NEW DELHI: India and Afghanistan will hold a mega trade & investment show in Delhi between Sep 27-30 facilitated by the US in the backdrop of Donald Trump's call to the Modi government to expand socio-economic projects for the Afghans.

 

The show will feature Afghan entities from agriculture, health, education, and energy sectors seeking trade and investment opportunities with India, according to persons familiar with the matter. CEOs from major Indian companies will also be participating, and thematic panel sessions on relevant topics will be held throughout the event.

 

Afghanistan is being assisted by United States Agency for International Development for this trade and investment show aimed at developing stronger India-Afghanistan relations by forging business deals for Afghan products such as produce, spices, carpets and gems and connecting Indian investors with afghan companies and government entities in the eIndiaducation, healthcare, infrastructure, energy and agricultural sectors.

 

This comes close on the heels of Indo-Afghan decision to launch New Development Partnership involving 116 new High Impact Development Projects that would be jointly implemented in the suburban and rural communities in 31 provinces of landlocked country.

 

However, USA is not the only P-5 nation that India is engaging to safeguard its interest in Afghanistan. Close on the heels of investment meet Russian Presidential Envoy on Afghanistan Zamir Kabulov will visit Delhi in October to take forward PM Narendra Modi and President Vladimir Putin dialogue in Xiamen on Sep 4 that also focussed on Indo-Russian cooperation to stabilise the landlocked country. Russia has revived its interest in Afghanistan since it pulled out from there in 1989 owing to rowing network of terror groups in the Eurasian region.

 

India will assist in Shatoot dam and drinking water supply project for Kabul, low cost housing for returning refugees, water supply network for Charikar city and polyclinic in Mazar-e-Sharif, Gypsum board manufacturing plant in Kabul to promote value added industr among slew of projects planned for Afghanistan. This was announced by Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj after second Indo-Afghan Strategic Partnership Council meeting with her counterpart Salahuddin Rabbani here on Sep 11.

 

India’s focus will continue on building governance and democratic institutions; human resource capacity and skill development, including in the areas of education, health, agriculture, energy, administration, application of remote sensing in resource management and space technology in governance. India has so far extended $ three bn aid to Afghanistan since the fall of Taliban in 2001.

 

India has introduced a liberal visa regime, especially for Afghan businessmen. The bilateral Motor Vehicles Agreement for the Regulation of Passenger, Personal and Cargo Vehicular Traffic and Indo-Iran-Afghan trilateral pact for use of Chabahar Port are expected to boost Indo-Afghan business in a big way. Road, Transport and Shipping Minister Nitin Gadkari's recent visit to Tehran has expedited work on Chabahar Port project and its transit links. It is no secret that Indo-Afghan trade has been largely impacted by Pakistan's intransigence that has only been partially addressed through recently opened Delhi-Kabul air corridor.

 

 

 

 

 

Soures : economictimes.indiatimes.com