The Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) Development of North-Eastern Region (DoNER), MoS PMO, Personnel, Public Grievances, Pensions, Atomic Energy and Space, Dr. Jitendra Singh said that after having successfully showcased Northeast in the union capital of New Delhi and other important towns in North India, the next step would be to carry forward the Northeast showcasing campaign to South India, beginning with the hosting of a 3-day Northeast Festival at Bengaluru from 6th of November this year. He disclosed this here today after a meeting with representatives of “Northeast India Welfare Society” who presented him a detailed Programme book describing the highlights and diverse facets of the three-day event.
Dr. Jitendra Singh said that during the last nine months since he took over the Ministry, he has tried to follow a two-pronged strategy. One is that of bringing rest of India closer to Northeast for which initiatives like “DoNER at Doorstep” were started to hold monthly Camp Secretariat of DoNER Ministry in each of the eight States of the region by rotation. The second part of the strategy envisages carrying Northeast to different parts of this vast country and the Bengaluru event will be a step in this direction. On the one hand, while the rest of India needs to be familiarized and acquainted better with rich attributes of Northeast and its people, on the other hand the people of Northeast also need to be exposed to the diversities that enrich India from North to South and from East to West, he added.
The Bengaluru Festival, Dr. Jitendra Singh informed, will be split over three days and will include cultural programmes, tourism displays, Business summits, seminar discussions, sports slots and arts & craft shows. The participants will not only be from different parts of Northeast but also from different parts of the rest of India, so as to facilitate a healthy intermingling of different cultures at the important South Indian destination of Bengaluru which also currently happens to be a favourite professional and educational hub for youth from the entire subcontinent, he said. This will also help in inspiring stimulating environment for “Startup India” and entrepreneurship, he added.The representatives of Northeast India Welfare Society including Dr. Simanta Sharma and Kabir Hazarika informed that each of the sections to be hosted during the 3-day event will have some illustrious luminaries and celebrities from their respective fields.