Patil donates Rs.1.1 crore to India-Cambodia Friendship School

PHNOM PENH - Visiting Indian President Pratibha Devisingh Patil on Wednesday donated a sum of Rs.1.1 crore to the India-Cambodia Friendship School in Phnom Penh.

The money will be used to build a school building, library, boundary walls and gates.

This primary school is located in Village Khum Khnasor, District Srok Srey Santho in Kampong Cham province.

It was established in 1981 and has 239 students (110 girls and 129 boys from KG to class VI).

The Embassy of India in association with the Indian Association Cambodia (IAC) is assisting the school, as it is resource deficient and a majority of its students come from poor families.

India’s Ambassador to Cambodia, Rajesh Kumar Sachdeva had visited the school on March 20. On Tuesday, Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen called on President Patil at the Hotel Intercontinental here. The two leaders reportedly discussed issues of bilateral, regional and international importance to both countries.

Delegation-level talks and a signing of bilateral agreements between the two countries followed the meeting.

After the meeting, EXIM bank director P. Dalal and Cambodia’s Secretary of State in Ministry of Economy and Finance, Aun Porn Monirothe, signed an agreement to extend a credit of 15 million dollars for the Stung Tassal Water Development project.

The second agreement was signed by Ambassador Rajesh Kumar Sachdeva and the Cambodian National Audit Authority to help the latter in capacity building.

Both agreements were signed to enhance economic engagements between the two countries. An Indian business delegation is also in Cambodia to achieve this objective.

The total trade between India and Cambodia in 2008-09 was worth 49.61 dollars. Major exports to Cambodia are drugs, pharmaceuticals, fine chemicals, cotton, staple fibres, rubber articles, precious metals, etc. By Praful Kumar Singh (ANI)