Indian commerce minister due in city April 26
Badrul Ahsan | Monday, 4 April 2011
Badrul Ahsan
Indian Commerce and Industry Minister Anand Sharma is due to arrive in the capital on April 26 for a two-day official visit to boost bilateral trade and investment, foreign ministry sources said. "We are yet to finalise the modus operandi of the discussions. We expect that the two next-door neighbours will discuss issues of mutual interest relating to trade and business," the director general (DG) of South Asia desk of the ministry, Mashfi Binte Sham, said. Dhaka is eager to submit a 'wish list' to the Indian minister for discussion during the upcoming meeting between the two countries, a high official of the ministry of commerce (MoC) said. Four major areas is expected to come up in the bilateral discussion that include elimination of trade barriers, increase of export volume to north-eastern Indian states with duty-free market access for 61 Bangladesh items and implementation of the Border Haat Agreement. India is willing to enter in services sector, banking, insurance, construction and health areas of Bangladesh, a top trade official said. The sources said New Delhi a few months back sent a 'request list' to the MoC in this connection for consideration under the SAARC Agreement on Trade in Services. It has sought government's policy decision on Indian investment in major areas of business in the country's services sector, the sources added. The areas are: accounting, auditing, urban planning, medical and dental services, advertising, electronic media, rail transport, pipeline transport, construction and related engineering services and investment in the country's financial sector.The two-way trade deficit was $ 2,953.09 million in favour of India in the 2009-10 fiscal year when Bangladesh exported goods worth $ 260.61 million to India against her imports of $ 3,213.7 million.
Indian Commerce and Industry Minister Anand Sharma is due to arrive in the capital on April 26 for a two-day official visit to boost bilateral trade and investment, foreign ministry sources said. "We are yet to finalise the modus operandi of the discussions. We expect that the two next-door neighbours will discuss issues of mutual interest relating to trade and business," the director general (DG) of South Asia desk of the ministry, Mashfi Binte Sham, said. Dhaka is eager to submit a 'wish list' to the Indian minister for discussion during the upcoming meeting between the two countries, a high official of the ministry of commerce (MoC) said. Four major areas is expected to come up in the bilateral discussion that include elimination of trade barriers, increase of export volume to north-eastern Indian states with duty-free market access for 61 Bangladesh items and implementation of the Border Haat Agreement. India is willing to enter in services sector, banking, insurance, construction and health areas of Bangladesh, a top trade official said. The sources said New Delhi a few months back sent a 'request list' to the MoC in this connection for consideration under the SAARC Agreement on Trade in Services. It has sought government's policy decision on Indian investment in major areas of business in the country's services sector, the sources added. The areas are: accounting, auditing, urban planning, medical and dental services, advertising, electronic media, rail transport, pipeline transport, construction and related engineering services and investment in the country's financial sector.The two-way trade deficit was $ 2,953.09 million in favour of India in the 2009-10 fiscal year when Bangladesh exported goods worth $ 260.61 million to India against her imports of $ 3,213.7 million.