By Staff Editor
(Trinidad Guardian) Trinidad and Tobago and India have formalised 15 new agreements spanning health, education, agriculture, digital services, trade, and culture.
One of the standout agreements is the Memorandum of Understanding on Quick Impact Projects (QIPs). 鈥淭hrough this MOU, the government of India will provide grant funding for the implementation of short gestation QIPs which will not exceed US$50,000 for each project. A maximum of five projects will be offered in each financial year,鈥 a joint statement confirmed yesterday.
India Prime Minister Narendra Modi also announced a donation of 2,000 laptops to support the Government鈥檚 digital education initiative, describing it as a response to Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar鈥檚 鈥渁mbitious vision of digitising education.鈥
Healthcare support includes 20 dialysis units, two sea ambulances, and a prosthetic limb fitment camp for 800 individuals.
Persad-Bissessar welcomed the contribution, saying it would 鈥渢ake healthcare cooperation beyond medicines and equipment.鈥
In agriculture, Modi handed over the first batch of US$1 million in agro-machinery to NAMDEVCO and pledged support in millet cultivation, seaweed fertiliser and natural farming.
India also committed to training public officials, forensic experts, and justice sector personnel, with T&T requesting help to establish a regional forensic science facility.
India will also support digitising the state land registration system.
T&T will become the first Caribbean nation to adopt India鈥檚 Unified Payments Interface (UPI), with further collaboration planned on India Stack tools like DigiLocker and e-Sign.
The visit by Modi also brought a boost to cultural exchange.
On cultural cooperation, the governments renewed their Programme of Cultural Exchanges for 2025鈥2028, through which steelpan artistes will travel to India. Prime Minister Modi also announced training opportunities for Trinidadian pundits, who will participate in India鈥檚 Geeta Mahotsav.
Modi also thanked the T&T Government for promoting Yoga and Hindi in schools and offered to send Yoga instructors to support its inclusion in the national curriculum.
Key takeaways
from Modi鈥檚 visit:
鈥 15 bilateral agreements signed across health, education, trade, ICT, culture, and justice
鈥 2,000 laptops donated to support Form One students
鈥 20 dialysis machines, 2 sea ambulances, and prosthetic limb camp for 800 people
鈥 US$1 million in agro-machinery handed over to NAMDEVCO
鈥 QIP agreement: up to five projects annually at US$50,000 each
鈥 T&T to adopt India鈥檚 UPI, explore DigiLocker, e-Sign, GeM
鈥 Indian support pledged for forensic science centre and legal training
鈥 Young women cricketers and pundits to train in India
鈥 Steelpan artistes to tour India under new cultural exchange programme
鈥 UWI to host revived academic chairs in Hindi, Indian Studies and Ayurveda
鈥 T&T joins Global Biofuel Alliance and Disaster Resilient Infrastructure Coalition
鈥 India to provide solar PV system for Ministry of Foreign and Caricom Affairs
鈥 OCI cards extended to sixth-generation T&T citizens of Indian descent
鈥 Mutual support for UN Security Council candidacies