India offers more than 80 scholarships to small island states

India made an offer in Mexico Friday to give more than 80 scholarships, starting early next year, to member countries of the Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS).

Speaking at the UN Climate Change conference, COP16, in Cancun, Indian Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh said New Dehli will offer a minimum of two scholarships are to each of the states that make up the 43-member the grouping, which includes some Caribbean states. 

"It’s a purely demand-driven programme with the scholarships ranging between six months to two years and within areas relating to climate change, adaptation, coastal zone management, renewable energy and agriculture,” Ramesh told the conference.

“This has been one of the most successful programmes of the Government of India. Many people of Africa, Latin America and other parts of the world are using this programme”. He said the initiative will be launched by April next year.

Ramesh said that India’s greatest contribution in the long run will be to help create the institutional capacity in the AOSIS Group. 

He said he has met separately with the Pacific Island States and made an offer of setting up an e-network to connect all the island states for telemedicine and tele-education.

“We are preparing a feasibility study and this will then be presented to the governments of the 11 Pacific States,” he said.

Dr Roodal Moonilal is leading the Trinidad and Tobago delegation to the Cancun conference.