North East India lies unexplored

BANGALORE: There is a general feeling of neglect among the people of North- East” opined S S Meenakshi, former Secretary, Government of India.He was speaking at the inaugural function of North East Connect, a conference organized by North Eastern Regional Agricultural Marketing corporation (NERAMAC), National Skills Foundation of India (NSFI) and North Eastern Council (NEC). The main objective behind North East Connect was to promote investment in some of the highly potential sectors such as tourism, agriculture and handicrafts among others.“North East has immense opportunities for investment and growth, for this we have to get our feet wet in North East and explore these opportunities,” said Sanjeev Asthana from NSFI. MP Bezbaruah, permanent representative, United Nations World Tourism Organization, who delivered the key-note address, pointed out the grim situation of growth in North- East, when compared to the rest of the country.“North-East is a homogeneous entity, but in terms of economic performance it trails behind 31 per cent when compared to national average” he added.The North East connect, Bangalore is the third series of the session that was held at New Delhi and Mumbai previously. In this one day event where experts would discuss potential fields like Agri Horticulture scenario of North East and Creating Brand North East, through which it can grow