Look East: Why NE is hosting foreign consulates, and soon Singapore’s too

Dimapur, July 17 (EMN): Governor of Assam Prof. Jagdish Mukhi has said that the Look East Policy is not a concept that should be viewed from a domestic perspective but a context of neighbourly relations for the country as a single entity.
In this context, Bhutan and Bangladesh have already opened their consulates at Guwahati in Assam, while Asian economic powerhouse Singapore is in talks to open its consulate too.

“Development of the Northeast has to be viewed not just from a domestic perspective but also in the context of neighbourhood of India. Friendly partner countries are essential to our vision for the Northeast which can contribute substantially for a comprehensive development of NE, India and Asean as a whole,” Mukhi said.

The governor was addressing a seminar on natural resources, skilled manpower and issues about development of the Northeast region, on July 17 at St. Joseph’s College at Jakhama near Kohima town.

The government publicity agency, the department of Information and Public Relations (IPR), issued updates on Wednesday informing about the programme.

Mukhi said that the central government views the Northeast region as vital for the development of the entire country; it has put the region at the heart of the Act East Policy. Because of this, Bhutan and Bangladesh have already opened their consulates in Guwahati, while Singapore is in talks to open its consulate, the updates stated.

The governor pointed out that Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Meghalaya and Tripura have been brought into the railway map. Also, the National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation, which was incorporated in July 2014, has been working with special focus on the Northeast region.

With the proximity of the region to many Asean capitals, Mukhi said, the central government is keen about starting flights between Guwahati and the Asean capitals with Thimpu, Singapore and Dhaka already connected to Guwahati.

The government is also working to improve the roads network, the Asean trilateral highway connecting the Northeast region to the Asean countries.

On Nagaland, Mukhi said that the state has always occupied the nucleus of the Northeast development agenda.
The Civil Aviation ministry, for instance, has approved two helicopter services to keep the state’s headquarters connected to the district headquarters. In the Union Budget for 2019-20, INR 500 crore was allocated for rail, connecting Dimapur with Kohima.

Further, the IPR reported, three new routes were decided of which Dimapur will be connected with Guwahati, Imphal and Dibrugarh, to augment air services in Nagaland. As part of the Udan scheme, the construction of the greenfield airport at Ciethu in Kohima is in the pipeline.

‘With the strategic geographical location of the state in the ambit of the Act East Policy of the government of India, Governor Mukhi said, the government of India and the state’s government is planning, executing and monitoring development schemes and projects with special emphasis on Nagaland,’ the IPR’s updated stated.

The Assam governor said that the government was working to ‘stimulate economic development of the state by incentivizing farmers to expand the scale of commercial production, create employment opportunities in non-agricultural sectors to absorb the educated unemployed and to ensure that regional balance takes place.’

Pointing to the region’s rich natural resources and biodiversity, Mukhi emphasised on the need for growth in economy with the growth of ecology. Praising the social and cultural ecosystems of the Northeast region, Mukhi said ‘it is home to some of the oldest indigenous communities in the world.’

Also addressing the event was the governor of Nagaland PB Acharya. In his address, Acharya said that “unless Northeast develops India cannot progress.” He said that skill and manpower development should be the agenda of the region.

There is a need to bridge the gap of skill and manpower with natural resources, industries, trade and commerce, the IPR reported him as having said.

The Nagaland governor reminded that universities play an important role in bridging the gaps by not only being centres of knowledge but also centres of development and empowerment, the IPR added.