PETALING JAYA – Yang di-Pertuan Agong Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah and Raja Permaisuri Agong Tunku Hajah Azizah Aminah Maimunah Iskandariah attended a royal gala dinner held in conjunction with 65 years of diplomatic relations between Malaysia and India organised by the Consortium of Indian Industries in Malaysia (CIIM).
The gala dinner, held last night in association with the High Commission of India in Malaysia, was also to commemorate 15 years of CIIM’s establishment in Malaysia.
CIIM Chairman, Datuk Umang Sharma, in his speech at the dinner event said CIIM was set up in 2005 to be the face of “Corporate India” in Malaysia, with the objective of establishing linkages between Indian companies and the various industry stakeholders in Malaysia.
“When the Malaysia-India Double taxation agreement was being negotiated, CIIM played its part by giving feedback and suggestions to the government on the issues faced by the industry,” he said at the dinner event attended by Indian High Commissioner to Malaysia, B. N. Reddy and several other dignitaries including members of the diplomatic corps at Tropicana Golf and Country Resort here.
He said there are over 250 Indian companies operating in Malaysia, which have invested over US$3 billion (RM13.5 billion) here and have employed more than 100,000 Malaysians.
“With Malaysia-India bilateral trade at US$20 billion last year, Indian and Malaysian economies are on a take-off trajectory moving forward. The Indian economy grew at 8.6% in 2021 and is expected to grow at 7% this year,” he added.
Earlier in the day, the Yang di-Pertuan Agong participated in the inaugural Golf Invitational Tournament, in which 120 golfers also took part.
Their Majesties were also entertained by some performances at the event.
At the royal gala dinner, His Majesty was presented with a golf driver and Her Majesty a vase made by descendants of the sculptors who built the Taj Mahal, with a similar design used on the white marble mausoleum built by the Emperor Shah Jahan. – Bernama, March 11, 2023
