West Bengal included in Nathu La pass trade arrangement

New Delhi, July 6 (UNI) The Centre has included the state of West Bengal in the India-China border trade which was thrown open through Nathu La in Sikkim from today.

''We have deliberately brought the government of West Bengal in the Nathu La trade agreement besides Sikkim,'' Minister of State for Commerce Jairam Ramesh told newspersons here today.

Mr Ramesh said the West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacherjee had requested him that his state be included in the scheme of things for border trade through Nathu La pass.

''We included West Bengal because besides importing Chinese goods, we would like to export our goods to China,'' Mr Ramesh said.

The Nathu La pass is an ancient trade route linking Tibet and India. The agreement comes after China's recognition of Sikkim, a former Buddhist kingdom, as part of the Indian territory.

UNI PV PC KN1745