CHCC members visited multiple temples in India / CHCC

After a 20-member mission of the Canadian Hindu Chamber of Commerce (CHCC) received an overwhelming response in India, British Columbia Premier David Eby has decided to lead a trade mission to India next week. And these trade mission visits are being viewed in light of the upcoming visit of Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney to India next month.

Incidentally, the BC trade mission will be headed by its Premier, David Eby, and Jobs Minister, Ravi Kahlon. The BC delegation will visit India from Jan. 12 to 17 and make stopovers in Mumbai, New Delhi, Bengaluru, and Chandigarh. It will be the first visit by a provincial premier to India in recent years.

It was the killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Surrey, British Columbia, that led to a big spat in the bilateral relations between India and Canada. The BC Premier, while announcing his visit to India, said that he remains profoundly concerned about the murder of Hardeep Singh Nijjar and the accusation from the then Prime Minister Justin Trudeau that the “agents of India” were involved in his assassination.

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He said that it is the job of the federal government to work with the Indian government on “issues of shared concern.” The BC provincial government works at the level to look after the people of the province, including creating jobs in sectors struggling as a result of tariffs.

“We have challenges with the US; we still work with the United States. We have challenges with China; we still work with China,” he added. The BC ministers held that India was an important nation that has the fastest-growing and third-largest economy in the world.

British Columbia is one of the largest trade partners with India. Last year, the bilateral trade between India and BC was US $2.1 billion. The BC trade mission will be broadly looking at the forestry and clean energy sectors.

Meanwhile, the CHCC undertook a series of cultural, trade, and business engagements in Assam, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, and Haryana, aiming at strengthening people-to-people connections, deepening economic cooperation, and exploring long-term trade and investment opportunities between Canada and Assam.

Canadian Hindu Chamber Trade Mission comprises Ashutosh Singh, Kushagr Dutt Sharma, Umeshraj Unnikrishnan, Mukundbhai Jitendra Sheth, Shankor Kumar Dey, Gagan Kumar, Nareshkumar Narayanbhai Chavda, Bhargav Jagmalbhai Chavda, Anandkumar Acharya, Rakeshkumar Ambavibhai Kantaria, Vipulkumar Shankarbhai Rabari, Saurabh Rattan, Falgun Gulabbhai Bhanderi, Nilay Shaileshbhai Thakkar, Amit Bijoy Chowdhury
Nayankumar Ghanshyambhai Brahmbhatt, Shool Pani Singh, Josh Leslie, Rebecca Greco, and Gopal Krishan Saini have been on tour of India since New Year's Day.

Besides signing a Memorandum of Understanding with Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Gorakhpur University, members of the mission are also enjoying a religious pilgrimage as they were accorded the status of state guests by the Uttar Pradesh government to visit Ayodhya and Prayagraj. Earlier during their stay in Assam, they also paid their obeisance at some of the historic temples, including Kamakhya Temple, one of India’s most significant spiritual landmarks. The visit symbolised respect for Assam’s rich cultural and spiritual heritage and marked a meaningful beginning to the Chamber’s Assam engagements.

The visit of the CHCC has marked a significant step toward strengthening academic, research, and industry collaboration between India and Canada. The MoU with Deen Dayal Upadhyaya University aims to promote student and faculty exchange programs, joint research initiatives, skill development, entrepreneurship, and enhanced cooperation between academia and industry. This partnership reflects a shared commitment to fostering global knowledge exchange, innovation, and capacity building, while creating new opportunities for students, researchers, and businesses across both regions.

Starting its India engagements with a visit to the revered Kamakhya

At Temple, a high-level Canada–Assam trade & networking meet was successfully held at Hotel Apollo Grand, Guwahati, in collaboration with the Assam Chamber of Commerce. The event brought together senior business leaders, industrialists, and sectoral representatives from across Assam with members of CHCC.

The session was addressed by Rupam Goswami, Chairman of the Assam Chamber of

Commerce, who highlighted Assam’s growing industrial base, investor-friendly policies, and the importance of long-term international trade partnerships, particularly with Canada. Prominent industry leaders, including Manohar Chowdhury, a leading industrialist, and Rajiv Kumar Burah, a noted hotelier, shared insights on Assam’s industrial, hospitality, and tourism potential.

Representing CHCC, Rakesh Kantaria, Secretary of the CHCC, outlined the Chamber’s mandate and its role in facilitating trade and investment linkages between Canada and India. Kushagr Dutt Sharma, President of CHCC, presented the objectives of the mission, identifying priority sectors such as tea, oil and gas, energy, agriculture, education, hospitality, infrastructure, and sustainable development as key areas for collaboration between Canada and Assam.

The CHCC Mission conducted a field visit to the 16,000-hectare tea garden of Bhardwaj Tea & Timber Company. The visit offered a breathtaking view of Assam’s vast natural landscape and provided an in-depth learning experience on the complete tea value chain.

The general manager shared detailed insights into the journey of tea—from plantation and cultivation to processing and the final product that reaches consumers. The interaction highlighted significant opportunities for the import of regular tea, green tea, and other tea-based products from Assam to Canada and the broader North American market, reinforcing Assam’s potential as a key sourcing destination.

The CHCC delegation also held a detailed meeting with Assam Industrial Development Corporation Ltd (AIDC) in Guwahati. Discussions focused on potential

investment opportunities in Assam, government support mechanisms, infrastructure development, and policy facilitation. The meeting was described as highly productive, resulting in the identification of multiple investment avenues and future areas of cooperation.

An important Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Gorakhpur University and the Canadian Hindu Chamber of Commerce (CHCC) on Jan. 4, 2026, marking a significant step toward strengthening academic, research, and industry collaboration between India and Canada. The MoU aims to promote student and faculty exchange programs, joint research initiatives, skill development, entrepreneurship, and enhanced cooperation between academia and industry. This partnership reflects a shared commitment to fostering global knowledge exchange, innovation, and capacity building, while creating new opportunities for students, researchers, and businesses across both regions.

Hemant Shah, Chair of the Trade Committee, said that the trade mission has already established a strong and solid relationship between Canada and India.  Naresh Chavada, a  trustee and founder of the Chamber,  and President Kushagr Dutt Sharma, have worked tirelessly to make this trade mission successful

The engagements on the first three days marked an important step in strengthening Canada–Assam relations through a balanced focus on culture, trade, industry, and institutional collaboration. The CHCC reaffirmed its commitment to continued engagement with Assam’s government and business community, with the intention of translating these discussions into tangible trade, investment, and partnership outcomes.

On arriving in Uttar Pradesh, the Hindu Trade mission received a warm welcome from the Chief Minister and the Governor.  It called on Yogi Adityanath, Chief Minister. It held discussions to explore investment opportunities across MSMEs, religious tourism, and hospitality sectors—reflecting growing global confidence in India’s growth trajectory and the emerging opportunities in Uttar Pradesh.

 

Glimpses from the visit / CHCC