GUWAHATI, July 12 � DoNER Minister Gen VK Singh today formally inaugurated the Guwahati office of Brickwork Ratings, a leading credit rating agency in the North-east.
On the occasion, Gen Singh also released the Brickwork Handbook 2014 on the North-east.
Gen Singh who presided over the inauguration ceremony expressed his happiness over the opening of Brickwork office in the North-east, saying that the mission of his ministry was to synergize the process of development of the region so that it enjoyed growth parity with the rest of the country.
�Our top priorities for the North-eastern States is to enhance infrastructure and boost economic growth by providing job opportunities to youths. The Government of India�s intentions have been made amply clear by providing more than Rs. 53,000 crore for speedy development of the North-east during this year�s Budget,� he added.
Vivek Kulkarni of Brickworks, in his welcome address, referred to the North-east�s potential in tea, eco-tourism, hydropower, silk, bamboo, oil, coal and lime stone. �The area needs almost 18 million new jobs by 2022. Brickwork is committed to this job creation efforts of the Government by rating small, medium and large companies under NSIC and bank loan schemes,� he said.
Pointing out that almost 25 per cent of the workforce in the voice BPO segment across India was from the North-east and India was losing 70 per cent voice and call centre and BPO business to Philippines, Kulkarni said that an IT action plan had to be prepared for positioning the North-east an as alternative to Phillippines.
