Media Lunch at Indian Consulate Chiang Mai

October 27

Local Media were invited to a lunch at the Consulate General of India, Chiang Mai. The occasion was to mark the 50th Anniversary of the Consulate, which also coincides with the 75th anniversary year of India’s independence, which is being celebrated as Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav. Catering was supplied by Feen Caffeine Café & Bistro. The Consul of India, Krishna Chaitanya explained to the press gathered, how India has improved since independence: 1. The progress achieved by India regarding GDP: While the annual average growth of GDP and GDP Per Capita was 0.9 percent and 0.1 percent during the five decades prior to Independence, the same increased to 4.32 and 2.24 percent respectively during the next fifty years and further to 7.6 and 6 percent during the first decades i=of this century. 2. The rapid economic progress was reflected in remarkable improvement in quality of life of the people. While Life expectancy has gone up from 32.1 years in 1950-51 to to 69.7 years in 2020-21, Infant mortality rate has declined from 180 to 29; the death rate has declined from 43.7 to 7.3 and Literacy Rate has gone up from 18.43 percent to 74.37 percent. 3. The socio-economic progress is reflected in remarkable achievements in science & technology. Besides IT hub of the world, India has become the pharmacy of the world, broke new grounds in space technology and Artificial Intelligence and shared the fruits of its achievements with the world. 4. The rapid vaccination in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic is the latest example of India’s harnessing of its scientific power for the benefit of the mankind. India’s cumulative vaccination coverage has crossed 1030 million and this vaccination campaign is being carried out with two indigenously produced vaccines, one of which is developed in India. India has also developed the world’s first DNA based vaccine – ZyCoV-D. A nasal vaccine is also under trial. 5. Even as India stared at a momentous task of vaccinating its huge population, it supplied six million vaccines to 95 countries while launching its vaccination drive at home. Now it has again resumed providing vaccines to the rest of the world. Earlier, it had provided COVID-19 related vaccines and equipments to many countries, including developed ones during the first wave. 6. Government of India has upgraded the Post of Consul in Chiangmai to Counsellor level and also sanctioned a post of Vice Consul at the Consulate of India who will look after Commerce, Culture and Education and this would further deepen our engagement with the 17 provinces of North Thailand. Mr Ramji Ramaswamy has already arrived in Bangkok to take over as Vice Consul and would be joining the Consulate at Chiangmai after completing his quarantine period. 7. As part of Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav, the Consulate last month launched an informal forum for arts, culture and ideas Chiangmai Chaupal. 8. The Consulate has also instituted an award for outstanding students/achievers from Indian Community within its Consular jurisdiction in the name of Late Lal Singh Pandhi, a freedom fighter based in Phrae who was associated with Indian National Army (INA). His descendants remember from family history that he was Vice President of Thailand Chapter of INA and worked as a Speech writer for Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, the Supreme Commander of INA and Head of State of the first Provisional Government of India formed in Singapore. The family business of Late Lal Singh Pandhi in Phrae known as ‘Universal’ used to contribute half of its profits to the INA and also used to arrange supplies for it.

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