(Phnom Penh): Shri Pabitra Margherita, Minister of State for External Affairs and Textiles, Government of India, is visiting Cambodia during 6-9 July 2025. During his visit, the minister interacted with Cambodian alumni of Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation (ITEC) and Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) Scholarship on 6 July at the India House. The interaction was joined by more than 50 alumni from various Cambodian ministries and institutions.
The Cambodian dignitaries present at the interaction included Som Kimsuor, Auditor General of Cambodia; Eat Sophea, Permanent Secretary of State, Ministry of Foreign Affair and International Cooperation (MoFAIC); Khy Sovanratana, Secretary of State, MoFAIC; Sao Chivoan, President of India-Cambodia Alumni Association and Secretary of State, Ministry of Rural Development; Chan Sorey, Secretary of State, Ministry of Women's Affairs.
The minister in his address said that India has always believed in the transformative power of partnerships rooted in mutual respect and shared aspirations and in a rapidly evolving global environment, we recognise that true and sustainable development lies not only in physical infrastructure, but also in the empowerment of human capital.
In this spirit, the Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation (ITEC) programme has been a cornerstone of India’s engagement with Cambodia since 1981 and over 3,000 Cambodian nationals have been trained under this programme in diverse fields—ranging from public administration, finance, and IT to water resource management and disaster risk reduction among others.
He added that India has adopted to Cambodia’s evolving needs by offering customised training programmes since 2017. In 2024–25 alone, 298 Cambodian officials benefited from short-term ITEC training courses, including 06 customized training courses covering key ministries such as Justice, Women’s Affairs, Education, Energy, and Civil Service.
The Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) has played a crucial role in enabling higher education opportunities for Cambodian students and in the year 2024-25, 65 ICCR scholarships were availed by Cambodian students—including 55 under the Atal Bihari Vajpayee General Scholarship Scheme and 10 under the Mekong Ganga Cooperation Scholarship Scheme.
He further said that Nalanda University—India’s modern-day embodiment of ancient academic excellence—is offering ASEAN scholarships. In 2024–25, two Cambodian students joined this opportunity.
The Indian minister also highlighted the work of the Cambodia-India Alumni Association and said that it has become a valuable platform to strengthen bonds between India and Cambodia and alumni from ITEC and ICCR programmes continue to play leading roles in the Royal Government of Cambodia and act as ambassadors of goodwill and collaboration.
President of the Cambodia-India Alumni Association Sao Chivoan welcomed the minister on behalf of all the alumni and expressed his appreciation saying that India has always remained steadfast in its commitment to support Cambodia’s development journey through capacity-building, education, and technology.
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