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March - April 1999
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South Asia Update
Bangladesh Sets to Export Computer Software
Plans to establish I. T.
Village
The Government of Bangladesh, with an aim to become a
major developer and exporter of computer software, is educating the people in
development of the same, and for exploiting its export potentialities, is
planning to offer duty free imports and cash incentives. Also, the Government is
planning to establish an ‘Information Technology Village’ to boost investment in
the ever booming field of IT. Tax reduction on computer software and accessories
and withdrawal of 15 % value added tax on computer trade are the clear
indications of the Government’s efforts in this direction.
According to Government officials, the annual
revenue earnings from the sector are about $5.15 million and aims are to earn up
to $3.0 billion in exports within next 5 years. The Government still unable to
monitor the extent of export, with the private sector entirely capturing the
market. Non-physical nature of the software being another reason, Bangladesh
Government feels that there should be a high tech mechanism to monitor the
exports.
Nepal opens telecom to private sector
Initiative may reduce the cost of
Internet service
Ending decades of monopoly of the State-owned Nepal
Telecommunications Corporation, the Nepal Government has now opened its
Telecommunication sector to the private sector, the bill passed by the Napalese
Parliament in 1996. Private companies will now be allowed to operate a total of
12 telecom services including ‘Very Small Aperture Terminals’ (VSAT), network
provider and VSAT user, audio conferencing, pay phone, pre-paid calling card,
local data network and radio paging, only after possessing individual licenses
for each service.
VSATs are specialized earth stations equipped with
transceivers (transmitter and receiver) and are capable of up-linking as well a
downlinking voice, data and video signals. They can easily be used anywhere
without assistance of cable connection, vouching to be a useful and impressive
tool for a country like Nepal whose development of terrestrial facilities is
weakened by difficult terrain.
Largely welcomed in Nepal, with about a dozen
private companies already applied for the license for various services, the
experts are of the view that the private sector will bring down the cost of
Internet service along with upgrading efficiency.
Pakistan
rules out SAFTA by 2001:
Sri Lanka hesitates....
The agreement signed in 1997 by all the seven SAARC
countries for converting the present SAPTA (south Asian Preferential Trade
Agreement) into SAFTA (South Asian Free Trade Agreement) by the year 2001has
been ruled out by Pakistan. According to the Pakistani officials, this decision
has been taken because until there is a level-playing field between India and
Pakistan, such kind of free trade regime cannot be created.
In
the latest SAARC council of ministers’ meeting held at Sri Lanka, apart
from Pakistan holding SAPTA by entreating the Kashmir issue, Sri Lanka too,
showed hesitant signs of possible progress. After the meeting, the foreign
ministers of India and Pakistan agreed on sorting out the two countries free
trade agreement, concluding that if the Indo-Lanka agreement goes through before
July SAARC meet on SAPTA, Pakistan may, hopefully, agree for it.
"SAARC should work for single currency"
Call for a coordinated approach at
WTO
The Union Commerce Minister of India Mr. Ramkrishna Hegde has urged the
South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) countries to forge
closer ties and work towards a common currency on the lines of the euro, so that
the region becomes a powerful trading block. The minister also called for a
coordinated approach by the SAARC nations at the World Trade Organisation. He
said that the developed world is trying to push their agenda on multi-lateral
forums, including the WTO. "If we cast aside the extraneous factors which
are germane to trade and economic cooperation, the SAARC family will be able to
stand and compete with the regional groupings."
South
Asian Management Forum- a boulevard towards integration
India and Sri Lanka working together to make the
idea a reality
In order to make the South Asian countries more
streamlined and more professionally integrated, India and Sri Lanka are trying
to bring all the institutions, professionals and management associations of
South Asia region under one group. The Director General of AIMA, Mr. D. N.
Khurana and Mr. G. L. Peiris, the minister for Trade and Justice, Sri Lanka are
contacting the management institutions and people involved in all the seven
countries to discuss for the constitution of a ‘South Asian Management Forum.’
According to Mr. Khurana, the need for South
Asia to own its own management forum through is that the countries would be able
to pursue mutually beneficial management development programs. This would
facilitate better sharing of material and human resources, and with free flow of
the management professionals across the nations, South Asia will be able to
avail the management services and consultancy at much cheaper rates. Both India
and Sri Lanka have offered this proposal to other South Asian countries and are
hopeful for its approval.
CII signs agreement with Myanmar
Computer Federation:
A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed between
Confederation of Indian Industries (CII) and Myanmar Computer Federation focuses
on the scope of accretion of activities related to the development of
Information Technology industries both in India and Myanmar. This exertion is
hoped to bring about a closer working relationship between the pinnacle industry
associations of the two countries.
Both
these trade bodies would be working together for mutual exchange of information
regarding products, companies and operations related to Information Technology
and will provide assistance to each other’s companies, share technical
expertise on specific products and services in the IT sector. Simultaneously,
seminars, courses, training and educational services will be rendered to enhance
both the Indian and Myanmar IT companies.
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