NEW DELHI: The Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) of the Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER)Dr. Jitendra Singh said that the North eastern region along the international borders should be developed for the overall development of the region.
There are regional and cultural similarities on both sides of the international borders, the Minister said. He was addressing at the seminar on Sub Regional Cooperation between India, Myanmar and Bangladesh here today.
During the inaugural session, Dr. Singh said that the business, all over, is evolving and it has to be carried forward professionally.
He said that India is on the threshold of becoming a super power and for that, he emphasized on the youth power and the equitable growth of all the regions within India.
He said that North East India needs little push in the developmental aspect and the Ministry of DoNER takes care of this aspect in coordination with other ministries.
Dr Singh said that a number of initiatives have been taken in the recent past for the overall development of North East region, such as Destination North-East festival and designating Sikkim as the first organic state in the country. Stressing upon trade and business, Dr. Singh said that without creating stakeholders, we cannot proceed and the stakeholders need to be facilitated. He said that, in food industries for example, the food items produced should be of cost effective and authentic.
Dr. Singh said the North East India has a huge potential for start ups and for this purpose, venture funds and other initiatives can be provided for the start ups in North East India.
He said that, in years to come, North East India will become the destination for young start ups. Dr. Jitendra Singh said that there are some challenges in India’s march towards global economy such as optimum utilization of resources, optimum channelization of youth energy and best use of technology.
On India’s “Act East” policy, Dr.Singh said, it is his considered view that to “Act East” effectively, we first need to act for the development of North Eastern region along the international borders.
He said that connectivity is an issue in the North East India and in this regard, he suggested that new airports and chopper service can be an option.
The daylong event consisted of four sessions to discuss the subjects like Economic Cooperation in the Sub Region, Trends and patterns of trade between India, Myanmar and Bangladesh, Economic Cooperation through connectivity and FDI.
The seminar was attended by senior officers of Ministry of DoNER.