The Hindu Business Line : Singapore-India Partnership Foundation launched

The visiting Singapore Prime Minister, Mr Goh Chok Tong launched the Singapore-India Partnership Foundation on Saturday to strengthen relations between the two countries.

The foundation has been established in a tie-up with the Confederation of Indian Industries with a seed capital of Rs 25 lakh from Mr Tong, which he received as part of the Nehru Award for International Relations.

The CII president and Managing Director of Hero Corporate Services Ltd Mr Sunil Kant Munjal; Bharti Enterprises CMD, Mr Sunil Mittal and Mr J.N. Godrej, Managing Director, Godrej and Boyce Mfg Co Ltd contributed similar amounts (Rs 25 lakh) towards the foundation corpus.

The foundation will be a "premier body for strengthening relations in areas including economic linkages, Government relations, academic interaction and cultural understanding," said Mr Tong.

It will grant exchange fellowships, visiting fellowships, or post-graduate scholarships to outstanding Singapore or Indian nationals from all disciplines, including the private sector, the Government and the academia.

Initially, the fellowship will be awarded every year to two individuals, one each from India and Singapore.

Earlier during the day, at an interactive session organised by FICCI, Mr Tong said India should also look outside for production of goods and services and suggested that these can be done easily in Singapore, as there are lesser regulations.

Coinciding with the occasion, FICCI signed an MOU with the Institute of South Asian Studies, Singapore.

The MOU aims to enhance economic relations and promote trade and investment between India and Singapore. FICCI and the Institute of South Asian Studies will do a joint study on logistics support in `cold chain management'.

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