Trade fair kick-starts with ‘Make in India’ theme

The 35{+t}{+h}edition of India International Trade Fair kick-started in the Capital on Saturday with the theme this year being Prime Minister Narendra Modi's initiative “Make in India”.

President Pranab Mukherjee inaugurated the fair and called it an opportunity for India to strengthen its bilateral relations with the world.

“The India International Trade Fair (IITF) is a brand name enjoying recognition from around the world. This annual celebration of trade is to develop our (India's) bilateral relations with the rest of the world,” Mr. Mukhejee said in his inaugural address.

At the inauguration of the fair, MoS Commerce and Industry Ministry Nirmala Sitharaman said the event is of a “global stature” and would see participation by at least 28 countries.

The fair organised every year in the sprawling Pragati Maidan ground will go on from November 14 to November 27 with the first five days being exclusively reserved for business visitors.

A visitor who wants to attend the fair in the first five days will have to buy a Rs. 400 ticket, once the general public days begin the tickets have been priced at Rs. 50 on weekdays and Rs. 80 on weekends. For school children, entry is allowed at general rates even on business visitor days.

In order to make it easier for the visitors, the organisers have also introduced circuitous bus service inside the exhibition complex and installed LED screens to highlight products.

Since the ticket prices are high currently, the fair did not see much crowd on Saturday, despite it being a weekend. The limited number of visitors, who turned up, thronged to the pavilions of West Bengal, Kerala and Odisha where handicrafts of the state were at display. The Delhi pavilion also garnered attention as it had a life-size picture of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal at the entrance.

This year, while Afghanistan is the partner country, Bangladesh has been roped in as the focus country. Within India, Goa and Jharkhand are partner states, while Madhya Pradesh is the focus state.