Excelsior Correspondent
NEW DELHI, Mar 10: 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 said here today that the Ministry of DoNER is proactively working to ensure that Northeast offers incentives to investors from other parts of the country and other regions. This will not only increase revenue generation and job opportunities, he said, but would also help supplement India’s foreign outreach in the form of “Act East Policy” because in order to effectively engage with countries distal to India’s eastern borders, we should first have to be effectively developed in the Indian States proximal to the eastern borders.
Addressing the two-day Northeast Business Summit organized by the Indian Chambers of Commerce (ICC), Dr Jitendra Singh said, the North-Eastern States like, for example Arunachal Pradesh and Meghalaya, have the potential to produce a number of such products and goods which will find easy takers in eastern countries like Myanmar and Bhutan which have common eating habits and common lifestyle.
Dr Jitendra Singh lauded the efforts of the Indian Chamber of Commerce and suggested that a comprehensive brief note be prepared candidly defining the various incentives and offers jointly made by the Ministry of DoNER, Indian Chamber of Commerce and other sources to encourage young entrepreneurs to invest and set up establishments in Northeast.
On the occasion, an MoU was also signed between the Indian Chamber of Commerce and the Mali Chamber of Commerce in the presence of the representatives from the Mali Government, including the Mali Minister of Small and Medium Enterprises and Private Sector, Konimba Sidibe.
Dr Jitendra Singh referred to similar summits held during the last over one year which were attended among others by representatives and Ministers from Bangladesh, Myanmar and Bhutan.
In the last two-and-a-half years, Dr Jitendra Singh said, a number of fast-track initiatives have been undertaken in order to make the conditions more conducive and friendly to attract investors from outside. These, he said, included introduction of new direct flights and chopper services for better connectivity, work to establish broad gauge rail track in most of the States by next-year end, including a train from Tripura to Bangladesh, and an exclusive Northeast road development scheme for upkeep of neglected roads.
For young startups, Dr Jitendra Singh said, in addition to a host of incentives and attractive provisions available in PM’s “Startup India, Standup India” programme, the Ministry of DoNER has decided to launch, very shortly, the added incentive of offering a “Venture Fund” for young entrepreneurs in order to relieve them of the financial liability.
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