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January 10, 2011 | 05:52 IST
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Gandhinagar, Monday: “ Gujarat is committed to follow the best standard & practices for its educational system,” said Gujarat Chief Minister Shri Narendra Modi while addressing the International Round Table Conference for Academic Institutions, held today at Pandit Deendayal Petroleum University, Gandhinagar.
Representatives from 25 universities of nine countries attended the meet and the CM invited them to avail benefits of the best infrastructural facilities available in the state for research & development activities.
The Education Department of Gujarat Government organized the conference for international universities & premier educational institutions as a precursor to the Vibrant Gujarat Global Investors' Summit (VGGIS) 2011 in order to attract global participation in development of human resources. 74 memorandum of understanding (MoUs) were signed between the Gujarat-based universities and their foreign counterparts, big industrial houses & some research organizations. Various research & training activities will be undertaken under these MoUs.
While welcoming the academia from the country & abroad, Shri Narendra Modi said, “In this golden jubilee year of its inception, Gujarat has launched some initiatives highlight the importance of education & make available the best education system to the next generation. This meet is a historic move in this direction.”
He also stressed upon the need of strengthening the power of knowledge in order to gain an edge in this competitive world. “In the ancient era, Vallabhi University of Gujarat was a known varsity of that time. And with varsities for various spheres such as Children University, Teachers University (IITE), Rakshashakti University, Forensic Science University & Petroleum University, Gujarat is replicating that kind of success in 21st century too,” he said.
“Education is the only option available for the betterment of the deprived and the impressive growth of the education sector in Gujarat is providing the global educational institutions an opportunity to undertake research activities in the best way possible,” he added.
He also presented the officials of the foreign universities, who entered into MoUs with Gujarat-based varsities, with a certificate of appreciation and gave brief detail of all the initiatives undertaken by the state for reforms in the education sector.
Earlier in his welcome speech, Shri Hasmukh Adhiya, Principal Secretary, Education Department, Gujarat, said, “Under the visionary leadership of the Chief Minister Shri Narendra Modi, Gujarat has launched some innovative initiatives for the reforms in the educational sector. This international meet, being held on the sidelines of VGGIS 2011, is aimed at exchanging views & experience for facilitating cooperation for the development of the sector.”
State Education Minister Shri Ramanlal Vora, Minister of State for Higher Education Smt. Vasuben Trivedi and Dr. Choong Jae Cho from Institute of Economic Policy, Korea, were present at the meet.
Many rich Indians send their children abroad for higher studies. The main reason for that is there are not many quality institutions for higher learnings in India to accomodate all. Flight of capital takes place. However, India has some of the most beautiful places on earth like mountains and seas, hot and cold deserts, forests and architectural wonders. Plans should be put in place that these places get educational institutions which attract foreign students from the west.
At the invitation of the Prime Minister of the Republic of Croatia, H.E. Mr. Andrej Plenković, the Prime Minister of the Republic of India, H.E. Mr. Narendra Modi, paid an official visit to Croatia on 18 June 2025. This marked the first-ever visit of an Indian Prime Minister to Croatia to strengthen the growing momentum of high-level exchanges between the two nations.
Prime Minister Plenković and Prime Minister Modi had a comprehensive exchange of views on further advancing bilateral relations, India-EU strategic partnership and cooperation in multilateral fora. Both agreed that India and Croatia enjoy close and friendly relations, rooted in shared values of democracy, rule of law, pluralism and equality.
The visit of Prime Minister Modi has injected a fresh impetus into the bilateral partnership, highlighting the complementarities of the two economies, particularly in the areas of tourism, trade and technology. The two Prime Ministers welcomed the signing of: (i) MoU on Agricultural Cooperation; (ii) Programme of Cooperation in Science and Technology; (iii) Cultural Exchange Programme (CEP); and (iv) MoU to establish a Hindi Chair at the University of Zagreb.
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The two leaders noted the importance of improving connectivity, including through the India–Middle East–Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC) initiative. They agreed to expand cooperation in ports and shipping domains given the long maritime traditions of both countries. Both sides agreed to further explore the potential of Croatia serving as a Mediterranean gateway to Central Europe.
In this context, they also reaffirmed full respect for international law of the sea as reflected in UNCLOS, and for the principles of sovereignty, territorial integrity, and freedom of navigation, to the benefit of maritime security and international peace and stability.
In the area of science, technology and innovation, the two Prime Ministers highlighted the importance of connecting scientific institutions and universities of both countries for joint research and development. Both sides expressed their willingness to facilitate exchanges of young researchers for long-term research collaborations and encouraged networking within the scientific community to share best practices and develop applied technologies.
The two Prime Ministers noted the signing of the 2023 Memorandum of Understanding on Defence Cooperation and agreed to advancing defence ties. Further emphasis will be placed on seeking opportunities for cooperation between national defence industries through collaboration and regular interactions.
Digital technology was recognised as another key area for cooperation. Croatian and Indian scientific ecosystems could benefit from strategic collaborations between incubation centres and start-ups working in sectors such as Healthcare-tech, Agri-tech, Clean-tech, Artificial Intelligence, Machine learning and Cybersecurity. The two Prime Ministers agreed on the need for strengthening India-Croatia Start-up Bridge in order to foster innovation and collaboration amongst start-ups.
While acknowledging the strong cultural exchange, both sides underscored the importance of deepening engagement in the cultural sector during the period 2026-2030. They recognised culture as a powerful tool for strengthening people-to-people ties between the two countries.
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They recognised the importance of skills development and the mobility of personnel in supporting expanded engagement across various sectors of bilateral cooperation, and agreed on the speedy conclusion of a memorandum of understanding on workforce mobility between the two countries.
Prime Minister Modi thanked Prime Minister Plenković and Croatia for the support and solidarity extended in the aftermath of the terrorist attack in Pahalgam, Jammu & Kashmir, India, on 22 April 2025. Both sides condemned terrorism and violent extremism in all its forms and manifestations, including transnational and cross-border terrorism. They reiterated their zero-tolerance approach to terrorism, rejecting any justification for such acts, under any circumstances. They emphasized that those responsible for the attacks should be held accountable and condemned the use of terrorists as proxies. They expressed their consistent position of supporting the full implementation of the UN Global Counterterrorism Strategy, key international conventions and protocols in this field, and relevant resolutions of the United Nations Security Council. They called for the disruption of terrorism financing networks, including through the UN, FATF and regional mechanisms, elimination of safe havens, dismantling of terrorist infrastructure, and bringing perpetrators of terrorism to justice swiftly. They also urged for concerted actions against all UN- and EU-designated terrorists and terrorist entities, associated proxy groups, facilitators and sponsors, including terrorists under 1267 UNSC Sanctions Committee.
The two Prime Ministers exchanged views on regional and global issues of mutual interest, including war in Ukraine. They expressed support for a just and lasting peace in Ukraine based on respect for international law, principles of the UN Charter and territorial integrity and sovereignty. The two leaders expressed concern about the deterioration of security situation in the Middle East and called for de-escalation between Israel and Iran. The leaders reaffirmed their commitment to promote a free, open, peaceful and prosperous Indo-Pacific built on international law and mutual respect for sovereignty and peaceful resolution of disputes underpinned by effective regional institutions.
The two sides reaffirmed their strong commitment to multilateralism and support for a rules-based international order. They emphasised the urgent need for reforms in the UN system, particularly the UN Security Council including its expansion in both permanent and non-permanent categories, to make it more inclusive, transparent, effective, accountable, efficient and better aligned with contemporary geopolitical realities.
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The two leaders welcomed the renewed momentum in the strategic partnership between India and the EU, two of the largest democracies, open market economies, and pluralistic societies. They underscored the importance of concluding a mutually beneficial India-EU FTA within the course of the year, as agreed during the historic visit of the EU College of Commissioners to India in February 2025.
The Indian side expressed gratitude for the warm hospitality extended to them by the Croatian side. The two Prime Ministers expressed satisfaction at the outcomes of the visit, and reaffirmed their commitment to expanding the partnership between India and Croatia.
