Phnom penh: An Information Technology Centre was inaugurated at Samdech Preah Mahasangharajah Bour Kry University (SBKU) on November 15 with the support of the Government of India under the Quick Impact Project (QIP) scheme of the Mekong-Ganga Cooperation (MGC). The event was attended by His Eminence Vong Aneta, Deputy Chief of Dhamma Yuttika Nikaya and Chief Monk of Kandal Province, as well as H.E. Sok Chenda Sophea, Deputy Prime Minister of Cambodia, H.E. Vanlalvawna Bawitlung, Ambassador of India to Cambodia, along with Most Venerable Monks, distinguished guests, faculty members, and students.

According to Agence Kampuchea Presse, under the Mekong-Ganga Cooperation framework, India implements 10 Quick Impact Projects (QIPs) annually in Cambodia, focusing on priority sectors such as education, health, women’s empowerment, sanitation, and agriculture. To date, 64 QIPs have been sanctioned in Cambodia by India, with 47 successfully completed and 17 currently in progress.

In his remarks, Ambassador Vanlalvawna Bawitlung emphasized that the establishment of the IT Centre demonstrates India’s ongoing commitment to supporting Cambodia’s educational development and strengthening the longstanding bonds of friendship between the two countries. He noted that Buddhism has historically served as a spiritual and cultural bridge between India and Cambodia, making the inauguration of a technology centre within a Buddhist university particularly significant. The Centre aims to equip monks, teachers, and students with essential digital skills, expand access to global learning resources, and facilitate the integration of traditional knowledge with modern technology.

The Ambassador also highlighted India’s past support in establishing IT Centres at Preah Sihanoukraja Buddhist University in Phnom Penh, its Battambang branch, and at Preah Sihamoniraja Buddhist University, thereby contributing to a growing network of digital learning hubs that foster technological empowerment and enhance Buddhist scholarship in Cambodia.