PM to inaugurate business hub in Greater Noida

     New Delhi: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will inaugurate the India Expo Centre and Mart (IEC and M) set up at a cost of around Rs 400 crores at Greater Noida on Friday. The IEC and M, created within a short span of 30 months on the lines of Trade Marts in Dallas, Atlanta, Las Vegas in US, Shanghai in China and Utrecht in Holland, is expected to be an International hub of business in handicrafts and other synergy products like handloom, silk, jute and carpets. The complex of the Centre and Mart has state-of-the-art facilities created with the single purpose of making it preferred destination for international business, exhibitions, trade fairs and business meets in India.

    The India Expo Centre and Mart is owned by a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) company namely India Exposition Mart, promoted jointly by Export Promotion Council for Handicrafts, Development Commissioner (Handicrafts), Ministry of Textiles, Greater Noida Industrial Development Authority and exporters and manufacturers of handicrafts. The Handicraft and rural sector in India is predominantly concentrated in cottage and small-scale sector located at village and district levels all across the country. However, the IEC and M has been set up to as a permanent contact point throughout the year as physically and economically it was not possible for craft persons, artisans and producers to base themselves in metropolitan cities and also to travel overseas to promote their products. The India Expo Centre and Mart will have 900 permanent showrooms in the first phase, 8 exhibition halls, facilities for conference, seminars, banquets, business centre, parking and warehouse. In the 2nd phase, another 900 permanent show rooms will be made available.

    The permanent showrooms in the Centre and Mart is expected to display the entire range of handicrafts like decoratives, gifts, floor coverings, houseware, home accessories, fashion jewellery, fashion accessories in addition to products like silk, jute, handloom and carpets. Spread over an area of 2,35,000 sq. mtrs, the mart would represent a rare combination of grandeur and state-of-the-art facilities. The complex boasts of centrally air conditioned building, 100 percent power back up, 28 escalators, 30 passengers lifts and freight lifts and glass lifts, parking for 8000 cars and 200 trucks, elaborate fire-fighting system, video walls, and LED screens, lush green lawns, water bodies, fountains, signages and guiding system, all managed through an integrated building management system.