NEW DELHI: India has expressed interest in getting cheetahs from Kenya. This proposal was mooted by the environment ministry on Wednesday during the state visit of Kenyan President Dr William Samoei Ruto to India.
"Details of the number of cheetahs that India wants and the number that Kenya can provide and the timeline haven’t been talked about yet. But yes, the environment ministry has asked for cheetahs," said an official from the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA). There are 15 surviving cheetahs in Kuno National Park.
Meanwhile, India and Kenya signed five MoUs on agriculture, healthcare and other sectors. There were talks on maritime security, collaboration in space, healthcare and education. Kenya has decided to join the Global Biofuels Alliance, Big Cats Alliance and International Solar Alliance.
"I am glad that Kenya has decided to join the Global Biofuels Alliance, Big Cat Alliance and International Solar Alliance. We will be able to strengthen the global efforts for conservation of big cats," said Prime Minister, Narendra Modi.
India has decided to give $100 million additional line of credit to Kenya for agricultural projects which includes support through providing machinery. This brings the total line of credit to $250 million.
President Ruto met PM Modi and President Draupadi Murmu during his visit.
"India and Kenya are unanimous that terrorism is the most serious challenge to humanity. In this regard, we have decided to increase mutual cooperation in the field of counter-terrorism," said PM Modi.
Meanwhile, President Ruto commended India's digital advancements, announcing Kenya's intention to sign agreements in the digital space. He revealed that Kenya's Minister of Information and Communication Technology visited India to learn about digital ID and government service digitization. Ruto praised India's achievements, particularly in leveraging technology for effective governance.
MoUs
Memorandum of Understanding between the Government of the Republic of Kenya and the Government of the Republic of India on cooperation in sports
Memorandum of Understanding between the Government of the Republic of India and the Government of the Republic of Kenya on Cooperation in the Field of Sharing Successful Digital Solutions Implemented at Population Scale for Digital Transformation
Culture Exchange Programme between the Government of the Republic of India and the Government of the Republic of Kenya for a period of 2023-27
Memorandum of Understanding between Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) and Kenyan Bureau of Standards (KEBS)
Memorandum of Understanding between Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) and the Open University of Kenya (OUK)