Nepal-India Franchise expo formally inaugurated today

Nepal Finance Minister Yubaraj Khatiwada on Thursday formally inaugurated the biggest franchise and investment expo of the country, Nepal-India Franchise Investment Expo and Conclave.

Indian Ambassador to Nepal, Manjeev Singh Puri also attended the occasion organised at Hotel Yak and Yeti in Kathmandu.

The two-day event, held on May 15 and May 16, provides a platform for the Indian companies to expand their reach in the Nepali markets as well as bridge the entrepreneurs from Nepal who wants to get connected to the renowned Indian companies.

On the occasion, Khatiwada said such events would enable in spurring new business ideas in Nepal.

"This kind of expo may provide learning opportunities to you. You might also get some new clues on how to do businesses. Such expos would definitely help us to share experiences and motivate us to move towards that direction," Khatiwada said.

The expo, which ends on Thursday, was earlier expected to be inaugurated by Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli. But due to some urgent meeting, the Prime Minister sent Khatiwada to attend the ceremony on his behalf.

Over 100 brands, mostly from India, had participated in the expo, hoping to find a partner who can help them in bringing their services to the Himalayan country as Franchise.

On the occasion, Puri focused on how to develop shared cooperation between Nepal and India that India had achieved with the start of "Start-Up India" campaign initiated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in January 2016.

"We are very happy that Prime Minister Modi launched 'Start-Up India'. There are several other start-ups, but the 'Start-Up India' is one of those which have focused on the innovation of young people. I am glad that we are able to bring that around and share our experiences because I believe that our eco-systems and societies grow and there is an attraction which can be certainly leveraged upon," Puri said.

The two-day expo was also organised in association with the Indian Embassy in Nepal, Federation of Nepalese Chamber of Commerce and Industry (FNCCI) and Franchise India.