IDA-CII discusses Nepal-India Economic Partnership and Shared Prosperity
लगानी न्यूज
. Business leaders and policymakers from Nepal and India have participated in a high-level bilateral dialogue in Siliguri to further strengthen Nepal-India economic cooperation and promote regional shared prosperity.
The dialogue on “Strengthening Nepal-India Economic Partnership for Shared Prosperity” was co-hosted by the Asian Institute of Diplomacy and International Affairs (AIDA) and the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) North Bengal Zonal Council.TAG_OPEN_div_53 Opportunities for expanding economic cooperation through pragmatic and implementable policy initiatives, particularly between eastern Nepal and West Bengal of India, were discussed.
Inaugurating the dialogue, Vice President of Nepal-India Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Nikkei), Kunal Kayal, said that Nepal and India have unique economic and people-to-people relations in the world and stressed the need of further strengthening institutional cooperation to fully realize the full potential of bilateral economic potential.TAG_OPEN_div_51
Satish Mitruka, Chairman, CII North Bengal Zonal Council, suggested that such dialogues should be held regularly in Kathmandu and Siliguri to realize the huge potential between Nepal and India.TAG_OPEN_div_49
Amal Mondal, Vice President, CII North Bengal Zonal Council, Supratim (Raj) Basu of Rural Heritage Conservation Tourism and Sumit Sinha, Founder, Keynes Hospital highlighted the various opportunities that Nepal and India can achieve through collaboration, including tourism and medical education.TAG_OPEN_div_47
Shailaja Adhikari, Managing Director, IEC Group Nepal, Dr. K.V. Rajendran Nair, Principal, IIAS School of Management and Ashish Thakur, President of Glocal, expressed their views on the opportunities and possible collaborations between West Bengal and Nepal in the education sector.TAG_OPEN_div_45
Anil Kumar Shah, Senior Vice President of Morang Industries Association of Nepal, shared his experience and vision for the promotion of trade and tourism between East Nepal and West Bengal.TAG_OPEN_div_43
Facilitating the session, Laxmi Limbu Kaushal, Chairperson, Real Estate & Logistics, CII North Bengal Zonal Council, said, “This joint initiative between IDA and CII North Bengal is just the beginning.TAG_OPEN_div_41 “It will bring business leaders together so they can share experiences and move forward together,” she said. ”
In his concluding remarks, Member of the House of Representatives, Paras Mani Gelal, spoke about the role of his party and the Government of Nepal in promoting trade and economic relations as well as the initiatives taken by the incumbent government.TAG_OPEN_div_39 Stressing on the need for policy support, investment facilitation and stronger economic cooperation between Nepal and India, he urged Indian entrepreneurs to invest in Nepal. He said the present government is private sector-friendly and committed to creating environment conducive for investment.
Participants of the program pointed out the growing importance of the Nepal-West Bengal Economic Corridor and called for more investment in Nepal’s hydropower, tourism, agriculture, manufacturing industries and special economic zones.TAG_OPEN_div_37 Education, hospitality and healthcare sectors are the key priorities of Nepal-West Bengal economic and trade relations, and the participants pointed out the need for pragmatic solutions to the challenges of trade facilitation and further strengthening the partnership between the private sector.
The participants also discussed the strategic importance of Siliguri, describing it as an important gateway connecting Nepal, India’s north-eastern region, Bhutan and Bangladesh.TAG_OPEN_div_35 They also discussed ways to expand trade, investment, tourism and cross-border economic integration by leveraging the geographical advantage of the region.
} The dialogue concluded with a shared commitment to transform the discussion into practical partnership and investment opportunities, contributing to sustainable economic growth and regional prosperity.
According to Sunil KC, founder of IDA, it has been organizing Pristina Dialogue, Nepal-India Think Tank Summit and recently held ‘Consolidating Nepal-India Economic Partnership for Shared Prosperity’ program in Siliguri with the objective of promoting economic diplomacy.TAG_OPEN_div_32
Another important reason why Aida and CII North Bengal Zonal Council have organized such dialogues is that West Bengal has historically been one of the primary and committed sources of Indian investment in Nepal.TAG_OPEN_div_30 Headquartered in West Bengal, Surya Nepal, Asian Paints Nepal, Berger Paints Nepal and Dabur Nepal entered Nepal in the late 90s. And even today, these industries are established as trusted brands in Nepal. OBT Nepal, a recently launched foreign direct investment (FDI) project in Nepal, is also headquartered in West Bengal.
These companies have not only made profits but have also increased confidence in Nepal-India economic relations.TAG_OPEN_div_28
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