India to provide 100 scholarships for SAARC nations

Indian Premier Manmohan Singh has stated today that India shall increase the number of SAARC Silver Jubilee scholarships from 50 to 100, under which students from SAARC countries shall be given post-graduate education opportunities at the South Asian University.

Speaking at the SAARC Summit that began today at Addu City, Maldives, Singh said the South Asian University has been operated since last July, and that 75 scholarships out of the 100 would be for Master’s Degree and that the rest would be for doctoral studies.

Premier Singh also stated that India would be taking additional steps to help neighboring SAARC member states and to strengthen relations among the South Asian countries. As such, India shall cut down the number of tariff lines from 80 to 20 for SAARC countries, in order to enhance free trade among member states.

Singh also highlighted the importance of reducing the costs of telecommunication in the region, and proposed to establish a telecom facility shared by all the countries in the region, and announced India’s willingness to establish the infrastructure for such a facility.

Premier Singh said that owing to geographical factors and economic progress, India has a responsibility to play an active role in the development and security of the region.