Prime Minister Narendra Modi on February 14 inaugurated ‘Bharat Mart’ in Dubai, that is a warehousing facility for Indian MSMEs. Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the Ruler of Dubai, who also serves as the country’s Vice President, Prime Minister, and Minister of Defence was also present at the event.
This comes as the Prime Minister is currently on a two-day visit to the United Arab Emirates (UAE), where he will also inaugurate the first Hindu temple in Abu Dhabi.
Bharat Mart: Here Are The Details
Bharat Mart, that is expected to be operational next year onwards, is a warehousing facility. It is aimed at enabling Indian companies to trade in Dubai. Bharat Mart will offer a unified platform to exporters to showcase their range of products under a single roof in Dubai.
Bharat Mart will be located in the Jebel Ali Free Trade Zone in Dubai. Jebel Ali Free Zone is DP World’s flagship free zone and an integral part of the DP World UAE Region’s integrated business hub. It is the largest customs-bonded zone in the Middle East.
According to a media report, the facility will span over 1 lakh square metres. It will operate as a multipurpose facility with a combination of warehousing, retail and hospitality units.
The Prime Minister has been quoted as saying that Bharat Mart has the potential to play an important role in promoting exports of the micro, small and medium sectors of India by providing to them an effective platform to reach out to potential international buyers in the Gulf, West Asia, Africa, and Eurasia.
Those companies that have plans to expand their operations in Europe, Africa and the US are expected to benefit from the facility.
Prime Minister Modi Meets Royal Ruler of Dubai
Apart from the inauguration, the Prime Minister met Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the royal Ruler of Dubai. Both leaders held discussions on a wide range of areas of bilateral cooperation, including technology, investment, space, education, trade, and people-to-people ties.
On February 13, Prime Minister Modi addressed the Indian diaspora in the UAE at ‘Ahlan Modi’, an event that was organized in his honour by the Indian community there.
He also held talks with Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the President of UAE.
Bengali