10 February 2016 12:00 am
Mihin Lanka, Sri Lanka’s national low-cost carrier flew the Tamil Nadu Chamber of Commerce and Industries (TCCI) delegation from Madurai to Sri Lanka recently.
The purpose of their visit was to partake in the Northern and Eastern investment promotions, hold a series of meetings and attend the Jaffna Trade Fair.
The 44-member delegation is led by S. Rethinavelu - Senior President and N. Jegatheesan, President of the Tamil Nadu Chamber of Commerce and Industries. With the North and East lagging behind the rest of the country in terms of economic development due to the 30-year civil war, this trade fair and series of meetings will help unveil the business potential in these regions. The Chief Ministers of North and East, C. V. Wigneswaran and Z.A. Nazeer Ahamed have both expressed their support of this initiative. The group of 44 delegates from TCCI is the largest such group to attend this meeting.
Bilateral trade between Indian and Sri Lanka is worth over USD 7 billion, more than half of which comes from Tamil Nadu. The meeting between delegates of TCCI and Sri Lankan representatives will explore ways of encouraging more investments and business agreements between the two countries.
At the Jaffna Trade Fair, the TCCI is to meet with the Jaffna Chamber of Commerce and set up the former’s own executive committee. This ground-breaking meeting will be attended by C. V. Wigneswaran - Chief Minister of the Northern Provincial Council as Chief Guest and A. Natarajan -Councillor General, India. S.Rethinavelu - Senior President, the Tamil Nadu Chamber of Commerce and Industries said, “We will be discussing future projects such as airports in Trincomalee, Batticaloa and Ampara and the country’s biggest natural port in Trincomalee. These infrastructural developments will also help boost trade and tourism in the region”.