India is in the process of extending its National Knowledge Network to all members of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) to allow students unimpeded access to digital libraries and network resources, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj said here on Wednesday.
At the groundbreaking ceremony of South Asian University (SAU) here, Ms. Swaraj said the Ministry was carrying out the instructions of the Prime Minister to have the university connect with at least one university in every SAARC nation.
“As Prime Minister [Narendra] Modi said in his speech at the 18th SAARC summit, India’s vision for the region rests on the pillars of trade, investment, assistance, cooperation, people-to-people contacts and connectivity. In the coming days and years, we will work assiduously to make the region more connected and more prosperous,” Ms. Swaraj said.
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At the 13th SAARC summit in Dhaka, India offered to host the SAU. The university, mooted as one dedicated to the region, has had its share of teething troubles, mainly on account of financial constraints.
While India has offered to pay the capital cost of $198 million for its establishment, apart from providing close to 40 hectares for the campus, Pakistan is yet to pay its share. In 2014, a Parliamentary Standing Committee asked the Ministry to expedite the process of seeking funds from Pakistan. Its report said the neighbouring nation owed $7.8 million towards the project since 2010.
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A SAU official told The Hindu that the issue had been raised with Pakistan and the process of reclaiming the dues initiated.
“All other members have been paying their share. We have taken up the issue with Pakistan, and it is being sorted out. Earlier, there used to be no representatives of Pakistan present on the governing board; that too has changed now,” the official said.