NEW DELHI, Sept 9 - The Centre today launched the �North East Venture Fund�, the first dedicated venture fund for the region with a corpus of Rs 100 crore.
A joint initiative of the Ministry of DoNER and North Eastern Development Finance Corporation Ltd, the fund�s objective is to promote entrepreneurship and start-ups in the northeastern region.
The DoNER also launched the North East Tourism Development Council with an objective to promote sustainable tourism in the Northeast.
The venture fund was launched at the North East Calling Festival, which was inaugurated by Minister of State for DoNER Dr Jitendra Singh at the India Gate here today. He also inaugurated a business to business meet, where three MoUs were signed.
Dr Singh said the focus is not only to bring the Northeast closer to the rest of country, but also to bring the rest of India closer to the region. Similar events will be organised in various parts of the country.
Stating that his ministry had organised the �Destination North East� festival in Chandigarh recently, Dr Singh said there is a lot to learn from the Northeast. Some northeastern States are witnessing two-digit growth rates and the literacy rate is also high in the region. The rest of India needs to follow the region also in terms of cleanliness, he added.
A North Eastern Cultural and Information Centre will soon be set up in Delhi, he said, adding that a plot of land has been allotted at Dwarka for the purpose. He also spoke on setting up of a �Dr APJ Abdul Kalam Centre for Policy Research & Analysis� at the IIM Shillong and the Brahmaputra Study Centre in Gauhati University.
