Caribbean News
Jamaica Looking to Gain Technical Knowledge from India for NIDS Build Out
#Jamaica, June 14, 2022 – Minister without Portfolio in the Office of the Prime Minister, Hon. Floyd Green, says Jamaica is looking to benefit from technical cooperation with India as the island builds out the National Identification System (NIDS). He was speaking with JIS News following a courtesy call by President of the Republic of India, His Excellency Hon. Ram Nath Kovind, on Prime Minister, the Most Hon. Andrew Holness, at the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM) on Monday (May 16), .
Minister Green said he expects that the President’s four-day State visit to the island, which began on Sunday (May 15), will deepen the relationship between the countries.
“Clearly, from where I sit in terms of digitisation, we will be speaking to India in relation to how we can strengthen the capacity of Jamaica, especially around things like our National Identification System,” he told JIS News.
“India has undertaken the biggest national identification system in the entire world. They were one of the first to [embark on] a unique identifier and capturing of biometric data. A lot of what we are already doing models and takes learning from [what] was done in India,” he shared.
Noting that the South Asian country boasts one of the largest national identification systems in the world, Minister Green said the sharing of technical knowledge will assist in advancing Jamaica’s progress in this area.
“We have started a lot of these discussions in areas of India’s expertise, but in terms of practical application, we are getting that now,” he pointed out.
The courtesy call by the Indian President included the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), which will provide for training through Jamaica’s Foreign Service Institute.
President Kovind is the first President of India to visit Jamaica. He is accompanied by First Lady Savita Kovind and other officials.
The State visit coincides with Jamaica’s 60th Independence celebrations and marks 60 years of diplomatic relations between Jamaica and India.
Contact: Rochelle Williams
Release: JIS