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Journalism of Courage
On the final morning of Prime Minister A.B. Vajpayee’s visit to Cambodia, India today signed an agreement to restore Ta Prohm temples, part of the 1,000-year-old legacy of the Angkor Wat temples complex.
The restoration work in these temples will be carried out by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) which has already been involved in the restoration of the main temple complex at an estimated cost of $ 40 million since 1987.
The Angkor Wat temple complex, including the Ta Prohm temples, is understood to have its roots in the ancient Hindu civilisation originating in India. The agreement was signed between the ASI and its Cambodian counterpart Apsara.
India also signed a trade pact giving Cambodia the ‘Most Favoured Nation’ status in its trade links with the country. The agreement had been delayed despite strong ties between the two countries as Cambodia is not a part of the WTO. According to MEA officials, the nagging issues in this have now been sorted out.
Today’s agreement for the restoration of the Ta Prohm temples is likely to cost the ASI $ 5 million (Rs 25 crore) over the next eight years. Briefing the media after the signing of the agreement, MEA secretary R.M. Abhayankar said the work will showcase India’s expertise in restoration.
India has also agreed to extend a credit line to Cambodia for $ 10 million at a concessional rate of around 1.5 per cent with repayment terms over 20 years with a five year grace period. An agreement was also signed between Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Mumbai, and the Institute of Technology, Cambodia, for exchange of faculty and technical assistance between the two institutes.
The Kirloskar group of companies, which has a great presence in this part of Asia, also took the opportunity to present 10 pump sets which could help these tropical monsoon countries help solve water-logging problems during monsoons.
