GUWAHATI, Dec 4 - NITI Aayog Vice Chairman Rajiv Kumar today said an implementable action plan will be developed for the Northeast which is �practical, tangible and doable�. Addressing the second meeting of NITI Forum for North East, Kumar said that the Forum will henceforth hold three meetings every year.
After the launch meeting at Agartala on April 10 this year, the first operational meeting of NITI Forum for North East was held today.
Kumar asked the NEC Secretary to present five important recommendations of the expert panels on bamboo, tea, tourism, fisheries and dairy.
�The Forum would work for accelerating the pace of socioeconomic growth of the region. It would focus on action-based approach and would work towards substantial results in a time-bound manner,� he said, adding that the NITI Forum, North East Water Management Authority and North Eastern Council will coordinate for important development projects on the ground for the region.
DoNER Minister Dr Jitendra Singh said the constitution of NITI Forum for North East is first of its kind as it is exclusively dedicated for a region.
�It is in the line with the Prime Minister�s vision and it is a unique effort that brings government, academia, and the civil society all in one place, for providing various new ideas for solving the hurdles in developing the Northeast,� he said.
With the objective of having more focused discussions, the NITI Forum identified five key sectors of tourism, bamboo, dairy, fisheries and tea for today�s meeting. Senior government functionaries, academia and industry experts were present in these panel discussions.
The panel on bamboo recommended creation of synergy between industry, authorities and academia of the sector. The tea panel discussed issues of mismatch between demand and supply, rising costs and stagnant prices and organised and unorganised sectors.
Tea tourism was also discussed in detail. The panel on tourism discussed connectivity, PPP initiatives, UDAN scheme, accommodation for tourists and transport facilities. This group also highlighted the need to upgrade the regional festivals like Sangai and Hornbill to international events by associating local tour operators.
The panel on fisheries and dairy also made their presentations at the end of the discussions.
DoNER secretary Naveen Verma said the NITI Forum was constituted to periodically review the development status in northeastern region. The Forum would identify various constraints on the way for accelerated, inclusive but sustainable, economic growth in the region and to recommend suitable interventions for addressing identified constraints.
