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FOCUS ARTICLE

INDIA-MYANMAR INDIA-MALAYSIA

India declares $25 million assistance 5th Bilateral
for Rakhine State Meeting held in

India, on 21 December 2017, as well as matters pertaining to New Delhi
announced a development assistance Rakhine State were discussed during Setting up of an Ayurveda chair in
of $25 million for Myanmar’s Rakhine these meetings. University of UTAR in Malaysia and
State, from where thousands of The Foreign Secretary and providing professional training in
Rohingya Muslims recently fled Myanmar’s Deputy Minister for Panchakarma therapy for Malaysian
following incidents of violence Social Welfare, Relief and experts in India were among the issues
against the community. This came a Resettlement signed a bilateral MoU discussed at the 5th bilateral meeting
day after Foreign Secretary S on Rakhine State Development on cooperation in the field of
Jaishankar visited Myanmar and met Programme. This MoU is the first Traditional Systems of Medicine
Myanmar’s State Counsellor Aung g over n m e n t - to- g ove r n m e n t between India and Malaysia held in
San Suu Kyi. agreement signed by the Ministry of New Delhi on January 10, 2018.
The amount of commitment to the Social Welfare, Relief and The meeting also considered
development efforts is USD 25 million Resettlement of Myanmar with a evaluation of safety and efficacy of
over five years which is an indicative cooperation partner focussed on combination Ayurvedic/traditional
figure and depends on the actual socio-economic development and products for clinical trials, safety
evaluation of Ayurvedic products
requirement and utilisation. An livelihood initiatives in Rakhine S
based on Good Laboratory Practices
estimated 6,00,000 Rohingya Muslims tate.
(GLP) and registration of homeopathic
have fled Myanmar’s Rakhine State This is intended to help the
practitioner and their capacity
since late August after large-scale Myanmar government achieve its
building module in Malaysia.
violence there. objective of restoration of normalcy
Mr Pramod Kumar Pathak, Joint
There were several other aspects in Rakhine State and enable the return
Secretary, Ministry of AYUSH
of discussions which include how of displaced persons. Under this MoU,
presided over the meeting from the
India can help the country in restoring the Indian government proposes to
Indian side while Malaysia was
normalcy in Rakhine State and enable take up, among others, a project to
represented by its Deputy Director
return of displaced persons. build prefabricated housing in Rakhine
General Health (Medical), Ministry of
The Foreign Secretary also met State so as to meet the immediate Health Malaysia.
Union Minister in State Counsellor’s needs of returning people. Also on the agenda in the 5th
Office U Kyaw Tint Swe and Union In addition to the Rakhine State Bilateral Technical Meeting was
Minister for Social Welfare, Relief and project proposals, a number of entering into a bilateral MoU between
Resettlement Dr Win Myat Aye. ongoing friendship projects were National Medicinal Plants Board
All matters relating to bilateral reviewed. Issues regarding the (NMPB), Ministry of AYUSH and
cooperation, including follow up on operation and maintenance of Sittwe Malaysia for cooperation in the field
decisions taken during recent visit of port and the road from Paletwa- of medicinal plants.
Prime Minister of India to Myanmar, Zorinpui were also reviewed. The Malaysian side briefed about
March 2018 Competition Wizard 41