Minister for Commerce and Supplies Rajendra Mahato inaugurated the portal amid a function that was attended by several trade ministers from SAARC countries, including Secretary General of SAARC Shree Kant Sharma.
“The portal will be a single point of access for all current SAARC-related business and trade information,” stated a press release issued at the program and further added that data from all eight SAARC countries has been collected and is continuously being validated by 26 regional and national partners from both the private and public sectors.
The portal that is expected to generate additional business opportunities, propelled by better, faster and cost-effective trade information facilities, will create more employment and thus contribute to the socio-economic development in the SARRC region.
According to the statement, the portal is supported by SAARC Chambers of Commerce and Industry and 24 national partners such as national federations and business chambers, industrial associations and departments, and trade and industry will continuously provide updated content to the portal. The portal is also directly connected to the International Trade Center in Geneva.
Addressing the function, Minister Mahato expressed hopes that the launch of the portal will be a great opportunities for the SAARC countries to explore new avenues of business and investment in coming days.
Country Director of GTZ Thomas Labahn expressed happiness over GTZ´s participation in supporting the portal and said the portal would be successful in disseminating valuable information required for boosting regional trade and investment.
Mahakali´s IPO from Monday
MAHENDRANAGAR, Oct 29: Mahakali Development Bank, the first development bank of Mahakali zone in the far-western region, is issuing public shares from Monday. The bank will be issuing 81,800 share units, each with a face value of Rs 100. The issue will raise the paid up capital of the bank to Rs 20 million.
“The issue will be opened for four days starting from Monday,” said Sudarshan Joshi, chief executive officer of the bank. He stated that the people in all the five development regions can apply for the shares, as the bank has made arrangements for accepting the applications in all the regions.
Established two years ago, Mahakali presently has a depositor base of 4,310. It has mobilized deposits of Rs 120 million and issued loans of Rs 80 million. “We managed to earn profit of Rs 1.23 million in the last fiscal year,” said Joshi.
The bank has recently opened a branch in Jharali of Kanchanpur.
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