NATIONAL 4 - (Spotlight Weekly)

"The Fair Will Help Further The Nepal-India Trade"

— Rathi Vinaya Jha

RATHI VINAYA JHA, Chairman and Managing Director of India Trade Promotion Organization (ITPO), has worked with different ministries in India including Commerce, Textiles, Agriculture and Power. Jha who belongs to Indian Administrative Service was additional secretary before joining as CMD at ITPO. Jha spoke to media on Monday. Excerpts:

What does Indian Trade Promotion Organization (ITPO) do?

IPTO is active in providing services to trade and industry and acts as a catalyst for growth of India's trade. One of the prime roles of the organization is to hold trade fairs. More than 95 industrial houses are participating in the trade fair in Nepal. We have already organized three India Trade fair successfully in Nepal.

What will Nepal benefit from the fair?

First of all, the fair will show Nepalese people how rapid the progress is being made by Indian in almost every spheres including high technology, engineering equipment and in many categories of consumer goods. With the opening up of the Indian economy, India has made tremendous progress. With the progressive developments in the economic sectors in both the countries, the two neighbors can gain widely through technology exchange and bilateral trade. It will also help to further India-Nepal trade.

What are the highlights of the ongoing fair?

One of the major highlights of the Indian Trade Exhibition-2000 is that it will bring agro-based products, farm equipment and food products along with the irrigation and multi-purpose projects. The exhibit category and types have been carefully presented to address the emerging needs of Nepalese imports and industrial collaborators.

As a leading country of the world in the Information Technology, will it encourage Indian IT sector to invest in Nepal?

It will also help Indian IT sector to understand Nepalese market. If they find it feasible here, they will definitely come. As Indian businesses have already invested over 22 billion Nepalese rupees in 180 joint ventures, it will open many more new options. The exhibition opens up new horizons of partnership and linkages between Nepal and India for mutual benefit and for addressing broad issues of socio-economic development, rural upliftment, accelerating the pace of industrialization and employment generation.

How do you see the response from industrial sector?

I have seen extremely positive signs from both sides of the country. India and Nepal have enjoyed strong bonds of friendship and cooperation in the areas of trade and commerce, culture, science and technology and education.