Prime Minister Narendra Modi will gift 200 cows in a symbolic gesture to a village in Rwanda, his first stop in a five-day, three-nation tour of Africa which begins Monday.
The locally sourced cows will be a contribution to Rwandan President Paul Kagame’s flagship programme Girinka in which the poorest get cows from the government and gift the first female calf to a neighbour to promote brotherhood. The exercise also enables the poorest in Rwanda to have a livelihood. The national social protection scheme was personally initiated by the Rwandan President.
This is the first time an Indian Prime Minister is visiting Rwanda.
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“The visit to Rwanda, Uganda and South Africa will further strengthen our relations with the African continent,” the External Affairs Ministry said in statement. “Africa has been the top priority of India’s foreign policy,” it said.
Cooperation in defence and agriculture will be Modi’s priorities during his bilateral visits to Rwanda and Uganda before he goes to South Africa for the annual Brazil, Russia, India China, South Africa (BRICS) Summit.
Ahead of Modi’s departure, TS Tirumurti, Secretary (Economic Relations) in the External Affairs Ministry, said India will open its first mission in Rwanda very soon. India’s current High Commissioner to Rwanda has residence in Kampala, Uganda.
The two countries will sign two lines of credit – one of $100 million for industrial parks and a similar amount for agriculture and irrigation. Rwanda is already a recipient of Indian lines of credit of nearly $400 million and of Indian training and scholarship programmes.
“We expect agreements to be concluded in the areas of defence, dairy cooperation, leather, agriculture and culture,” Tirumurti said.
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