'South Asia's economic growth hinges on intra-regional trade'

New Delhi: The government's Think Tank --- Niti Aayog --- has said that economic development of South Asia has been 'severely hampered' due to lack of intra-regional trade and stressed on the need for a greater push to investments, travel and tourism in the region.

While addressing SAARC Development Fund (SDF) Partnership Conclave 2018 on Monday, Niti Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant said that economic growth will not come to South Asia from America or Europe and it will need political will and determination of SAARC countries, which will enable growth to take place and also eliminate poverty.

"Politicians may say anything and politics of the region may do anything but South Asia as a region has been severely hampered and it will remain backward till we don't integrate and till we don't push for a greater trade, greater investments and greater travel and tourism within the region," Kant said.

The Niti Aayog CEO pointed out that most of travel and tourism across different regions of the world is intra-regional in character. "If you look at America and Europe, it (trade, travel and tourism) is intra-regional. But if you look at South Asia, it is a least integrated region in the world," he said.

Stating that SAARC countries have not been able to work together in the region, Kant said, "We have nobody to blame but ourselves. Within the SAARC region, we have ensured that we don't do trade with each other, within the SAARC region we have ensured that we don't allow tourists to come to other countries."

The Niti Aayog CEO stressed that SAARC countries should allow greater trade and investment to take place within the region. He also

wondered why Indian tourists prefer to travel to South East Asian countries instead of

travelling to South Asian countries.

"Why Indian tourists are going to Thailand, Singapore, and Malaysia. Why they can't travel to Bhutan, Pakistan, or Afghanistan," he said while stressing on the need to provide more job opportunities to women in South Asian region, saying women contribute only 25 per cent to GDP in these parts and in case of rest of the world, women contribute 48 per cent to GDP.

Speaking at the same event, SAARC Development Fund CEO Sunil Motiwal said, "We plan to convert SDF into a regional bank in the next 2 years. We will go to the capital market to raise funds in near future."

He said that the SDF has already implemented 12 intra-regional projects in South Asia. The SDF is currently implementing 12 regional projects with more than 70 implementing and lead implementing agencies, covering all the eight member states under the Social Window funding.

The SDF was established by the heads of the eight SAARC member states in April 2010 and its Governing Council comprises finance ministers of these eight countries.