The Government has accorded its approval to India Trade Promotion Organisation (ITPO) for the redevelopment of Pragati Maidan into a new world class Integrated Exhibition-cum-Convention Centre (IECC) at a cost of Rs. 2254 crore which envisages developing the following facilities:

·                     Exhibition facility of 1,19,445 sq. mts.

·                     Convention Centre of about 7000 PAX capacity

·                     Basement Parking for 4800 vehicles

·                     Administration Block of an area of 8857 Sq. mts.

            ITPO has established two exhibition Centres, one at Chennai and the other at Bengaluru through its two joint ventures – Tamil Nadu Trade Promotion Organisation (TNTPO) and the Karnataka Trade Promotion Organisation (KTPO) respectively. These joint ventures are in collaboration with the respective State Governments. As an expansion plan for KTPO, the Board of Directors (BoD), KTPO has recently approved a proposal to construct a new Exhibition cum Convention Hall of 4000/5000 sq. mtrs. The BoD of TNTPO has also recently approved expansion plan to construct 16000-17000 sq. mtrs. of exhibition space at TNTPO.

            The BoD of ITPO has further approved setting up of a Joint venture between ITPO and Kerala Industrial Infrastructure Development Corporation (KINFRA) at Kochi.

            The Government, on 23.03.2016, also gave its approval for creation of a state-of-the-art Exhibition-cum-Convention Centre (ECC) at Dwarka, New Delhi. The ECC comprises of a host of independent and mutually beneficial facilities like exhibition halls, convention centres, banquet halls, auditoria, hotels, Food & Beverage (F&B) outlets & retail services. The Delhi Development Authority (DDA) has transferred 89.5832 Ha. of Land to DIPP for the purpose in September, 2016.

(b):     Presently, there is no proposal, under consideration, from Government of Gujarat to construct exhibition centres in Gujarat State. 

(c):       During India International Trade Fairs (IITF) 2016 itself, ITPO has introduced e-Governance facilities like online space booking of stalls and online purchase of tickets. Following digital services have been informed by ITPO during the IITF 2016 :-

i.                        Online booking of stalls by exhibitors using payment gateway services.

ii.                        Sale of ticket online using payment gateway. The number of online ticket sales       increased from 2,896 nos. in IITF 2015 to 41,640 nos. in IITF 2016.

iii.                        Point of Sales (POS) machines were installed at ticket counters, i.e. Gate No.         1 and 2 to facilitate digital sale of entry tickets.  

iv.                        To assist small scale enterprises, artisan and Exhibitors/ participants, ITPO tied-up with SBI, AXIS bank, Paytm and Free-Charge for enabling cashless            transactions by the visitors. Around 2250 swipe machines (POS) and e-wallet    services were provided to participants during IITF 2016.

v.                        In addition, ITPO also facilitated 18 ATM machines for the convenience of the     visitors during IITF 2016. 

            The outcome of India’s participation as the Partner Nation in INNOPROM-2016 in Russia is that 229 business enquiries were generated amounting to US $ 5.142 Million and 6 MoU were negotiated/ signed. In addition, the following benefits have been envisaged:

i.                        Showcasing India’s engineering capabilities before the business community of       Russia.

ii.                        A general broadening and bolstering of bilateral collaboration between Russia        and India in the industrial, trade and economic sectors.

iii.                        Possible areas for potential investment and economic collaboration.

            There is a campaign named Brand India Engineering, launched by Government of India which aims at creating true brand value in international markets for Indian engineering products & services. India Brand Equity Foundation (IBEF), a Trust established by the Department of Commerce and the Engineering Export Promotion Council of India (EEPC), an apex national body representing engineering industry, are steering the campaign in coordination with national associations & industry stakeholders. The Brand India Engineering campaign has been projected at major international and domestic events over the past two years including INNOPROM (Russia), Big 5 (Dubai), Arab health (Dubai) and JIMEX (Amman). Currently, the brand campaign caters to sub-segments like pumps and valves, electrical equipment & machinery and medical devices. Potential  is also envisaged in segments like auto components, steel and textiles machinery among others. The identification has been done on the basis of the export potential and current standing of a particular segment. The campaign continues to improve and increase awareness about India’s competencies in the overall engineering sector.

            An important component under the initiative is a catalogue of the best in class companies, which is given priority for global showcasing. As a pre-requisite, the enrolling companies are required to meet certain standards before they can be empanelled in the catalogue. Through this initiative, the government is encouraging members to adopt global product and system standards. The utility of the catalogue was given further thrust by envisaging development of E-catalogue version. The E version aims to enhance Interactivity, Dynamic interface, universal compatibility (including offline save options), ease of access for manufacturers and clients. The new e-catalogue carries separate domain www.ingineering-brands.com.

            This information was given by the Commerce and Industry Minister Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman in a written reply in Lok Sabha today.

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MJPS