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Message by Mr. Ashok Kumar, High Commissioner of India
on the Republic Day of India, 26 January 2011
India celebrates its 62nd Republic Day on 26th January, 2011. It was on
this day in 1950 that India became a Republic. It was on this day the people of
independent India gave unto themselves a new Constitution which guaranteed
universal suffrage and fundamental rights to all citizens. The Constitution of
India imbibes the spirit of the philosophy of India’s freedom movement. Mahatma
Gandhi, the Father of the Nation, led India’s freedom struggle on the basis of
principles of truth and non-violence. In fact, he started his struggle a century
back in Southern Africa. Mahatma Gandhi’s ideals of truth and non-violence
transcend the national boundaries of India and embrace the whole humanity and
acquire an added contemporary relevance as the world today is faced with
scourge of terrorism and violence.
Anniversaries provide an opportunity to look back and take a retrospective
review. During the last 61 years, the greatest achievement which India can be
proud of is consolidation of its democracy which has taken deep roots in its soil.
India today is the largest and the most vibrant democracy in the world. The
successive elections have shown the increasing maturity of the massive Indian
electorate. Almost all major religions of the world are represented in India, along
with numerous diversities of culture, language and regions. The democratic and
secular polity of India has addressed these complexities in a successful manner.
In the midst of diverse identities, there prevails an underlying common identity of
being Indian, based on the ethos of living together in harmony through
generations. It is highly creditable that India has been able to mould a multireligious,
multi-cultural and multi-lingual country of one billion people into a
vibrant functioning democracy.
India launched its economic reforms in 1991 which have stayed on track
despite frequent changes in the Government. There is a national consensus on
the economic reforms. As a result, India has now emerged as world’s fastest
growing free market democracy. India’s economy is the fourth largest in the world
in terms of purchasing power parity. It is a trillion dollar economy which has been
rock steady over the past decade, registering a high growth which rose to 9.3%
in 2007. Despite the global financial crisis, India’s economic growth averaged
more than 7% in 2009, and is estimated at more that 9% in 2010. With sound
fundamentals of its economy, over 300 million strong affluent middleclass, vibrant
democracy with a nationwide independent legal system, extensive use of English
language, India remains an attractive destination for foreign investment. India
also enjoys a distinct demographic advantage with 550 million young people
below the age of 25, when rest of the world is greying. India is projected to stay
the youngest with its working age population estimated to rise to 70% of the total
demographic by 2030 – the largest in the world.
Since our independence, Africa has occupied a very special place in the
minds of Indian leadership. India’s relationship with Africa was given a new
structure during the First India-Africa Forum Summit held in New Delhi in April
2008. At this Summit, leaders of India and Africa designed a programme of
cooperation for a structured interaction in a variety of areas, which include
human resource and capacity building, science and technology, agricultural
productivity and food security, industrial growth including the small and medium
enterprises sector, health, and communications and information technology.
These programmes were extensively deliberated with our African partners
through the African Union and we have been able to conclude the Action Plan of
Cooperation in March this year. It has been decided to establish 19 India-Africa
institutions, including (i) India Africa Institute of Foreign Trade; (ii) India Africa
Diamond Institute; (iii) India Africa Institute of Educational Planning and
Administration; and (iv) India Africa Institute of Information Technology.
India’s Developmental Assistance in the form of concessional Lines of
Credit (LOCs) and Grants-in-Aid continue to be important instruments for
supporting infrastructure and development projects as prioritized by the African
nations themselves. Over five years from 2008, an amount of US$ 5.4 billion has
been earmarked for Africa in the form of credits and another US$ 500 million as
grants. The second India-Africa Forum Summit is planned to be held this year in
Africa.
India greatly values its historical, warm and friendly relations with Zambia
which predate the independence of Zambia. Bilateral relations are on the
upswing. During the historic visit of the Vice-President of India in January last
year, which gave a new fillip to the bilateral relations, a new line of credit of
US$75 million for developmental projects in Zambia and a grant of US$5 million
for projects in social sectors were announced. A Loan Agreement between EXIM
Bank of India and the Zambian Ministry of Finance and National Planning was
signed to extend to Zambia a US$ 50 million Government of India Line of Credit
for the Itezhi Tezhi Hydropower Project in which TATA and ZESCO are joint
venture partners. Projects under the new Line of Credit of US$ 75 million
announced during the visit of the Vice President of India in January 2010 have
been identified and are under process.
Government of India’s Pan African e-Network Project is another good
example of India-Africa partnership. The US$ 100 million project, fully funded by
India, aims at providing assistance through quality tele-education, tele-medicine,
and video conferencing to the Heads of State in all the 53 countries in Africa. 47
African countries have joined the project so far. This project has been completed
in Zambia at three sites – VVIP Video Conferencing facility at the State House in
Lusaka, Tele-medicine facility at the University Teaching Hospital, Lusaka, and
the e-Learning site at Mulungushi University at Kabwe. The Pan-African e-
Netowrk Project was successfully inaugurated through video conferencing at the
e-Learing site at Kabwe on August 16, 2010 from where the Zambian Minister of
Communications and Transport, Hon’ble Professor Geoffrey Lungwangwa,
interacted with Hon’ble External Affairs Minister of India, Shri S.M. Krishna, in
New Delhi.
India has offered a Duty Free Tariff Preference (DFTP) Scheme to the
Least Developed Countries, 34 of whom are in Africa, to enable them to gain
preferential access to the Indian market. Zambia signed the Letter of Intent to join
this Scheme last year. On completion of the documentation needed for
implementation of this Scheme, Zambian products will be able to access up to 94
% of the Indian tariff lines under this Scheme.
Zambia has been a major beneficiary of Indian Technical and Economic
Cooperation (ITEC) programme. More than 2500 Zambians have received
training under ITEC in India in capacity building in different areas. ITEC training
slots to African countries were increased from 1100 to 1600 a year during the
India Africa Forum Summit. Slots have been progressively increased for Zambia
over the years. After the India-Africa Forum Summit 2008, the number of slots
was enhanced from 60 to 80 in 2008-09. Zambia has been allotted 86 ITEC slots
in 2010-2011 compared to 75 in the previous year. It is a matter of satisfaction
that Zambia is utilizing all the slots allotted to it.
About 300 Zambian defence officers have been trained in the Indian
defence institutions. Several Indian army and air force training teams were
deputed to Zambia in the 1970s and 1980s for training of the Zambian Armed
Forces. India had deputed, since 1994, a Military Advisory Team in Defence
Services Command and Staff College in Zambia. This deputation came to an end
with the departure of the team in March 2010. In 2007-08, India gave seven
training slots to the Zambian Armed Forces, under the ITEC programme. In
2010-11, India has offered 16 training slots to Zambia
Trade and investment are increasing steadily. A number of Indian
companies are doing business in Zambia and many more have evinced interest
to invest in this friendly country abundantly endowed with natural resources.
Indian companies and those owned by persons of Indian origin have made
sizeable investments in Zambia. It is noteworthy to mention that M/s Vedanta
Resources, (the parent company M/s Sterlite Industries in India) has invested $
1.5 billion in Konkola Copper Mine (KCM); their investment is expected to reach
US$ 3 billion in the next three years. The decision of Konkola Copper
Mines(KCM) to list its shares on London Stock Exchange, followed by Lusaka
Stock Exchange, through a holding company called Konkola Resoruces Plc has
highlighted Zambia’s role as a leading copper producing country.
Zambia Electricity Supply Company (ZESCO) and TATA Africa Holdings
have formed a joint venture company called Itezhi Tezhi Power Corporation
Limited (ITPC) to carry out US$ 200 million Itezhi-Tezhi Hydropower project. Tata
is also collaborating with the Copperbelt Energy Corporation (CEC) for 36 MW
power project in the Copperbelt. TATA acquired a leather tannery from Zambia
Development Agency (ZDA) in February, 2009 for US$1.164 million at Kabwe,
Central Province. The company plans to upgrade the tannery with further
investment of about US$4 million in the next five years. Tata Consultancy
Engineering (TCE) is providing consultancy services to ZESCO for the Kariba
North Power Plant.
M/s Nava Bharat Singapore Limited, a subsidiary of Nava Bharat Ventures
Limited, Hyderabad, India, has purchased 65% equity shares in Mamba Colliers
Ltd. from Zambia Consolidated Copper Mine Investment Holdings (ZCCM-IH)
after competing successfully against a global tender floated by Mamba Colliers
Ltd. in December 2009. The Government of Zambia will retain the remaining 35%
shares through ZCCM-IH.
Trade Kings, a company owned by Zambian Indians has invested over
US$125 million to set up the first ever integrated steel plant in the country at
Kafue.
Another PIO owned company M/s Melcome Group has set up a US$ 10
million mobile phone assembly plant in Lusaka.
RJ Corporation of India, an Indian firm, has pledged to invest US$30
million over the period of six years on Pepsi manufacturing plant. In Phase I of
the project, a Pepsi bottling plant in Lusaka started production in October 2010;
in Phase II, the firm would construct another plant for manufacturing fruit drinks
at a cost of another US$15 million.
Taurian Manganese Limited, one of the group of Companies of Dharni
Sampada Private Limited in India has invested US$17 million in 2010 and plans
to invest another US$50 million in manganese mining in Zambia.
Bharti Airtel launched its new brand, Airtel Zambia, on November 22, 2010.
The new brand comes with a promise to meet the emerging needs of customers
with innovative, affordable and relevant solutions to empower consumers and will
provide low tariffs and roll out deep in rural areas and bridge the digital divide.
Indoasian, a leading Indian manufacturer of a wide range of low voltage
electrical equipments for utilities and buildings on December 2, 2010 joined
hands with Kenol Zambia, a branch of Kenol Group of Nigeria for launching their
range of products in Zambia.
An agreement was signed between Export Import (EXIM) Bank of India
and Indo-Zambia Bank (IZB) in Lusaka under which the former would provide a
credit of US$5 million to IZB to be utilized for import of capital goods from India.
Indo-Zambia bank, a successful joint Venture between India and Zambia,
opened a new branch in the posh shopping area of Manda Hill and launched its
new brand identity on December 24, 2010. The bank’s total business mix has
reached K1.18 trillion, with deposits amount to K800 million. The bank earned a
profit of K47.7 billion compared to K43.8 billion last year.
The Zambia International Trade and Investment Centre (ZITIC) in Lusaka
led a six-member Zambian private sector delegation to the 6th CII-EXIM Bank
Conclave on India-Africa Project Partnership held in New Delhi in March, 2010. A
Zambian Public Private Partnership delegation which included Deputy Minister of
Finance and National Planning, Deputy Minister of Commerce, Trade and
Industry and representatives of various Ministries and ZDA visited India from July
28 to August 5, 2010 with the objective of attracting investments from India
through the Public Private Partnership (PPP) concept.
The increasing interaction between businessmen of the two countries
augurs well for the two countries to fully exploit the potential that exist between
them to expand the economic and commercial cooperation. Zambia is an
important trading partner of India in Africa, though the bilateral trade is still below
potential. Indo-Zambian bilateral trade was US$ 190 million in 2009-10 with
India’s exports to Zambia at US$ 88.34 million and India’s imports from Zambia
at US$ 102.67 million. India’s export items include drug and pharmaceuticals,
machinery and instruments, transport equipment, cotton yarn and fabrics, plastic,
rubber, chemicals, and electronic goods. India’s imports from Zambia include
non-ferrous metals, ores (copper and cobalt), semi-precious stones and raw
cotton.
India and Zambia share common perceptions on pressing global issues
which include the reform of the United Nations, combating international terrorism,
Climate Change, WTO, reform of international financial institutions, combating
disease, eradication of hunger and poverty and promotion of inclusive democratic
societies and polities.
A 60 member strong contingent from Zambia participated in the XIX
Commonwealth Games held in October 2010 in New Delhi
An enterprising Indian community settled in Zambia for a long time
continues to play a significant role in Zambia’s economy and to build bridges of
friendship between the two countries.
I would like to offer my heartiest felicitations and congratulations to all the
Indians, people of Indian origin, and friends of India on the 62nd Republic Day of
India.
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