Sitharaman to visit Myanmar with Indian CEOs

The Dollar Business Bureau

In order to boost economic and trade ties between India and Myanmar, India’s Minister of Commerce and Industry, Nirmala Sitharaman, will lead a 25-member delegation of businessmen to Myanmar.

"After the recent change of government in Myanmar, Nirmala Sitharaman will be the first Indian minister to visit the country. The Minister will head a high level delegation of CEOs from May 18th to 20th, 2016," according to an official statement.

She will take part in the India-Myanmar Business Conclave to be held in Yangon. The conclave is being organised by New Delhi as part of its 'Act East' strategy.

The 25-member delegation includes Arundhati Bhattacharya (State Bank of India), Madhu Kannan (Tata Sons), Naushad Forbes (President, CII), Rakesh Mittal (Bharti Enterprises), and Shobana Kamineni (Apollo Hospitals), among others.

Prominent business heads from Myanmar, comprising several ministers, shall also take part in the conclave, the statement informed.

During the visit, the Indian delegation is likely to discuss opportunities in various sectors such as agriculture, education, finance, health, information technology (IT), manufacturing and employment, SEZs, and industrial zones.

The Indian Commerce Minister is also scheduled to meet several ministers in the new government of Myanmar including Than Myint, Minister for Commerce and U KhinMaung Cho, Minister for Industry.

In 2014-15, the bilateral trade between the two countries was recorded at $2 billion.