Prime Minister – Dr. Denzil Douglas
Photo By Erasmus Williams
Basseterre, St. Kitts – Nevis
April 07, 2012 (CUOPM)
The Chancellor of Lovely Professional University (LPU) in Punjab, India has welcomed Friday’s visit by St. Kitts and Nevis‘ Prime Minister the Right Hon. Dr. Denzil L. Douglas.
Chancellor Ashok Mittal has termed Dr. Douglas’ visit to the LPU, “a beginning of a new era with astounding opportunities for both the countries to work together in collaborative areas of mutual interest.”
Punjab Newsline Network in Jalandhar reported that Prime Minister Douglas, who is on an Official Working visit to India expressed his desire that India should help his country in the field of developing IT sector and promoting IT education to which his country is lagging behind to compete in the international arena.
Dr. Douglas during a two-hour tour of the institution of higher learning, Dr. Douglas received firsthand knowledge about the standard of education in the Indian Universities, interacted with the students and faculty of the University also and shared views on different aspects of the IT education.
The St. Kitts and Nevis leader said that he was happy to avail an occasion to visit India which has become an education hub of the world and was of the view that India patronises his country in the setting up of information technology there.
Appreciating the endeavor of India in investing a lot in the education sector and related infra-structure, Dr. Douglas said that due to this reason only, the education is witnessing a phenomenal growth in India attracting more and more students from across the world to get education in different fields of IT, engineering, medical and commerce streams.
Dr. Douglas also explored the possibilities of bilateral collaborative efforts for the promotion of education with Ramesh Mittal, Chairman of the Lovely group, Vice Chairman Naresh Mittal, LPU Chancellor Ashok Mittal and Vice Chancellor Ramesh Kanwar.
Punjab Newsline Network pointed out it is worth noting that the Federation of St. Kitts and Nevis, located in Leeward Islands is a federal two Island nation in the West Indies for the development of which Dr. Douglas is working hard.
IndiaEducation.com reported that in expressing his happiness, Dr. Douglas exclaimed:
“Education is going in a very extended and novel form in India and this great country has been becoming the Education Hub of the world. We also anticipate how India can be a patron to Caribbean country for promotion of IT Education and in set up of Information Technology.”
He further said: “In fact, for any country education is its great strength. India is investing a lot on education sector and related infra-structure. That is why, education is seeing its phenomenal growth in the country, which in turn is continuously attracting more and more of students from different countries of all the continents of the world.”
India Education.com added: Welcoming the great Caribbean leader, known for his outstanding leadership regionally and internationally, Chancellor Mr. Mittal revealed his happiness while saying:
“We are very glad to receive Prime Minister Dr. Douglas at the campus on request. The visit by a person of his caliber, who has made history by being the first Caribbean Leader to receive the Gandhi-King-Ikeda Peace Award and who has many other honours to his credit, is indeed a proud moment for us.”
He added: “His visit will certainly be fruitful towards opportunities for both countries in working together in collaborative areas of mutual interests.”
The Federation of Saint Kitts and Nevis, located in Leeward Islands, is a federal two-island nation in West Indies, for which Dr. Douglas is working hard for its significant potential in varied areas.
The Prime Minister is also aspirant in seeing improvement for trade and economic relations between the two countries. It is worth noticing that Dr Douglas is an outstanding graduate of the University of the West Indies (UWI) and is also the recipient of a Legacy Award from the American Foundation of the University of the West Indies in New York.
Prime Minister Douglas is accompanied to India by His Excellency Mr. Kevin Isaac, St. Kitts and Nevis’ High Commissioner in London and Senior Assistant Secretary in the Office of the Prime Minister, Ms. Beverly Knight.
The St. Kitts and Nevis leader is the second Caribbean Prime Minister to visit India this year. In January, the Hon. Kamla Persad-Bissessar, the Prime Minister of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago visited the Asian nation.