Chandigarh, “Destination North East” being organised by PHD Chambers in association with Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER) continues with day two amidst massive footfall. The day witnessed round table discussions and exhibition stalls showcasing various features of the North East Region in order to attract investments in Tourism, Skill Development, Food Processing, Handlooms and Handicrafts, Rural Livelihoods, Entrepreneurship and Microfinance, Horticulture and Floriculture, Medicinal & Aromatic Plants, Organic Farming and Bamboo Development. The astonishing feature of the event was the day long cultural program from various state troupes along with ethnic food festival.
In a session “Exploring Tourism Potential of North East India, Adviser (Banking, Industry and Tourism), North Eastern Council, Shri Gautam Chintey, said that air connectivity within the North Eastern states has been improved now. He said that there are 7 entry points to North Eastern states and security and connectivity wise, NER states are safe and good. Chairman, HP Committee, PHD Chamber Shri Dhian Chand said that there is a requirement of tourism packages for north eastern states in order to promote tourism in NER. He further said that tourism has great potential for generating income and opportunities in the North East India. There is also a requirement of Tourism Development Policy in respect of North East by the Government, he added. Managing Director, Hotel Aroma, Chandigarh, Shri Manmohan Singh Kohli said that there is a requirement of developing more air connectivity to North Eastern Region (NER) in order to reduce travel time between the places. He said that the flights should be named based on the famous places of NER.
While addressing the session on “Medicinal & Aromatic Plants of North East India : Way Forward”, Sanjay Kumar, Director, CSIR- Institute of Himalayan Bioresources Technology, Palampur said, Eastern Himalayas is the home of more than 8000 speices of medicine plants whereas this region can play significant role in the economy through floriculture, horticulture and sericulture. Considering the geography and transportation constrain, institute has devised the technologies on preservation of their crop and making crispy fruits without indulging any chemicals with nutritional value intact. Dr SB Narayan, Head-Bioresources Development, Dabur India in his presentation revealed his numerous initiatives with various states board to explore the potential in the sector.
Arun Pradhan from Holisitic Self Help Group informed Sikkim offers all types of land profile from plains to pines which help in growth of numerous medicinal plants but certain challenges like lack of mandi for these specialized plants, insufficient value training to farmers, lack of crop insurance and no testing facilities are the certain challenges which need to be resolved. In another session on Roadmap for Technology Intervention in North East India, scientists from IITs deliberate upon the appropriate technology usage.
In his presentation, Mr V Kalyan Sundaram, General Manager, Central Cottage Industries Corporation of India said, nearly 1.80 lac artisans, craftspersons and weavers are associated with textile industry in North East who are playing a vital role in nation’s economy. He insisted on design, skill upgradation along with technology modification for brining one more revolution in the sector. Noted designer Rina Dhaka also presented her perspective on Handloom, Apparel and Handicraft of North East India.