Peace and prosperity in Mekong region play pivotal role in India’s Act East policy, says External Affairs Minister

Source: The post is based on the article “Peace and prosperity in Mekong region play pivotal role in India’s Act East policy, says External Affairs Minister”  published in The Economic Times on 16th July 2023

What is the News?

India’s External Affairs Minister has addressed the 12th Mekong Ganga Cooperation (MGC) Mechanism meeting.

What is Mekong Ganga Cooperation(MGC)?

Mekong-Ganga Cooperation (MGC) was launched in 2000 at Vientiane, Lao PDR with the signing of the Vientiane Declaration.

The grouping was initially called Ganga Suvarnabhumi Programme (GMSP). 

Aim: Both the Ganga and the Mekong are civilizational rivers and the MGC initiative aims to facilitate closer contacts among the people inhabiting these two major river basins. 

Members: It is an initiative by six countries – India and five ASEAN countries, namely, Cambodia, Lao PDR, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam.

Meetings: The MGC meetings are co-chaired alternately every year between India and one of the 5 Mekong countries.

Areas of cooperation: The four foundational areas of cooperation under MGC include tourism, culture, education, and transport & communication. 

– It has further expanded to include new areas like health and traditional medicine, agriculture and allied sectors, small and medium enterprises, water resources management, science and technology, skill development, and capacity building.

What is the Quick Impact Project Initiative?

The Government of India announced the implementation of Quick Impact Projects(QIP) in CLMV (Cambodia, Lao PDR, Myanmar, and Vietnam) countries at the 6th Mekong Ganga Cooperation (MGC) Ministerial Meeting held in New Delhi in 2012. 

Each QIP project costs not more than US$ 50,000/.

The emphasis of QIPs is on short gestation high visibility projects with a normal gestation period of up to one year, which directly benefits the local communities with results that are immediate and visible. 

The type of projects under QIP includes the creation or up-gradation of physical infrastructure such as roads, local community centers and social infrastructures such as in the education, health, sanitation, or community development sectors.