By Sahil Pandey
New Delhi [India], September 29 : Trinidad and Tobago High Commissioner to India Chandradath Singh has said he will focus on expanding business engagement beyond India’s metropolitan centres during his tenure, while encouraging companies from his country to collaborate with Indian manufacturers through joint ventures.
In an interview with ANI, Singh said India’s growing business opportunities in smaller cities and rural areas offered scope for deeper economic cooperation between the two countries.
“I would like to focus on India’s second- and third-tier cities. Until now, much of our attention has been on metropolitan centres such as Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata and Hyderabad,” Singh told ANI.
Noting that businesses were expanding into smaller cities and rural areas, Singh said investment opportunities were no longer limited to a handful of metropolitan centres.
“The opportunities are incredible, and I would like to capitalise on them,” he said. On the investment potential of Trinidad and Tobago for Indian businesses, Singh said the Caribbean nation could benefit from India’s manufacturing capabilities, technology and economies of scale.
“Instead of building factories and machinery that we may not be able to afford, we need to tap into India’s resources through joint ventures with Indian companies that have the capabilities and economies of scale to produce for our domestic market and the wider global market,” he said.
Singh also praised India’s emphasis on South-South cooperation during its BRICS chairship, saying the scale, participation and logistics of the summit demonstrated India’s readiness to engage with the world.
“The logistics of the BRICS Summit showed that India is ready — ready to host, ready to set an example and ready to lead,” he said.
He said India was strengthening South-South cooperation by bringing together countries and people, adding that the summit had demonstrated its commitment to global engagement.
Singh also highlighted the role of people-to-people initiatives in South-South cooperation, praising entrepreneur Gagan Dhawan for promoting healthy living through his book Newme 2.0. Dhawan told ANI that the book draws on his personal experience and seeks to spread awareness about veganism and lifestyle changes. Recalling a health setback, he said adopting a disciplined routine and turning vegan for 90-100 days had been a “game changer” for him, adding that he wanted to encourage people to focus on healthier and happier lives. Singh said individuals such as Dhawan, who draw from Indian traditions to promote well-being, are contributing to the world.