STATE TIMES NEWS
NEW DELHI: Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER) and MoS PMO, Dr Jitendra Singh on Sunday announced Rs. 90 crore for Northeast Hill Area Development beginning from Tamenglong District on a pilot basis, in the first phase, for a period of two years.
Speaking to media persons after inauguration of the two-week Northeast Handicraft-cum-Handloom Exhibition cum Sale Bonanza at Janpath in the heart of Union Capital here, Singh said, he had made the commitment to introduce an exclusive hill area development programme during his visit to Imphal and the purpose behind this was to ensure equitable development of all the districts of the State, notwithstanding their diversities of topography, geographical conditions and other aspects. However, initially, the Finance Ministry had some reservations to spare funds but with the kind intervention of Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, the funds have been approved, in principle, for which we profusely thank the Union Finance Minister.
Singh said, the Ministry of Northeast (DoNER) got engaged in a detailed discussion with the Department of Expenditure and it was realised that for pursuing the additional objective of public welfare, an additional vertical sub-scheme may be created under the existing schemes for the hill area development in the North Eastern States.
Earlier, Dr Jitendra Singh personally went around various exhibitions-cum-sale stalls put up by North Eastern Handicrafts and Handlooms Development Corporation (NEHHDC) under the aegis of Ministry of DoNER. He also offered suggestions to promote further sale of products and give a wider publicity to the product.
Over the last three years, under the Modi Government, Dr Jitendra Singh said, the handloom and textile products from Northeast have been given the kind of boost which they had not received in the past 70 years. Two years back, for instance, he said, the first-ever Northeast permanent stall was opened at Delhi Haat under the name “Purbashree” which could have been opened several years ago. He said, the products on display have been innovatively designed for cosmopolitan use with latest designs, but produced with traditional Northeastern artisanship of Nagaland, Manipur, etc.
This is why, the exhibition is attracting people from all parts of the country to come and purchase these products, which is also a source of great inspiration and promotion to the local artisanship of the region, he added.
