Cabinet nod for CIRDAP centre in India

New Delhi, March 31 : The Union Cabinet on Friday approved setting up of an establishment of a Centre on Integrated Rural Development for Asia and the Pacific (CIRDAP) in India.

The decision was taken by the cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi here, a cabinet communique said, adding an agreement will be signed by CIRDAP and Ministry of Rural Development for establishment of a CIRDAP centre at the premises of National Institute of Rural Development and Panchayati Raj (NIRD&PR), Hyderabad.

"CIRDAP centre would give NIRD&PR an advantage of having first-hand knowledge of networking with organisations specialised in rural development programmes ... The faculty of the NIRD&PR and the Ministry officials would benefit from exchange visits to the best practices in the CIRDAP member countries," it said .

Coming into existence in 1979 and supported by the United Nations, it is has 15 member countries of the Asia Pacific region comprising Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Fiji, India, Indonesia, Iran, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Vietnam. Bangladesh is the host state of CIRDAP.