Excelsior Correspondent
NEW DELHI, Jan 21: A four-day mega Northeast festival will be held at Pragati Maidan here from April 9 to 12 and will possibly be the first of its kind, aimed at showcasing the vast resource and potential of the eight Northeastern States.
On the directions of Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) of the Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER), MoS PMO, Personnel, Public Grievances & Pensions, Atomic Energy and Space, Dr Jitendra Singh, the Secretary (DoNER) today held a detailed meeting with Delhi-based Resident Commissioners of all the eight Northeastern States as well as senior representatives from the Union Ministries of Tourism, Textiles, Commerce, Food Processing, Culture, Information & Broadcasting, Agriculture, Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) and Skill Development. They discussed modalities for smooth coordination of the event.
Briefing the media about the event, Dr Jitendra Singh said, the festival focusing on Northeast will comprise exhibitions, displays, traditional Northeast cuisines, exclusive stalls of books, art pieces and photographs, archive collections based on freedom struggle in Northeast, screening of films in various Northeastern languages and a wide variety of cultural programmes. Opinions from the public have been invited on the social media to suggest a suitable nomenclature or theme for the event, he added.
In the meanwhile, Dr Jitendra Singh informed that letters of request to potential “Brand Ambassadors” have been dispatched and the name that is finalized will be disclosed after the formal consent is received.
In order to make the festival professionally oriented, Dr Jitendra Singh said, a series of Business summits and discussions on investment opportunities in Northeast will also be held at which entrepreneurs from Northeast as well as from other parts of the country will have an opportunity to interact with each other. The “Associated Chambers of Commerce of India (ASSOCHAM)” will also participate in the business summits, he added.
On the fourth and the last day of the festival, Dr Jitendra Singh said, a gala cultural programme will be held, the hallmark of which will be fusion music of the eight Northeastern States.