The Union Cabinet gave its approval to sign Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between India and African Asian Rural Development Organization (AARDO) for capacity building programmes in the field of rural development.
The MoU is being signed under which capacity building programmes for AARDO member countries for the triennium 2015 – 2017.
Key Facts
- The capacity building programmes will be organized every year during the triennium at various Institutions of Excellence in India.
- These Indian institutions will include National Institute of Rural Development & Panchayati Raj (NIRD & PR), Indian Institute of Management (IIM), institutions governed by the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) and others.
- Under these programmes, the Post Graduate Diploma in Rural Development Management Course at NIRD & PR will be for one year.
About African Asian Rural Development Organization (AARDO)
- The AARDO is an autonomous inter-Governmental organization with its headquarters in New Delhi. It was established in 1962.
- Its main objective is to promote cooperation among countries of African-Asian Region in direction of eradicating hunger, thirst, poverty, illiteracy and disease in region.
- AARDO currently has 31 countries under its fold from the African-Asian Region.
India’s contribution to AARDO
- India is one of the founder Members of AARDO and is the largest contributor in terms of membership contribution.
- It has provided funds for building for AARDO Secretariat in Delhi and also considerable financial assistance for maintenance of the building.
- It also has provided 70 fully paid training scholarships for Human Resource Development Programme for AARDO under the Indian Technical & Economic Cooperation Programme (ITEC) to the Organization.