Phnom Penh, July 26: As many as 150 students on Saturday graduated from Preah Sihanoukraja Buddhist University IT Centre in Cambodia on Saturday which has been established as a Quick Impact Project (QIP) under the Mekong-Ganga Cooperation (MGC)with a grant funding from the Government of India.

The graduates were bestowed by the Embassy officials and faculty from the university during the certificate distribution ceremony.

Under the QIP, a grant assistance of US$ 50,000 per project was provided by India for implementation of five socio-economic projects in Cambodia every year.

The MGC was established in November 2000 with six member countries – Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam and India.

During 2015-18, 15 Quick Impact Projects were approved and implemented in the fields of agriculture, health, women empowerment, capacity building, sanitation and environment.

These projects received a good response and created a visible impact among beneficiaries. During the State visit of Cambodian Prime Minister, Hun Sen to India in January 2018, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced an increase in the number of QIPs from 5 to 10 to be undertaken annually in Cambodia.

So far, a total of 48 projects have been approved, 31 projects have been completed and 17 projects are at various stages of implementation.

Historically, India-Cambodia relations are a product of Hindu and Buddhist religious and cultural influences, which emanated out of India. Though Cambodia, like most of its neighbours, is a Buddhist nation, there is a strong influence of Hindu rituals, idolatry and mythology.

India established diplomatic relations with Cambodia in 1952 even one year before its independence from France. Immediately after the Cambodian independence in 1953, India was seen as a close friend and a source of inspiration by the Cambodian leadership.

There exists abundance of goodwill for India in Cambodia, which has been strengthened by regular interactions at political and official levels, exchange of bilateral visits, aid and assistance, capacity building, cultural exchanges, concessional loans for developmental projects and restoration of temples. (IANS)

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