By Abhishek Bajpai Lucknow, April 20 : After tasting the success in finding offshore markets for its merchandises under ‘One District, One Product’ scheme, the Uttar Pradesh government now plans to focus on boosting exports in services sector to different countries. As part of the exercise, nodal officers will be appointed in these sectors, who will encourage foreign entities and individuals to avail various facilities being offered by UP in different sectors. Additional Chief Secretary Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises and Export Promotion Navneet Sehgal told that five Champion Service Sectors – Tourism and Hospitality, Medical Value Travel, Information Technology and IT Enabled Services, Higher and Technical Education and Logistics have been identified in which services will be exported to other countries. According to department officials, UP has immense potential of exporting services to foreign countries in different sectors. “Besides, unlike manufacturing sector you do not need to invest heavily in exporting services. You don’t need to set up an industry, pay heavy bills and make rounds of the government offices. Service sector is the future of the exports,” Joint Export Commissioner Pawan Agarwal said. Assistant Commissioner Veena Sharma said, ”UP has selected these sectors after much consideration. For instance Medical Value Travel can fetch huge foreign returns. First of all medical procedures in UP are cheaper as compared to European countries or in fact any other developed country. Besides, our doctors are considered amongst one of the best in the world.” She said that as of now there is no bridge which can fill the gap between the foreign entities or individuals willing to avail the services available in UP and those offering the services. “For that nodal officers will be appointed, who will act as a bridge between the two. We have already started the exercise and meetings are being held with the stakeholders,” she said. The meetings are being held to understand the requirements of the clients. “Understanding the need or the requirement of a client is very important in any sector whether it’s manufacturing or service. Because only after that we can design our service so that it suits the requirement,” she said. In addition to this, UP is also planning to provide services of paramedical staff. “For instance there is huge demand of care givers in Japan, which has maximum old aged population in the world. We are planning to train our work force accordingly and for that health department has been roped as it will require changes in curriculum. A meeting is scheduled on April 23 where this issue will be discussed in detail,” Sharma said. It may be noted that UP is fifth largest exporting state in the country. In the financial year 2021-22 till January the state exported goods worth Rs 125 lakh crore registering a hike of 31 per cent as compared to last fiscal. As per the data UP exported electrical machinery and equipment worth Rs 22,358 crore in the last fiscal followed by meat Rs 12,248 crore, apparels and clothing Rs 8,687 crore, articles of iron and steel Rs 5,398 lakh crore, nuclear reactors, boilers machinery and mechanical appliance Rs 5,123 crore and footwears Rs 4,934 lakh crore in the last fiscal. Interestingly UP also exported live animals, including sheep and goats to Nepal worth Rs 26 crore registering a hike of 709 per cent. AB SHK1637