The Four-day ‘Destination North East’ festival organised by the Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER), Government of India concluded in Varanasi today. The festival was organised in Varanasi for the first time. The Union Minister for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, Dr. Mahendra Nath Pandey was the Chief Guest at the Closing Ceremony of the festival.Addressing on the occasion, Dr. Mahendra Nath Pandey said that North east has been developing at a faster rate in the recent years. This includes economic development as well as connectivity. He said that Varanasi has its own rich culture and thanked people for being associated with festival of Brahmaputra on the banks of river Ganga. He said that such events help people to understand the cultural diversities of the country and to know the culture of North east.
During the 4-day event from 23rd to 26th November 2019 held at IIT BHU grounds, Varanasi, all the eight North Eastern States participated in the event along with their respective handicrafts, handloom, organic products and cultural troupes. During the Closing ceremony, the Minister of State for Food Processing Industries, Shri Rameswar Teli, Minister of Textile, Government of Manipur, Shri Jayanta Kumar Singh, Minister of Health & Family Welfare, Government of Assam, Shri Ranjeet Dutta, Secretary, North East Council (NEC) Shri K Moses Chalai and former cricketer Praveen Kumar, were present among other dignitaries.Dr. Mahendra Nath Pandey said these kind of opportunities are an opportunity to connect different cultures. He also spoke about the initiatives of Skill Development Ministry for the north east region and said that a centre is being set up in Guwahati. The Union Minister Shri Rameswar Teli also discussed various development schemes being implemented by the Centre Government.
The four-day festival attracted people from all walks of life. B2B sessions were also held during the festival. The previous editions of ‘Destination North East’ were held in Delhi and Chandigarh. The festival was inaugurated by the Union Minister for Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER) Dr Jitendra Singh on 23rd May. The Secretary DoNER Inder Jit Singh, Secretary North East Council K Moses Chalai, veteran cine star Zeenat Aman, Former cricketer R P Singh and several other celebrities for the world of films, music and sports were also present during the inaugural ceremony of the festival.