Beijing (PTI) For the first time, India has extended a helping hand to China by participating in its poverty-alleviation project by setting up a state-of-the-art training-cum-information centre for thousands of farmers in a relatively backward and mountainous northwestern region.

"This is the first-ever poverty-alleviation project in China where the Government of India has participated, demonstrating our earnest willingness to support each other's development effort and benefit the common citizens of the two countries," the Indian Embassy here said.

The centre was formally inaugurated by Indian Ambassador to China, Nirupama Rao and Chairman of the Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region (NHAR) People's Government Wang Zhengwei at a ceremony in Liangtian township near the regional capital city of Yinchuan on Saturday.

The facility, housed in the premises of the Liangtian Vegetable Growers' Association, will be used by its members and other residents of the farming township of Liangtian.

The training-cum-information centre is meant to serve as a network-based platform for the farming community to access information efficiently and quickly about latest farming techniques, cropping and marketing trends as well as to attain necessary technical and managerial skills.

A network of 15 computer terminals has been established for this purpose, which will be available for free use by farmers, the Embassy said in a press release.