Home Minister P. Sabitha Indra Reddy on Tuesday inaugurated the 73 All India Industrial Exhibition (AIIE), Numaish, a favourite destination for Hyderabadis for the next 45 days.
Around 2,200 stalls have been put up this year, including a pavilion from Pakistan where more than a dozen participants sell different items ranging from garments to crockery.
Chief Minister N. Kiran Kumar Reddy, who was to inaugurate the event, stayed away following his decision not to attend New Year day functions as a mark of respect for the Delhi gang-rape victim.
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Speaking at the inaugural function, Ms. Sabitha said that from small beginnings the AIIE had now become a prestigious annual event in which traders and industrialists from across the country vied with one another. She added that anybody who visited Hyderabad during this period would attend the event. She lauded the Exhibition Society and the Osmania Graduates Association for running 18 educational institutions with the income generated through Numaish.
She expressed hope that Numaish would become more popular and attract greater number of participants from India and abroad. V. Veerender, vice-president of the Exhibition Society, said that the industrial exhibition, which began with 100 stalls in 1938, was today considered one of the biggest such events in the country for the promotion of trade and commerce. Describing it as the most inexpensive shopping experience, he said it would be streamed live this year.
He said a three-tier security was put in place to ensure a safe environment for the visitors. As many as 25 lakh people are expected to visit Numaish this year.
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A corporate hospital from the City has set up a medical centre to offer diagnostic services at low cost to visitors.