Excelsior Correspondent
NEW DELHI, Feb 12: A three-day mega event, perhaps the first of its kind to be organised by the Ministry of DoNER, “Destination North East 2016” festival was inaugurated at Pragati Maidan here today by Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER), MoS PMO, Personnel, Public Grievances, Pensions, Atomic Energy and Space, Dr Jitendra Singh in traditional style by beating the drum to the tune of popular folk music of the region.
Among those present on the occasion were Union MoS Home, Kiren Rijiju, Chief Minister Meghalaya, Dr Mukul Sangma, Ministers and Legislators from different North-Eastern States, Secretary DoNER Naveen Verma, Secretary Tourism Vinod Zutchi, Secretary North Eastern Council (NEC) Ram Muivah and other senior officers in Government of India as well as large number of visitors, members of civil society and citizens from all walks of life.
The three-day festival is divided into separate segments comprising trade and business summits, cultural and folk presentations, cuisine/food and entertainment sections, etc.
Speaking on the occasion, Dr Jitendra Singh said, “Destination North East 2016” festival is aimed at showcasing the various versatile and unique features of different parts of Northeast before the rest of India. After the successful accomplishment of this event, he said, similar events have been planned in the coming months for Mumbai and Bengaluru, followed by other cities and towns of the country.
Dr Jitendra Singh said, often the emphasis is on seeking to bring Northeast closer to the rest of India, but time has come to bring the rest of India closer to Northeast so that people across the country are able to acquaint themselves with rich attributes, distinct features and substantial contribution by the Northeast region. Citing examples, he said, for instance, people across the country are hardly aware that many of the North Eastern States have a literacy rate above 90% and are making a valuable contribution to the academic life in the rest of India. Similarly, very few are aware that some of the North Eastern States have a two-digit Growth rate which is higher than that of several other States of Indian Union, he added.
The day is not far, Dr Jitendra Singh said, when unexplored potentials and entrepreneurship opportunities offered by Northeast will be discovered by people all over the country and “Destination North East” will turn into a favorite destination for Indian youth and new Startups who will realize that avenues of Organic Farming or Bamboo Trade are nowhere available better than in the Northeast. He referred to the efforts being made by the DoNER Ministry to improve the air connectivity in the region and suggested to the Ministry of Tourism to plan cost effective package tours by including some of the region’s most scenic holiday resorts and tourist points in the circuit.
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