NE business summit attracts potential investors in the northeast region

By Vangamla Salle K S New Delhi [India], Mar 14 (ANI): Blessed with rich natural resources and having diverse culture, northeast region is unique in their own way from the rest of the country. And to utilize the region's untapped potentials in order to transform the region into a flourishing business hub and fulfill its role as the 'gateway to South East Asia, recently Indian Chamber of Commerce in collaboration with Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion and Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Govt. of India organized the eleventh edition of NE Business Summit at Shangri-La's Eros hotel in New Delhi. The two day long summit brought industrialists, businessmen, corporate honchos and potential investors from across the country under one platform and discussed various areas under the theme 'Make in North East'. Addressing at the summit, Minister of DoNER, Dr. Jitendra Singh says that instead of northeast region comes closer to the rest of the country; the country should come closer towards the northeast region as there are plenty of things ought to learn from the region. The two-day event is an initiative to facilitate investment, highlight strengths of the northeast region and business opportunities which the northeast region has to offer. "If we are able to promote growth and development in the northeast states, then alone we will be engaging in a position to business and trades with the countries located in with the NE borders, whether it's Myanmar, Bangladesh. You cannot carry groundnuts and sell over there. It's a produce from Arunachal or Nagaland, goods which you would find natural acceptability in the countries across. So by all means, we have a stake in promoting business, trade and commerce in NE and this is one of the initiatives in that direction", said Dr. Jitendra Singh, DoNER Minister. Announcing at the summit in a video message delivered, Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu says an e-commerce portal will soon be launched to sell north-eastern handicrafts and handloom worldwide on the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) website. Addressing the inaugural session of the two-day conclave, DoNER Secretary Naveen Verma also proposed a Green Corridor based on the Indian Railways broad gauge network to give a fillip to industry in the region. "The main focuses in these summits are to tell people what the NE has to offer in various sectors for investment especially in tourism, IT, Industry as a whole and sectors like food processing, medicinal plants, bamboo, services sector as well as the opportunity for investment in infrastructure, hydro-power, connectivity, petroleum and natural gas. In addition, summit like this also are able to get the neighboring countries ASEAN people were there, so we are able to see the NE investment not only for domestic market but also the market for the neighboring countries," said Naveen Verma, Secretary, DoNER. The conclave focuses on enhancing economic and social development through services sector in the northeast region. It also stressed upon on development of power and energy through proper utilization of the resources in the region. Moreover, proper connectivity and logistics, development of Agri and Food processing in the region were also discussed during the concurrent sessions. "The conference is a very good reminder to everybody that let us care about road and development, water waste development, connectivity of northeast with the rest of the country. And many things have already been done and it has been just told by the minster that there's a direct flight from Delhi to Dimapur and Delhi to Aizawl also. So it is also general information for the common man, specialists, experts and the public as to what the country owes to NE and what NE owes to India", said Prof. S. S. Bhakri, Institute of UN and UNESCO Studies. During the two-day summit, Lt. Gen. Nirbhay Sharma, Governor of Mizoram, PB Acharya, Governor of Nagaland and Arunachal Pradesh, delegates from ASEAN countries and other dignitaries from the country were also attended at the event. "You (investor) come to Nagaland and invest it. Whatever situation in the region, you have to accept it. I can't change it and you can't run away from the problems because it is not solving the problem. Northeast is also part of the country. How many people (Investor) come and invest it? That is the question I am asking them. I salute them. Please come and invest and create wealth. If circumstances are bad, feel them because that situation is not their creation", added PB Acharya, Governor, Nagaland Such initiative and summit will help highlight the vast unexplored potential to bring about the quantum jump in the economic growth of the northeast region particular. It also gives an insightful and a clearer picture of the region's untapped resources to the potential investor which eventually enhance for generating revenue, employment and economic upliftment. (ANI)