Indian delegation concludes Kabul visit, MoU in offing

Kabul, Feb 10 (UNI) A delegation from the Ministry of Rural Development has concluded its visit here as a step in operationalising a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for cooperation between India and Afghanistan.

The joint meeting identified priority areas in the field of rural development where Indian expertise could assist Afghanistan in developing its own rural development strategy.

The main areas of focus include micro-hydel and wind energy, water-harvesting, technical support for local water purification and water testing systems, technical support in the field of rural enterprise development including for rural women entrepreneurs, technical assistance for developing training course modules and training programmes for execution, management and maintenance of rural roads and exposure-cum-training visit to Panchayati Raj institutions in India in the area of local self-governance.

The visiting delegation also discussed the possibility of institutional linkages and the potential for signing an MoU and Work Plan between the National Institute of Rural Development, Hyderabad and the Afghan Institute of Rural Development, Kabul, incorporating areas of joint training programmes, seminars and conferences, research projects, ICT, as well as GIS and and remote sensing for rural development.

UNI