GUWAHATI: Union minister Jitendra Singh on Saturday said the Northeast will emerge as an economic power with the support of its huge natural and human skill resources.
Addressing the 8th edition of the North East Festival as the chief guest, Singh said the region will also become the favourite tourist and trade destination when the coronavirus pandemic ends and holiday lovers will prefer it over going abroad.
He added that the region will truly work as the “new engine” of economic growth and it has emerged as an alternative to the European tourist destinations by remaining relatively pandemic-free, when other parts of the world were heavily infected with the virus.
Assam chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal, who also addressed the event, spoke about encouraging the youth and fostering learning to use the resources of the northeast rightfully. His Tripura counterpart, Biplab Kumar Deb, stressed on the need to promote the cuisines of the northeast around the world.
Singh, the Union minister of state for home, hoped that holiday lovers from the next season will definitely prefer the Northeast for its pristine natural beauty over other global tourist destinations. He added that the region will lead the growth story of India, when the rest of the world is looking for economic resurgence through trade in post-pandemic times.
The northeastern region, the minister said, will exploit its vast untapped natural resources, including bamboo that could propel the “Atmanirbhar Abhiyan” of Prime Minister Narendra Modi by imbibing the “Vocal for Local” mantra.
He said the central government recently raised the import duty by 25% on raw bamboo items, which will help the domestic bamboo industries, like furniture, handicrafts and “agarbatti” production in a big way and promote use of bamboo as a building material.
Singh also referred to the amendment to the 100-year-old Indian Forest Act brought about by the Modi government in 2017, as a result of which, home-grown bamboo has been exempted from it in order to enhance livelihood opportunities.
The minister said there has been significant development in terms of road, rail and air connectivity, helping facilitate the movement of goods and people not only across the region but also across the country.
He added that the youth of the region has become more aspirational in the recent times and will play an important role to take the region to greater economic heights.