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Former Indian Minister for Information and Broadcasting Manish Tiwari visited the Indo-Canada Chamber of Commerce (ICCC)’s headquarters last week to confabulate with the Chamber’s leadership about the future direction of the Canada-India bilateral relations.
Mr. Sanjay Makkar, President, ICCC, welcomed Mr. Tiwari to the Chamber and briefed him of the new direction the Chamber has taken with a focus on creating opportunities for Indo- Canadians small businesses.
The ICCC President said the Chamber was committed to forging more meaningful trade relations between Canada and India, and would be in the forefront of advocating for a swifter conclusion on the negotiations on CEPA. Mr. Makkar then cited the recent report published by the Centre for International Policy Studies of the University of Ottawa titled ‘Canada and the World – New Direction for Canada’s International Policy’.
The report specifies that the potential of Canada’s relationship with India has to go a long way. It advocated for speedier conclusion of the CEPA. One of the reasons for the slow progress, according to the report, is due to a wide range of commercial barriers, including India’s complex regulatory framework for imports of farm products and burdensome corporate tax rules that make it a challenging destination for business.
Mr. Makkar informed the former Indian federal minister that the Chamber had, in the last six months, renewed its strong linkages with Indian government by working intricately with the High Commission of India in Ottawa and the Consulate General of India in Toronto. Mr. Makkar further informed the former minister that the Chamber had actively promoted opportunities for business and investment in India through organizations such as FICCI, CII and Assocham.
One of the unique aspects of the new leadership of the Chamber, Mr. Makkar emphasized to the visiting dignitary was that each of the committees of the Chamber that is engaged in promoting different spheres and sectors of the economy was headed by a sector expert. This made the process of guiding the Chamber’s activities and taking it to a new level in terms of output and results.
Mr. Tiwari expressed satisfaction at the good work that the ICCC’s new team had undertaken to promote trade through the India trade mission in January 2016. He assured the Chamber’s leadership of cooperation during the India mission. Mr. Makkar informed Mr. Tiwari that the India Mission 2016 would promote SME relations as most of the members are from the SME sector. Among the key sectors that the mission would promote included education, skills development, advanced technologies, cooperation in sanitation.
ICCC’s directors Mr. Ajay Tandon, Mr. Kanwar Dhanjal, and Mr. Pappur Shankar were present during the confabulations, as were members of the Chamber’s SME committee Mr. Sanjay Brahmbhatt.
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| Mr. Makkar & Mr. Dhanjal in conversation with Mr. Tiwari |
Mr. Makkar welcoming Mr. Tiwari
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