Will Indian Prime Minister Modi's generous gesture to CARICOM  bring  meaningful fruits to the people in the region? His "7 pillars for cooperation" plan with the four million people of CARICOM countries, abutting the Caribbean Sea, signal a new awakening to the 15 members of the regional group which has been functional for some 51 years. Is it another Caribbean Basin Initiative (CBI) which was initiated by the United States and now lies in the scrapyard of history?

This is perhaps for the first time since India’s Independence in August 1947 that India has stepped out to the Caribbean and offered such a cooperation plan aimed at regional development  and stronger ties. History would record that during the Covid 19 pandemic, Prime Minister Narendra Modi handsomely  donated in excess of 400,000 doses of vaccine, including to Trinidad and Tobago, which went on begging knees to India and he responded quickly to donate 40,000 doses to save the twin-island country from the dreaded health emergency.

It is worth mentioning  that the seven pillars of support which Modi enumerated at the India-CARICOM summit at Georgetown, Guyana, underscored India’s commitment to empowering CARICOM nations through innovation, technology, and shared resources. These were spelt out through the CARICOM acronym as: C – Capacity Building;  A – Agriculture and food security; R – Renewable energy and climate change; I – Innovation and technology; C – Cricket and culture; O – Ocean economy and maritime security; and  M – Medicines and healthcare. These included, among others, 1,000 IT scholarships; a regional forensic center; scholarships for advancing women's cricket; partnerships in maritime security to combat piracy and trafficking; support in affordable medicines and telehealth service; and holding Bollywood and other Indian film festivals. 

India would work with CARICOM to provide online training in technology, administration, law and education, and training for parliamentarians, agriculture, food security, renewable energy and climate change, with great focus solar energy, technology and trade.

First PM visit in 56 years

Modi elicited a lot of smiles as he spoke about the common passion for cricket and cinema that links India with the Caribbean, especially T20 cricket, and called for the enhancement of women’s cricket.  Modi underlined the effectiveness of yoga and suggested that yoga be part of the school curriculum as India would be willing to send yoga teachers and trainers. 

Modi came to Guyana at the invitation of Guyana’s President Irfaan Ail for a three-day stay in a country that has discovered a lot of oil wealth.  The late Indira Gandhi was the first and only Indian prime minister to visit Guyana in 1968 when she made a whirlwind visit to Trinidad and Tobago as well. Modi receive Guyana’s highest honour, The Honour of Excellence, the Honorary Freedom Honour of Barbados’ and Dominica’s Award of Honour.

Trinidad and Tobago’s Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley, Barbados Prime Minister Mia Mottley and CARICOM chairman Grenadian Prime Minister Dickson Mitchell were among the long list of Caribbean leaders who attended the summit in Georgetown.

New dimension to India-CARICOM ties

In the years gone by India was known for its religious and cultural assets by people in the Caribbean, but Prime Minister Modi with this initiative has given a new dimension to India-Caribbean ties through a  developmental agenda. It is hoped that CARICOM would be able set up the mechanisms required to get this cooperation agenda going. Is it that India is now demonstrating its readiness to take on American and Chinese frontiers aimed at becoming a leader of the Global South if not a world power?

According to a India Briefing paper, the Caribbean region’s strategic location serves as a gateway to North and South American markets, making it a crucial trade partner for India. With historical ties through a vibrant Indian diaspora in countries like Guyana, Trinidad and Tobago, and Suriname, these relationships provide a strong foundation for expanding bilateral trade. India’s active participation in renewable energy projects and the International Solar Alliance further positions it as a reliable partner for CARICOM nations, addressing their energy security needs while fostering sustainable economic growth.

(The author is a Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago-based journalist and consultant. Views are personal. He can be contacted at paras_ramoutar@yahoo.com)