External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar today said India's development cooperation is based on freedom of choice and not conditionalities. He said India's development cooperation with partner countries is based on equality, mutual respect for sovereignty as well as freedom of choice, and not on competition, conditionalities or preions.<br />''<br />''<br />''Addressing an event to mark 55 years of the Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation in New Delhi, the Minister said the countries of the global south are important partners for India.<br />''<br />''He said India represents the aspirations of 6.3 billion people of the world. Dr Jaishankar added that Indian people's forefathers have struggled together against colonial bondages.<br />''<br />''The Minister said India's collective bilateral trade stands around 220 billion dollars today. Hailing the ITEC programme, he further stated that India's development cooperation and support to the cause of multilateralism flow from the philosophy of interconnectedness and interdependence which reflects a commitment to 'Vasudeva Kutumbakam.<br />''<br />''AIR correspondent reports, over the last 55 years, ITEC has been a vehicle to share India's vast and unique experience of growth and development through capacity building and training of more than 2,00,000 government officials and professionals from 160 partner countries of the global south in premier institutes of the country. <br />''<br />''<span style="color: #222222;">At the event, Dr Jaishankar launched the e-Vidya Bharti and e-Arogya Bharti — tele-education and telemedicine project for Africa, which is one of the largest projects being executed by his Ministry. </span><br />