Lwin, Minister for Agriculture,Livestock, Forestry and Minerals, Dr. Chan Thar, Minister for Department of Social Affairs (both from Rakhine State Government) on behalf of their respective ministries and Vikram Misri, Ambassador of India to Myanmar on behalf of the Embassy of India, Yangon, in the presence of Chief Minister of Rakhine State, U Nyi Pu. Cabinet Ministers from Rakhine State Government, Principal and Teachers from Sittwe Computer University, Peasant Union members and prominant civil society members from Rakhine State were also present on the occasion.
As per the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Forestry and Minerals of Rakhine, India will supply 15 tractors and 15 crawler harvesters to the State Government, to meet a key need expressed by the Peasants Union in the State. Under the MoU with Department of Social Affairs of the Rakhine State Government, the Indian Embassy will provide 40 computers and their associated peripherals to the Sittwe Computer University.
"The Government of India is committed to a strong development assistance partnership with the Government of the Republic of the Union of Myanmar. Recognizing the special challenges and needs of Rakhine State, where equitable development of all sections of the State's inhabitants is key to building social harmony, peace and prosperity, India and Myanmar have separately entered into an agreement on the Rakhine State Development Programme, under which India is providing US$ 25 million in grant assistance over a period of five years. This assistance is dedicated to projects in Rakhine State, the first of which is a pilot project to build 250 prefabricated houses in Northern Rakhine for displaced members of the Rakhine Buddhist, Hindu and Muslim communities," the Indian Embassy in Myanmar said in a statement.
The two countries are cooperating closely to develop more projects that can be executed under the aegis of Rakhine State Development Programme, it added. (ANI)