By IANS
New Delhi : In a bid to promote India’s northeast to foreign investors, a Northeast India Trade and Investment Week was started in Bangkok Monday.
Being held Oct 1-4 in the Thai capital, the event is being organised by the Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER). It is another step in the ministry’s efforts to woo Thai investors to aid development of the region.
Sectors identified as having potential for investment in the eight northeastern states of Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim and Tripura are infrastructure (road, rail, inland waterways, air connectivity and energy), food processing, tourism and hospitality, horticulture, handlooms and handicrafts, rubber and bamboo.
A ministry press release, however, added that these sectors were not exclusive. Those interested in tie-ups in information technology, private airlines or any other area have also been invited to participate.
Sector-wise interactive sessions as well as one-to-one interactions are being planned with a view to have meaningful parleys between the two sides, it added.
Minister for DoNER Mani Shankar Aiyar is leading a 70-member Indian delegation to the event. Also in the delegation are minister of state for industry Ashwani Kumar, chief ministers of most northeastern states and officials from ministries of commerce and industry, civil aviation, tourism, shipping and road transport.
Officials from central organisations and public sector undertakings like National Highways Authority of India, Inland Waterways Authority of India, National Hydroelectric Power Corporation, Power Grid Corporation of Indian, North Eastern Electric Power Corporation, Air India, Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority, Rubber Board and Spices Board are also in the delegation.
This apart, over 150 businessmen and representatives of companies are also participating in the event.
In April this year, Aiyar invited Thailand to be part of the development process in the northeastern region.
The minister made this call in the presence of Thailand’s minister for commerce Krirk-Krai Jirapaet, who was invited to grace the valedictory session of the Third Northeast Business Summit here as chief guest.
Following this, Jirapaet paid a four-day visit to the northeast in June, he and his delegation going to Assam, Meghalaya and Tripura, exploring investment opportunities.
Jirapaet and Thailand’s deputy minister of industry, Piyabutr Cholvijarn, along with more than 200 Thai businessmen, would attend the event.