AGARTALA, June 4 - Bangladesh Industry Minister Alhaz Amir Hussain Amu on Saturday said Bangladesh Government will welcome Indian businessmen if they want to invest there.
�Bangladesh wants to be India�s partner in the technology based medium and large scale industrial quest to make the country economically vibrant�, he said while addressing the �Invest Tripura: A Business Meet� at Prajna Bhavan here.
�The imbalance in bilateral business will be reduced if businessmen from India go there for setting up industrial units�, he said. Amu said Bangladesh received 96 direct foreign investments (India) and 212 joint investment projects till June, 2015. �A total of Rs 3084.43 crore has been invested by Indian businessmen in Bangladesh which has generated 63,277 jobs�, he said.
Urging the Indian entrepreneurs to invest in Bangladesh taking the advantage of congenial industrial climate there, Amu said if the SAFTA comes into effect, then investors of Bangladesh will have a golden scope to harness the markets in India, European Union and Japan.
In his speech, Amu also said Bangladesh Government has been giving priority to improve connectivity with North East and other parts of India. �We have taken decision to strengthen road and rail connectivity with Northeastern States. Works are in the pipeline to connect Agartala with Akhaura through rail link and Feni bridge that will ensure direct connectivity with Chittagong port in Bangladesh�, he said.
Amu, however, strongly advocated for simplicity in the foreign trade to give a major push to Indo-Bangla trade.
�Bangladesh is importing around 3,000 items from India. The issues like customs surcharge, basic custom duty and addition duty must be addressed to create a win-win foreign trade�, he said.
