Bahrain-India Week to be held in December

New Delhi, Oct 15 (IANS) A Bahrain-India Week will be held in the Gulf kingdom in December this year to promote trade relations between the two countries.

Bahrain-India Week 2016 (BIW2016), starting from December 1, is being organised by India's Ministry of External Affairs and Bahrain's Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Tourism.

The Federation of Indian Export Organisations (FIEO) and Indian Business Chamber (IBCHAM) are the two supporting bodies from the Indian side for the event with Bahrain Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Economic Development Board and Embassy of the Kingdom of Bahrain on the Bahraini side.

"The Bahrain-India Week could not have come at a better time," Maram Anwar J AI Saleh, Charge d'Affairs at the Bahrain embassy here, said while announcing the event late on Friday.

"India's Make in India programme matches perfectly with Bahrain's Vision 2030," she stated.

The envoy said that Bahrain was tax free and offered 100 percent foreign ownership to investors.

"Investors in Bahrain get access to the entire Gulf market," she said.

Stating that Bahrain was home to around 300,000 expatriate Indians, Al Saleh said the kingdom also has a 200-year-old Hindu temple.

P.K. Ravi, Chairman of the Bahrain-based PRM Marketing Consultancy, said that Bahrain was the best place for manufacturing.

"The rest of the Gulf countries form the market. We are trying to set up SMEs (small and medium enterprises) in Bahrain," Ravi said.

R.V. Prasad, Director (Gulf Nations) in the Ministry of External Affairs, recalled that External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj visited Bahrain in 2014 and announced that Home Minister Rajnath Singh will visit the Gulf kingdom on November 24-25.

According to a statement issued in connection with BIW2016, the event aims to project Bahrain as an attractive investment destination in several sectors.

"This event is a comprehensive and well thought out trade and cultural week including a session that will focus on Bahrain-India investment opportunities and a two-day exhibition that will attract more than 10,000 visitors," it stated

There will also be a fashion show promoting khadi, a food festival showcasing Indian cuisines and performances by artisans from various Indian states.

"BIW2016 will be the biggest extravaganza of trade relations between the two countries having the largest participation of businesses from India and Bahrain," the statement added.