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Chief Minister TR Zeliang (3rd from left) along with other chief ministers of north eastern states at the North East Development Summit in Imphal on November 21. Also seen on the extreme right is the President of India Ram Nath Kovind.[/caption]
Dimapur, Nov. 21 (EMN): State chief minister, TR Zeliang, has called for the creation of a tourist circuit for North-East India in order to connect each festival of the eight states in the region, adding such initiative would not only help in economic transformation of the region but also address the challenges of insurgency and feeling of alienation.
Zeliang said this at the inaugural event of ‘North East Development Summit’ at City Convention Centre, Palace Compound, Imphal, on November 21. Zeliang said he had earlier highlighted the importance of creating a tourist circuit for North-East India with the chief ministers of Assam and Manipur.
Despite the geographical remoteness of North-East India coupled with poor infrastructure and challenges posed by insurgency, the chief minister rested his hope on the young and enterprising youth of the region. ‘All it requires is the right policy, mixed with a blend of incentives for promoting investment and industrial growth in the North Eastern States,’ a CMO statement stated quoting Zeliang.
Zeliang was of the opinion that creation of a tourist circuit for North-East India would create jobs for youth and help in economic transformation of the region. Besides, he said it would also address the challenges of insurgency and feeling of alienation. He said that building economic linkages with the East Asian countries was a way toward achieving this end.
‘Building economic linkages will help strengthen ties and contribute in the development of North-East India,’ he said.
Expressing his confidence on the Act East Policy which has great potential to strengthen the economy and potential of North Eastern region, Zeliang said that Northeast India was a natural partner in India’s Act East Policy being a gateway to ASEAN nations. Stressing on the importance of the policy which has the ability to not only end geographical remoteness of the North eastern states but also transform the region by opening doors for Indian goods and services to the resilient ASEAN economies, he said that ‘India’s Act East Policy should aim to achieve better connectivity for the North East Region in all aspects physically, emotionally and economically.
Terming the three C’s namely Commerce, Connectivity and Culture as important components that could play major role in transforming the NE region, Zeliang called for urgent development of road and air connectivity in the region.
‘I urge the Government of India to be indulgent to our proposals,’ he stated.
While opining that the development of particularly three NE States namely Manipur, Assam and Nagaland were vital in order to gain access to South-East Asian countries, he called upon experts and investors to contribute in transforming the dream into a reality.
Apart from connectivity, the areas of focus for the Development Summit included trade and investment, infrastructure development, tourism, skill development, capacity building and entrepreneurship which relate to key developmental challenges in the region. Likewise, expressing his ardent desire that the Summit would help evolve strategies for rapid economic growth while creating employment opportunities for the youth, Zeliang said that while finalising the New North East Industrial and Investment Promotion Policy which ended on March 31 2017, it was important to address the intra-regional imbalances to ensure that proportionate benefits reached all the states.
Also extending Sangai greetings on behalf of the people of Nagaland, Zeliang invited all the delegates present to visit Nagaland for the Hornbill Festival from December 1 to 10.
