Great opportunities for India-ASEAN collaboration: S'pore

There are great opportunities for collaboration between India and ASEAN nations, including in the areas of infrastructure, innovation and start-ups and the digital economy, Singapore's Trade and Industry Minister S Iswaran said today.
He cited the Amaravati project, the proposed capital city of Andhra Pradesh, where planners from Singapore helped devise the master plan, as "an example of what we can do together", the Straits Times reported.
He was speaking at the two-day ASEAN-India Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD) conference, which began today.
External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj also arrived here today for the summit.
The opportunity for collaboration partnership between India and the ASEAN is self-recognised, Iswaran told some 3,000 delegates at the two-day gathering.

"Both regions have strong growths, coming out of relatively modest pace but anchored by fundamentals whether in terms of demographic or the evolution of the economies and the needs of the population.

"What we see is the opportunity for continue investment in growth in both regions," he said.
Iswaran said that India and ASEAN nations have identified innovation as a priority, and they should study how to "build connectivity" so start-ups have access to markets in both regions.
He also highlighted the importance of the digital economy and e-commerce as another area of "common priority" as it serves as an enabling tool for small and medium enterprises to access markets that were once "out of their reach", the paper said.

The economic growth driving efforts in India are showing results, he said.
"We are seeing the results of the efforts that are underway under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi," Iswaran said.
"It means those who invest their time and efforts in developing deeper understanding of the (Indian) market and its nuances and variations are the ones for whom the awards will be greatest," said Israwan.
The ASEAN comprises of Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.