Modi to gift 200 cows to village in Rwanda, departs on 3nation tour

Minister Narendra Modi on Monday left for Rwanda on the first leg of his fiveday, three-nation tour of Africa that will also take him to Uganda and South Africa.

Modi will be India’s first prime minister to visit Rwanda, where he will gift 200 locally sourced cows to a village as a contribution to President Paul Kagame’s flagship programme Girinka — under which the poorest get cows from the government and gift the first female calf to a neighbour to promote brotherhood.

“Embarking on a momentous journey to strengthen our historical bond with Africa!,” external affairs ministry spokesperson Raveesh Kumar tweeted.

From Rwanda, Modi will reach Uganda on July 24 in what will be the first bilateral visit by an Indian PM to that country in 21 years. From there, he will reach South Africa on July 25 where he will attend this year’s BRICS Summit. Cooperation in defence and agriculture will be the priorities during his bilateral visits to Rwanda and Uganda.

Ahead of Modi’s departure, TS Tirumurti, secretary (economic relations) in the external affairs ministry, said India will open its first mission in Rwanda very soon. India’s current High Commissioner to Rwanda has residence in Kampala, Uganda.

The two countries will sign two $100 million lines of credit - one for industrial parks and another for agriculture and irrigation. “We expect to extend two lines of credit for the first time to Uganda of $141 million regarding electricity lines and sub-stations and $64 million for agriculture and dairy production,” Tirumurti said.

(With IANS inputs)

NEWDELHI:Prime