Ten (10) Guyanese were selected for the twenty-five (25) day long 66th Know India Programme organized by the Ministry of External Affairs of the Government of India.
Selected were: Pt. Ubraj Narine- Former Mayor of Georgetown from Region 4, Mr. Latchman Mootoosammi- a technical officer of GNBS from Cummings Lodge, Ms. Keshanie Ghansiam- of FasGrafix hailing from West Coast Demerara, Ms. Sophia Raghunandan- fisheries officer with Ministry of Agriculture from Essequibo Coast, Mr. Krishna Boodram- Banking Specialist from East Coast Demerara, Ms. Kimberley Pyneandy- medical specialist from Georgetown, Ms. Britney Bovell- an engineer with Ministry of Public Works from Georgetown, Mr. Rahul Singh- a teacher from Georgetown, Ms. Kameshwari Dhanrajh- a teacher from Bartica and Ms. Marisa Ramotar- a clerical assistant with GUYSUCO from West Bank Berbice.
The 66th Edition will be partnering with the tropical state of Kerala, famous for its scenic beauty, ecotourism initiatives, hill stations, backwaters, amazing beaches, and mouth-watering cuisine. The Know India Programme (KIP) is a flagship initiative that was created for diaspora engagement to familiarize the Indian origin Youth with their Indian Roots.
High Commissioner, Dr KJ Srinivasa met and interacted with the participants and briefed them on the programme while urging them to make full use of the initiative to connect to their roots in India, the land of their ancestors. The participants expressed their appreciation and gratitude to the Government of India for the opportunity they were granted. They also conveyed their enthusiasm to learn and explore and to experience first-hand about the fastest growing large economy in the world.
The Know India Programme (KIP) is fully funded by the Government of India. The participants will be visiting New Delhi for an orientation programme along with visits to places of national importance, interactions with various governmental institutions like InvestIndia, Niti Ayog, Parliament and Election Commission of India. They will also attend India’s 77th Independence Day celebrations at the Red Fort, visit Agra (world famous Taj Mahal), and a selected state, in this case Kerala to visit places of historical, economical, cultural, and religious significance. Participants will be spending over a week in Kerala to experience the local water metro, Kalaripayattu (martial arts form), Cochin shipyard & southern Naval Command Centre, Onam Celebrations, travel by house boats and visits to the Chinmaya Vishwa Vidyapeeth, Kottapuram Fort, Kumarakom bird sanctuary and the Nehru boat race event among other experiences. They will also meet and interact with influencers, leaders and various department officials to get an overview of Indian economy, society, ongoing growth and development initiatives, etc.
This programme is organized for Persons of Indian Origin/Indian Diaspora youth between the age group of 18-30 years, from Girmitiya countries (e.g. Mauritius, Fiji, Suriname, Guyana, Trinidad & Tobago, South Africa and Jamaica). The minimum qualification that is required for participating in KIP is graduation from a recognized university /institute or enrolled for graduation and ability to speak in English. The applicant should not have visited India through any previous programme of Government of India. Those who have not visited India before will be given preference. The High Commission of India urges eligible candidates to be on a look out for the next upcoming KIP, updates will be posted to the mission’s website at: https://www.hcigeorgetown.gov.in/ & Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/indiainguyana.