NEW DELHI, May 3 � At a time when a sense of discrimination against the students hailing from the North-East is running high, comes a report that most people have negative perception about the region.
The survey claimed to be first of its kind and conducted by North East India Image Managers (NEIIM), a voluntary group of communication professionals, found that as high as 52 per cent of the respondents have a negative perception about North-East. Their immediate recall of �North East India� is that of �a region riddled with insurgency and most unsafe place in the country� or �people with mongoloid features and weird food habit and an alien culture�.
Some of the high-lights of the survey released to the media say that 76 per cent have no idea about any peace talks going on between govt. and any militant group of North-east, while 91 per cent have no knowledge about North East Industrial Policy
At least 30 per cent of professionals said they will never go and work in North-East even if that best suits their career interest. At least 42.7 per cent though advocated changes in the educational curriculum to
provide more information about the region.
A sensational revelation of the study was that 87 per cent of the respondents could not name all the states of North-East India.
The Centre may be doling out packages to develop tourism in the region, but 71 per cent of the respondents despite agreeing that the place is full of natural beauty, as many as 30 per cent of them may not go on a vacation to North-East. �This testifies the fact that the picture has not really changed over the years. The stories of progress and peace from Northeast have not reached the people in the rest of the country yet.� said NEIIM.
�This speaks about the failure of the governments � both at the Centre as well as in the states to actually create awareness in the country. There is definite need to create communication programmes which break the myths about the region create a positive mindset among common people,� NEIIM said.
