As a part of the G20 Summit, the State would be hosting a B20 conference at Imphal tomorrow. Briefing media persons at the conference hall of the Old Secretariat today, Education Minister Th Basanta Kumar said that the B20 is the official dialogue forum of the G20 countries.
By James Khangenbam Imphal Updated Feb 17, 2023
He said that the B20 conference scheduled on February 17 would be graced by the Chief Minister N Biren Singh, Som Prakash, Minister of State, Commerce & Industries and Dr RK Ranjan Singh, Minister of State, External Affairs, Government of India in the presence of senior State and Central Government officials. He said that the B20 conference at Imphal would witness the convergence of a host of overseas delegates from 23 Nations representing Australia, Argentina, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Chad, Canada, China, France, Greece, Iceland, Japan, Nepal, Russia, Seychelles, Singapore, South Africa, Switzerland, Tunisia, Uganda, United States and United Kingdom.
These Nations produce about 85 percent of the world’s GDP. Besides the delegates from these countries, visiting dignitaries include 26 overseas business delegates and 24 diplomats including Ambassadors from these countries and India. Trade and business delegations and representatives from Bhutan, Bangladesh, Japan and Australia will also participate in the programme, Basanta Kumar said. As a part of the programme, the Chief Minister would facilitate Business to Business and Business to Government meetings.
Overseas business delegates would get the opportunity to interact with local industries during the B2B and with the Government in the B2G session for potential investment, collaboration and tie-ups. Over 100 B2B and B2G queries have been generated including request for interaction with Government departments -Health and Family Welfare, Skill Development, Sports, Urban Development, Textiles, Finance & Taxation, Tourism, Industries & Commerce, IT, Agriculture and Fisheries, he added.
Capitalising on the presence of a large contingent of international delegates, the Government of Manipur is making elaborate arrangements not only to showcase investment and partnership opportunities in the State but also provide a unique experience to the visiting delegates with an exposure to Manipur’s culture, cuisine, art, festivities, and scenic beauty, the Education Minister said.
Meanwhile, Commissioner Tourism Pradeep Kumar Jha said that the security detailed for the delegates are all women police personnel and this is aimed at showcasing women empowerment. He also mentioned that all the delegates are expected to visit the renowned Ima Market. He further made an appeal to the people of Manipur to cooperate and give their best efforts to make this historic event successful. Representatives of the Confederate of Indian Industries (CII), Director, IPR and officials from the Press Information Bureau (PIB) also participated at the press conference.
