April 09, 2002

       The Minister of State for Small Scale Industries, Smt. Vasundhara Raje today inaugurated the Exhibition, ‘Enterprise India 2002’ at Almaty, Kazakhstan. Speaking on the occasion, the Minister said that the series of Enterprise India exhibitions, earlier held in Durban and Windhoek, have been an unqualified success. The Minister said that more than 1300 business enquiries worth 43 million US dollars were generated in these exhibitions. The Minister said that the success of these shows spurred India to take these initiatives to other parts of the world.

        Commenting on the future of Indo-Kazakhstan cooperation, the Minister said that there is a huge untapped potential for increasing bilateral cooperation between the two countries. Though trade between the two countries is mainly confined to traditional commodities there is negligible investment by either country. An inter-governmental joint commission has already been set up by the two Governments to provide an impetus to bilateral trade and economic aNd scientific cooperation. India has extended to Kazakhstan a line of credit of 10 million US dollars to be utilized for joint venture projects in the sectors of food processing and pharmaceuticals. The Minister stressed the need to focus on our strengths and in sectors relevant to each other. While India has made major strides in information technology and Kazakhstan can benefit from, Kazakhstan has considerable expertise in the area of oil and gas that India can learn from, added the Minister.

        Smt. Raje said that globally, small and medium industries have been recognized as crucial to the growth of national economies. They form a critical link in the industrial supply chains. Small industries are even more important for the employment generation potential and the world is increasingly beginning to realize this. She expressed her hope that this Exhibition will give an impetus to further trade delegations and business contacts between the two peoples. She said that the exhibition, Enterprise India-2002, showcases the Indian SME sector. She expressed her confidence that this Exhibition will also provide a fillip to Indo-Kazakh relations in the SME sector.