The Indian Embassy in Uzbekistan celebrated the 61st anniversary of the Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation (ITEC) program on March 6 at the Tashkent’s Hilton Hotel. The event brought together alumni, government officials, and partners to highlight 61 years of capacity building, skills transfer, and development partnership.
In her opening remarks on this occasion, the India’s Ambassador to Uzbekistan H.E. Ms. Smita Pant extended warm greetings to ITEC alumni, friends of India, and Uzbek government officials. She highlighted the ITEC program, launched in 1964, as India’s flagship capacity-building initiative.
She stressed that India and Uzbekistan were not just partners, but were also accelerating and growing together in the area of capacity building. “While India continues to offer a world-class traditional courses in banking, finance and management, we have pivoted sharply towards the future. In the last two years, Uzbek professionals have been training at prestigious institutes like IIT, in the fields of Artificial Intelligence, Cyber Security, Machine Learning, Digital Health, Robotics, Big Data and Solar Energy,”- she added.
The Ambassador Smita Pant lauded the India-Uzbekistan development partnership, noting that India currently offers nearly 200 slots annually to Uzbekistan. “Today, ITEC has grown into a massive tree of cooperation. The fact that nearly half of our three-decade success has occurred in just the last five years proves that our best days are still ahead of us. To our ITEC alumni and friends, you are also ambassadors of India, ambassadors of Uzbekistan,” she underscored.
The event featured inspiring testimonials from several ITEC alumni, who shared their experiences and the impact of their training on their professional journeys. The program was enriched by vibrant cultural performances by dance teacher, showcasing India’s traditional music and dance.
India's fully sponsored ITEC program serves as a cornerstone for empowering professionals and advancing mutual growth around the world.
