The Punjab Agricultural Management and Extension Training Institute (PAMETI) organized a two-day ECHO (Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes) India Program Launch Training from January 20 to 21, 2026. The training marked an important milestone in PAMETI’s collaborative efforts with ECHO India to conduct online trainings and webinars, as well as to establish a dedicated PAMETI hub on the iECHO platform for systematic online trainings/webinars. ECHO India, a not-for-profit trust, is committed to improving well-being of communities through online platform.

The training programme aimed at strengthening capacity building and promoting collaborative learning among extension professionals through iECHO online platform. ATMA extension officials across the state along with PAMETI faculty participated in the program.

Mr. Sanjay Joshie, Vice President, ECHO India from New Delhi formally inaugurated the training and emphasized the ECHO model’s crucial role in connecting experts and field functionaries through virtually to address real-time challenges effectively.

Earlier, Dr K B Singh, Director PAMETI welcomed the ECHO India team and emphasized that the launch of the ECHO India Program would significantly contribute to capacity enhancement, effective knowledge dissemination, and improved service delivery in the agricultural and allied sectors.

The sessions from ECHO training team covered the objectives, curriculum development, strategic planning and implementation strategy of the ECHO India program along with detailed discussions on its role in improving advisory services, institutional linkages and continuous professional development. Interactive sessions facilitated meaningful discussions and improved participants’ understanding of the operational modalities of the ECHO platform.

Shri Ram Jatan Das, Manager, ECHO India and Ms. Bharti Madan, Deputy Director (IT), PAMETI played pivotal roles in the successful collaboration and organization of the program. Their coordination and technical support were instrumental in aligning the objectives of ECHO India with PAMETI’s capacity-building initiatives, ensuring smooth execution of the training sessions. Participants acknowledged the relevance and potential impact of the ECHO India initiative in supporting extension and development activities.