The photo of two leaders responsible for the Indo-Norwegian Project (INP) in India. On the right side is Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru of India, and on the left – with garlands – Norwegian Prime Minister Einar Gerhardsen and his wife. The latter had arrived on November 27, 1958, at Palam Indian Air Force Station in New Delhi for a courtesy visit.
Prime Minister Nehru headed the first post-Independence government of India and played a major role in defining its development pathway. His concerns were at least twofold: being convinced that the Indian economy needed to be drastically modernised, he was upgrading heavy industry. At the same time, famines were still afflicting India regularly, and he was therefore committed to a ‘grow more food campaign’. In his view, the country’s fisheries also required modernisation, and fish was in short supply. Norway was considered an outstanding fisheries nation, and the Indian government was, therefore, eager to have Norwegian experts play a role in the modernisation of the Indian fisheries.
Credit: The Times of India Group
