Trivandrum: A Memorandum of Understanding was signed between Kerala and the Netherlands for the Cosmos Malabaricus project which will help to further illustrate the history of Kerala in the 18th century and also, for the establishment of paint academies at Kollam and Malappuram. The agreement was signed in the presence of Chief Minister, Shri Pinarayi Vijayan and Netherlands Ambassador to India, Marten van den Berg, in Thiruvananthapuram today.
The Cosmos Malabaricas project is being implemented by the Kerala Council for Historical Research (KCHR) under the Department of Higher Education, the National Archives of the Netherlands and the University of Leiden. The project will be completed in six years.
The MoU for the establishment of the Paint Academy was signed by ASAP (Additional Skill Acquisition Programme), Indian Institute of Infrastructure & Construction, Kollam; CREDAI, Kerala and Axo Noble India Limited, the Indian subsidiary of a leading paint and chemical company in the Netherlands. The paint academy at the IIICC Campus at Chavara, Kollam will impart training in painting buildings while the academy at ASAP Skill Sky Park in Thavanur, Malappuram will train in painting vehicles. The aim is to train 380 people in the first year.
The Chief Minister said that it is our responsibility toward future generations to preserve historical events and documents. Dutch cooperation is also expected in areas such as floriculture and disaster management. The Chief Minister said that Kerala is preparing to become a quality learning centre in the higher education sector.
Ambassador Marten van den Berg said that the Netherlands has good relations with India, especially Kerala. Cosmos Malabaricus will help understand more about the political, social, economic and cultural history of Kerala. He added that the paint academy would provide employment to more young people.
As part of the Cosmos Malabaricas project, students from Kerala will get an opportunity to do an MA at Leiden University and the students from the Netherlands will get prospects for doing an internship at KCHR.
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