IMPHAL, Nov 11 ? An International Business Information Centre (South Asia) is being opened by the Indo-Myanmar Friendship Chambers of Commerce and Indo-Myanmar Friendship Tourist Centre (IMFTC) from November 24 at Moreh, India?s gateway to the South East Asian countries.
The opening of the new centre is being coincided with the Indo- Asean car rally that will also be stopover at this border town and will be started at this international trade centre, a statement signed by Moreh-based IMFTC managing director M Indrasen Singh said.
The rally which will be flagged off by the Prime Minister Dr Manmohon Singh on November 22 in Guwahati will be divided into three parts viz: International leg, India leg and Manipur leg. The rally is to be participated by 150 cars which will pass through three north-eastern states ? Assam, Nagaland and Manipur and will finally reach at Batam in Indonesia on December 11 after crossing several countries, including Myanmar, Thailand, and Laos.
The statement said that the centre will try to give all information about trade liberalization, border trace and trade policies of ASEAN countries. Details of steps taken up by Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) will be informed to the people. It was agreed between India and ASEAN countries to increase trade volume by three times within three years. The Indo-Myanmar trade started since 1995 at Moreh is increasing its volume of trade which stood at $ 411.12 in 2003 and this year so far trade has been encouraging.
Awareness programmes will also be taken up by the centre. The centre will try to make India stop looking at the region at an acute angle and see the region from a broader perspective. The two organizations had sent a team from Manipur to take part in the ?Made in India? show held at Yangon Trade Centre, Yangon, Myanmar in February last.
At present, Indo-Myanmar trade is being carried out through the border town of Moreh in Manipur?s Chandel district on 22 listed items. Food items, ready made garments and other forest produce are mainly traded between the two countries through this border town.