St. Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG) and India have entered into another formal agreement on cooperation, with the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MOU), on Wednesday, at Cabinet Room.
Prime Minister of SVG Ralph Gonsalves signed on behalf of Kingstown, while India High Commissioner to Suriname, Mahender Singh Kanyal, signed on behalf of New Delhi.
The MOU concerns the implementation of Quick Impact Projects (QIP), which deals with small projects not exceeding EC$50,000, intended to have short gestation periods, and expected to improve the lives of Vincentian residents in local communities.
Kanyal described SVG-India ties as “warm and building”, adding that both countries share common values, including respect for human rights, representative democracy, the English language, cricket and a shared history.
The envoy mentioned a number of areas of cooperation between India and SVG, including health and medicine, culture, information communication technology and SVG’s recent membership of the International Solar Alliance (ISA).
He thanked Gonsalves for his leadership in promoting regional integration as well as the leadership provided internationally by SVG, noting the country’s revitalisation of the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) while serving as president.
Meanwhile, Gonsalves thanked India for it support of SVG, not just with the Quick Impact Projects, but also throughout the years of diplomatic relations between both countries.
The prime minister emphasised the very close working relationship between both countries at the United Nations, adding that India was one of SVG’s biggest supporters in its successful bid for a non-permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council.
The prime minister said there are other major areas of cooperation and funding offered by the Indian government.
Gonsalves mentioned projects such as the US$1 million revitalisation project for the arrowroot industry, SVG’s involvement in the ISA and cooperation in the field of traditional medicine.
He also mentioned the US$14 million line of credit India has offered to CARICOM to be used for renewable energy, infrastructural and other projects that align with governments’ priorities.
The prime minister reiterated his gratitude on behalf of the people of SVG for the support from the Indi-an government and especially for the collaborative work done with the local community of Vincentians of Indian descent that has allowed for significant growth in the relationship with that group.
The high commissioner, who is accompanied by his wife, is expected to leave SVG on Friday.
EU votes for sale
We are told this that the Indian “envoy mentioned a number of areas of cooperation between India and SVG, including health and medicine, culture, information communication technology and SVG’s recent membership of the International Solar Alliance (ISA)”. But what do we in SVG brings to the table?
We could provide India with a good market for its manufacturers of Solar panels but with our high level of taxation who here would be able to afford them. Unless the Solar equipment is sent here free, SVG would not be much of a market.
And herein lies our problem. We have lots of sunshine but high taxes that impedes our development in a Solar product development market. We as a country rely on Foreign Aid from all over the world rather than industrial and market development, why, because of the incompetence of our government. But we continue forever relying on foreign Aid? Here is a thing about this Aid business as told by one Abhi;
“A dutch NGO decided to give some Indian villages cows to help them. A year later, they came back to find that the villagers had taken their girl children out of school to look after the cows. With the best of intentions, the NGO had deprived a generation of girls of an education. Exploring shocking cases of waste and poor planning, Abhi shows how foreign aid is counter productive because we are wired to only care about services we pay for”. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H-Q3zWv0Evw
Himarchal Pradesh is an area in India that twenty years ago was most underdeveloped but today,
Global Investors Meet in Dharamshala. The aim was to attract investment in the agri-business, food processing, manufacturing and pharmaceuticals, tourism, hospitality and civil aviation, hydro and renewable energy and other sectors. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EPdHhdxGrZk
The British are beginning to question their Government’s Aid budget and its purpose. “British government gives China £49.3million in foreign aid despite them having a space programme… and even Beijing can’t understand why.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-6555861/British-government-gifts-China-49-3million-foreign-aid.html
What will we as a nation do when the Aid cheque stop coming?
Even Indian Pharmaceuticals cannot be trusted. A huge amount of worthless medicines are produced in India that contain nothing but worthless ingredients, even anti-biotics with no anti-biotics. The Indians medicines cannot be trusted they kill more than they cure. An industry based on fraud and deception.
https://www.statnews.com/2019/07/22/indian-pharmaceutical-industry-drug-quality-charges/
India is in conflict with the US sanctions on Venezuela and Iran, and has launched hostilities against Pakistan and Kashmir. They have been sanctioned by the UN and need allies in the UN to try and counter the US and UN. That is the sole reason they are befriending SVG they have bought a franchise on the use of our UN vote and also want to use our influence in the upcoming security council seat that SVG will occupy.
Sooner or later SVG will itself become sanctioned by the US, but firstly lets hope it will be the Gonsalves that are sanctioned before our State.