NEW DELHI, Jan 6 - Union Minister of State for Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER) Dr Jitendra Singh on Friday announced the formation of North-Eastern Tourism Development Council (NETDC) on a public-private partnership (PPP) mode with the backing of the Union Ministry of DoNER.
He was addressing the calendar release function of the North Eastern Council (NEC) here today. The NEC calendar for 2017 carries the theme of �seasonal fruits� in different parts of the year.
Dr Singh claimed that this is for the first time that the Government of India has decided to set up a separate tourism development agency, devoted to a particular region of the country. The minister said the setting up of an exclusive NETDC is also a reflection of the high priority that the Union Government accords to the development of the peripheral states of Northeast.
The minister said that the North-Eastern Tourism Development Council is yet another addition to several new initiatives undertaken with regard to the Northeast. For instance, the government earlier initiated setting up of �Venture Fund� as initial capital assistance for any young entrepreneur or start-up, who wishes to launch an establishment or venture in the region and establishment of the �Dr APJ Abdul Kalam Centre for Policy Research and Analysis� at the Indian Institute of Management (IIM), Shillong, he said.
Dr Singh said the �North-East Road Sector Development Scheme� is also a region-based road development programme in India that has proved to be a blessing for maintenance, construction and upgrade of such roads, which remain neglected.
