Ansari leaves for Myanmar visit, 3 MoUs to be signed

Aiming to bolster India's economic, energy and security interests with Myanmar, vice president Hamid Ansari left here on Thursday on a four-day visit to that country during which three agreements are to be signed including one on setting up a truck manufacturing unit.
       
The two countries will sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for setting up an industrial training centre in Myanmar while another accord will be entered into by Tata Motors and Myanmar government for setting up a truck manufacturing unit in that country for which India has given a USD 20 million credit line.
       
Another MoU will be signed on establishment of a Centre for English Language Training in Myanmar to equip students, civil servants, businessmen and professionals with language skills.
       
The idea of the Centre, to be set up with India-ASEAN Cooperation Fund, was proposed by prime minister Manmohan Singh at the Indo-ASEAN summit in Kuala Lumpur in 2005.
       
In the telecom sector, an optic fibre link set up by TCIL between Mandalay and Kolkata would be inaugurated by Ansari.

Reinforcing India's Look East policy and the strong economic content of Ansari's visit which will take him to Nay Pyi Taw, Myanmar's new capital, Yangon and Mandalay, the vice president will be accompanied by a strong business delegation including top officials of HMT, Tata Motors, ONGC Videsh Ltd, GAIL, NHPC, C-DAT, Essar and TCIL.
   
Minister of state for defence V Pallam Raju is accompanying the vice president on his trip to Myanmar.
 
Ahead of his visit, the VP had a 45 minute meeting with the chiefs of some of the public sector undertakings like Oil India Ltd and Gas Authority of India Ltd and discussed ways to strengthen economic cooperation with Mynamar.
 
During the meeting, Ansari heard suggestions from the PSU chiefs about the initiatives to be taken with Mynamar authorities at the highest level to push through cooperation in the energy sector.
 
Oil India Managing Director N N Vohra is understood to have pressed the need for an initiative at the highest level between the two governments for that. India's energy interests are furthered in Myanmar.
 
The industrial training centre is being set up at the initiative of Myanmar to developed skilled labour particularly electronic technicians, electricians, mechanics, welders and sheet metal workers. The technical assistance for this will be provided by Hindustan Machine Tools.

During the vice president's visit, the two countries will also ratify the agreement on bilateral investment protection and promotion signed in June last year.
        
During his stay in Nay Pyi Taw, where Ansari reaches on Friday, the vice president will hold wide-ranging talks with his Myanmar counterpart Gen Maung Aye, the number two in that country's ruling military junta, and call on Gen Thaan Shwe who heads the junta.
      
Ansari's visit is part of India's proactive efforts to engage Myanmar, which have been stepped up in the last six years as part of its sharpening focus on "Look East" policy.
     
India regards Myanmar as a bridge between South and South East Asia and there is recognition between Myanmarese leadership that New Delhi has a role to play in its development.
     
India's engagement with Myanmar's development covers a range of sectors including road, hydropower, oil refinery, offshore and onshore gas blocs, telecom and information technology.
       
In the power sector, India visualises good potential to import electricity for its power-starved North Eastern Indian states from Tamanthi and Shwezay hydropower projects in Myanmar being set up by National Hydro Power Corporation in Chindwin river basin.