Georgetown, Nov 21
Leading the India-Caricom summit as the co-chair, Prime Minister Narendra Modi outlined a seven-pillar programme of action playing on the acronym C-A-R-I-C-O-M.
Having made progress in working towards the goals set at the first summit five years ago, he said the Seven Key Pillars packed into the group’s name could transfer resources and expertise from India to the Caribbean, he said on Wednesday as the group's leaders thanked India for its leadership of the Global South and its "selfless" assistance to them.
“C”, he said is for Capacity Building. He promised 1,000 information technology scholarships and proposed expanding the technology centre that India is setting up in Belize to accommodate all CARICOM members. He also suggested a forensic centre for the region and civil servants’ online training.
“A” is for Agriculture and Food Security. India has benefited from developing technology for agriculture and can help in this area, like deploying drones. Also, he said, it can propagate millets that can help with nutrition.
“R” is for Renewable Energy and Climate Change. He invited the CARICOM countries to join initiatives India has promoted, the International Solar Alliance, the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure, Mission Life for Sustainable Lifestyles, and the Global Biofuel Alliance.
“I” is for Innovation and Technology. India has revolutionised the way technology is used to serve the people and the economy through “Stack” which has created the needed infrastructure. The Universal Payment Interface has revolutionised digital payments and it could be adopted by CARICOM countries. There is also the eMarketplace that helps small and medium enterprises.
“C”, the other “C” is for Cricket and Culture. PM Modi said cricket can be a vehicle for women’s empowerment and India would give 11 scholarships to each of the CARICOM nations to coach women in cricket. He also proposed cultural exchanges and Festivals of India in the group’s countries. With the popularity of Bollywood, India can also organise film festivals.
“O” is for Ocean Economy and Maritime Security. India did not consider Caribbean countries as small island countries but as large ocean countries. This gives them great potential resources that India can help them develop. India can also help build connectivity for the region through cargo ships and ferries. Another area of cooperation is security where CARICOM nations have a blueprint for fighting piracy, drug trafficking and human smuggling.
“M” is for Medicines and Healthcare. India places a high priority on health in the CARICOM countries. India has developed affordable medicines and healthcare through its Janaushadi scheme. India can help develop similar centres in the CARICOM. Technology developed by India for health like telehealth programmes and machines used in cancer treatment are available. Adoption of the Indian Pharmacopeia by all the CARICOM countries could help make available less costly Indian medicines.