The Hindu Business Line : Belgium keen on outsourcing to India

Belgium, which is keen to tap the Indian IT industry, is looking to outsource work in the e-governance sphere including digitisation of government records.

According to a senior Belgian trade official, the Government of Belgium is impressed with various e-governance initiatives including the Bhoomi project for digitising land records across Karnataka.

Besides, digitisation of government records, IT firms could also look at outsourcing opportunities arising from the National Health Service and social security schemes undertaken in various EU member nations.

Currently, there are 30 Belgian companies in India spanning across industries including IT, ITES, shipping and logistics. Even though bilateral trade between India and Belgium is tilted in the latter's favour with diamonds making up nearly 60-70 per cent of trade, the EU member is striving to broadbase trade relations.

New areas such as biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, environmental engineering, port management, infrastructure management, tourism and restoration of heritage sites are segments that the country aims to pursue as part of its bilateral trade relations with the sub-continent.

"There are so many opportunities that India can take forward with Belgium especially, when one considers that Belgium is the heart of Europe and is the only EU member that officially recognises English as a foreign language giving rise to a comfort factor for both Indian entrepreneurs seeking to set up business in Belgium," Mr Jayant Nadiger, Trade Commissioner of Flanders, Export Vlaanderen, Flanders' Export Promotion Agency, Federated State of Belgium, told Business Line.