July 23,2018:
PM Narendra Modi to gift 200 cows in a symbolic gesture to a village in Rwanda, his first stop in a five-day, Three-nation tour of Africa which has begun on Monday.
Locally sourced cows will be a contribution to Rwandan President Paul Kagame’s flagship programme Girinka in which the poorest get cows from Government and gift the first female calf to a neighbour to promote brotherhood.
The exercise also enables the poorest in Rwanda to have a livelihood. National Social Protection Scheme was personally initiated by the Rwandan President.
This is the first time an Indian Prime Minister is visiting Rwanda.
External Affairs Ministry stated that,“The visit to Rwanda, Uganda and South Africa will further strengthen our relations with the African continent”.
Cooperation in defence and agriculture will be PM Modi’s priorities during his bilateral visits to Rwanda and Uganda before he goes to South Africa for the annual Brazil, Russia, India China, South Africa (BRICS) Summit.
Two countries will sign two lines of credit one of $100 million for industrial parks and a similar amount for agriculture and irrigation. Rwanda is already a recipient of Indian lines of credit of nearly $400 million and of Indian training and scholarship programmes.
In Uganda, PM Modi will meet President Yowei Museveni, hold delegation-level talks and take part in an India-Uganda joint business event and address the Ugandan parliament.
PM Narendra Modi will reach South Africa on July 25 on the third and last leg of his visit. Besides the BRICS Summit, PM Modi will also hold a bilateral meeting with President Cyril Ramaphosa who took office in February.
Modi, along with other BRICS leaders, will participate in the restricted session, plenary session, leaders’ retreat, outreach with leaders from Africa and outreach with leaders from the global South.
Source Hindustan Times
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