MOSCOW: The Indian National Trade Fair, being organised by the India Trade Promotion Organisation (ITPO), will take place February 17-21. "The fair will showcase India's diversity and strength in products and services in a large scale," said J. Vasudevan, chairman and managing director of ITPO. "With the participation of more than 200 captains of Indian industry and export houses, the exhibition will be the largest trade fair in post-Soviet Moscow." The industrial achievements of Gujarat and Karnataka would be the highlights of the exhibition. Karnataka is home to India's IT and bio-technology industry while Gujarat accounts for 18 percent of India's exports with a strong presence in sectors like oil, natural gas, pharmaceuticals, textiles, chemicals and gems. The two are also the pioneers among Indian states in augmenting cooperation with Russian regions. Gujarat is engaged in bolstering relations with Russia's oil-rich Astrakhan region. Its capital, Astrakhan city, on the Caspian Sea is destined to be the hub of commercial activity in the coming years. The international transport corridor would boost India's trade with the Middle East, Russia and other Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) countries as it reduces the transportation time and cost by almost half. Gujarat and Astrakhan are enhancing bilateral cooperation in a number of areas under a special agreement signed by Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi and Astrakhan Governor Vladimir Gujbin last year. Similarly, Karnataka and Russia's highly industrialised region of Samara are set to strengthen bilateral ties under an accord signed during President Vladimir Putin's visit to India in December 2002. Indian market leaders will exhibit a wide range of Indian products and services. Apart from the traditional items, engineering goods, consumer durables, hardware, machinery, packaging material, audio and video equipments, gems, jewellery, processed food, chemicals and knowledge-based industry products will be exhibited. "India, through the exhibition, would focus mutual cooperation in areas like design, technology and infrastructure projects," Vasudevan said. A delegation led by former Karnataka industry minister R.V. Deshpande and comprising of senior officials of the two states is currently in Moscow to make preparations ahead of the trade fair. "We had discussions with leaders of the Russian Chamber of Industry and Trade and Russian Union of industrialists and entrepreneurs," Deshpande told IANS. "Our preparations will leave no stone unturned to make the exhibition a grand success in terms of creating awareness about India's potential and providing impetus to bilateral economic relations."
Source: IANS