The Bengal Chamber of Commerce and Industry organized a Business Delegation to Thimphu, Bhutan in association with The Bhutan Chamber of Commerce and Industry on 12th and 13th May 2015. Some meetings continued till 14th May.
It was a nineteen-member delegation led by Dr. Alok Roy, President, The Bengal Chamber of Commerce and Industry including three members from the Chamber Secretariat.
The delegation visited His Excellency Tshering Tobgay, Hon’ble Prime Minister of Bhutan on 13th May. The Hon’ble Prime Minister received the delegation very warmly. He observed that India is not only the closest neighbour of Bhutan but the most valued partner country as well. He also noted that growth of India and specifically West Bengal is crucial for the growth of Bhutan. He spoke fondly about Bhutan’s association with India and West Bengal and that Siliguri is truly the gateway to Bhutan. He made special emphasis on Bhutan’s reliance on West Bengal and Assam. He congratulated West Bengal on the success of the Global Bengal Business Summit on 7th and 8th January 2015 that was organized by the Government of West Bengal. Bhutan Chamber of Commerce and Industry participated in it through The Bengal Chamber. The Hon’ble Prime Minister informed the delegation that Smt. Mamata Banerjee, Hon’ble Chief Minister of West Bengal has been invited to Bhutan. Mr. D Karma Tsering Namgyal, Consul General of Bhutan in Kolkata was in touch with the Hon’ble Chief Minister’s office. The Hon’ble Prime Minister individually interacted with some of the delegates including Mr. Subrata Dutta, Director, The George Telegraph Group; Mr. Pradip Bhowmick, Partner, KPMG Advisory Services Pvt. Ltd.; Mr. Dhruv Bhalla, Vice President, Srei Infrastructure Finance Limited and Mr. Dibya Sankar Das, Managing Partner and Founder, Dellstar Overseas. Mr. Bhalla mentioned that his company, Srei, would be delighted to work with the Royal Government of Bhutan in the space of IT solutions and services for rural development. The Hon’ble Prime Minister mentioned to Mr. Subrata Dutta that vocational training would be a sector with great prospects in Bhutan.
The Hon’ble Prime Minister was invited to launch the Confederation of Eastern Chambers of Commerce and Industry (CECCI), spearheaded by The Bengal Chamber to bring the Chambers of Commerce in the ‘East’ (spanning the Eastern and North Eastern States and those from the eastern neighbours of India) together and create a common platform for the greater benefit of the common membership and industry and business at large. The forum would be utilized for B2B networking, communicating with the local Governments, experience / best practices sharing and even for addressing day-to-day operational issues faced by the cross-section of the membership who might need a helping hand from Partner Chambers while transacting business in neighbouring States and/or Countries. The Hon’ble Prime Minister indicated that Kolkata would be an ideal venue to organize such a programme. He also mentioned that he thought about Kolkata not because he had special connection with West Bengal as he had studied in Darjeeling but that he believed that the city had the potential to connect the ‘East’.
Ms. Nina Tshering La, Counsellor, Embassy of India in Thimpu, Bhutan accompanied the delegation in the meeting.
The delegation also visited His Excellency Lyonpo Norbu Wangchuk, Hon’ble Minister of Economic Affairs, Royal Government of Bhutan on 13th May 2015. The Hon’ble Minister shared his thoughts with the delegates. He highlighted that India-Bhutan relationship is at its peak. The cooperation has set a standard for the entire world. The foundation stone of the 600MW Kholongchu Hydro- electric project, a joint venture between India and Bhutan was laid by Shri Narendra Modi, Hon’ble Prime Minister of India. Bhutan and India now produce the cheapest and cleanest energy, said the Minister. Geographically, Bhutan is the best place for setting up such projects. The good governance of the Royal Government of Bhutan made it possible for it to be accomplished in record time. He observed that the people in Bhutan have a close affinity towards the people of West Bengal, Bhutan’s closest neighbour. The two countries share a Free Trade Agreement. The focus sectors of Bhutan are Education, Infrastructure, IT, Health, Mining amongst others. Bhutan has a high rate of ease of doing business. The Royal Government of Bhutan is committed to simplifying business processes for entrepreneurs and corporates alike. IT infrastructure and IT applications would play an important role in this procedure. The Minister spoke about this while responding to a query made by KPMG. Mr. Subrata Dutta proposed that George Telegraph would be delighted to be a Partner of the Government in the area of Skill Development. The partnership would ensure that the youth in Bhutan is trained with skills relevant to the industry. He was advised to submit a proposal to the Ministry of Labour and Human Resources. The Minister emphasized the importance of a close connection between the Government and the Industry. Accessibility would play an important role in this regard. The Minister ensured all investors would be provided personalized assistance for business in Bhutan.
The delegates had a lengthy discussion with Ms. Nina Tshering La on the 13th before meeting the Hon’ble Prime Minister and Hon’ble Minister of Economic Affairs. Ms. Nina Tshering La individually interacted with the delegates and advised on their scope of business in Bhutan. She mentioned that she had been in touch with Ms. Angana Guha Roy Chowdhury, Assistant Director, The Bengal Chamber and that she was happy that the Chamber had organized such a high level delegation. The economies of the two countries are well integrated. However, many Indian firms have reservations given the size of the market in Bhutan. The business collaborations are however increasing. There are 16 Indian FDIs in Bhutan.
She shared with the delegation in general and Mr. Subrata Dutta in particular that unemployment is an issue which needs to be addressed in Bhutan. Therefore, skill development and vocational training have great opportunities. Mr. Dutta observed that his Group would also be interested to invest in Bhutan if he had an investing partner. Mr. Dhruv Bhalla commented that he had fruitful discussions during the B2B Meetings on the previous day. They would be interested in smart grid, financing of equipments and IT services for rural development. Mr. N K Ghosal, Director, NKG & Associates enquired about the scope of IT audit. He was told that this would be of interest to the Government as compliance is an important issue. He was advised to get in touch with the Secretary and Director of Information and Communications Ministry. Mr. Bidyut Majumder of JIS Group of Educational Initiatives was informed that Joint Venture Projects in Education would have great prospects.
The delegates had the B2B Meetings on 12th May. The meeting was attended by Mr. Phub Tshering, Secretary General; Mr. Kesang Wangdi Deputy Secretary General and other senior members of the Bhutan Chamber. Mr. Tshenchok Thinlay, Executive Director, Bhutan Airlines was also present.
The Bengal Chamber is in discussions with Mr. D Karma Tsering Namgyal for organizing a Indo-Bhutan Golf Tournament in Kolkata where Golfers from Bhutan would participate. It was decided that a return programme would be organized in Bhutan where 20-25 golfers and industry captains would be invited. On this subject, Dr. Alok Roy had a meeting with the Bhutan Chamber and Col. Jambay Dorji, President, Bhutan Shooting Federation.
The programme concluded on 13th May 2015 with an MoU signing between the two Chambers. Mr. Ugen Tsechup Dorji, President, Bhutan Chamber of Commerce and Industry was present in the Concluding Programme and Networking Dinner. He mentioned that Bhutan may considered as the regional manufacturing hub.There are many areas in which the Bengal Chamber and Bhutan Chamber may work together.Import of vegetables and fruits from Bhutan to India is one such area.Bhutan could be the "vegetable basket" for the region.In fact,the country enjoyed such a climate that seasonal vegetables could be grown all through the year in diffrent locations.

THE DELEGATION INCLUDED :

Dr. Alok Roy

President

The Bengal Chamber of Commerce & Industry and Chairman, Medica Group of Hospitals

Mr. Subrata Dutta

Director

The George Telegraph Group

Mr. Pradip Bhowmick

Partner

KPMG Advisory Services Pvt Ltd

Mr. Dhruv Bhalla

VP

SREI Infrastructure Finance Limited

Mr. Pratin Kumar Khanra

Director, Operation

Saraswati Print Factory Pvt Ltd

Mr. Jagadananda Mahapatra

Director

Terrablock Machinery Pvt Limited, Bhubaneswar, Odisha

Mr. Sanjeev Mahapatra

Director

Terrablock Machinery Pvt Limited,Bhubaneswar, Odisha

Mr. Dipnarayan Sinha

Head-Strategic Relation

Mission of Mercy Hospital and Research Centre

Mr Partha Sarathi Modak

 

Mission of Mercy Hospital and Research Centre

Mr. Onkar Kakar

Senior Associate

PQR Consultants Pvt Ltd

Mr. N K Ghosal

Director

NKG & Associates

Mr. Dibya Sankar Das

Managing Partner and Founder

Dellstar Overseas

M. Tarini Prasad Mohanty

Propreitor

Hotel Valley, Odisha

Mr. Arpit Mohanty

Agent

Naibuga Iron and Minerals Mines

Mr. Bidyut Majumder

AGM

JIS Group of Educational Initiatives

Mr. Ankur Saraogi

Proprietor

Genesis Creation

Mr. Subhodip Ghosh

Deputy Director General

The Bengal Chamber of Commerce & Industry

Ms. Angana Guha Roy Chowdhury

Assistant Director

The Bengal Chamber of Commerce & Industry

Ms. Lopamudra Dutta

Assistant Director

The Bengal Chamber of Commerce & Industry