1st ever historic NITI Forum meet kicks off; Aims to ensure sustainable economic growth for Northeastern region

Agartala, April 10: The first ever meeting of NITI Forum for North East opened up today in Agartala. The NITI forum was constituted to ensure the sustainable economic growth of the North Eastern Region (NER). The theme for the first meeting focuses on identifying different constraints and streamlining resources for the prosperous North East.

The ‘NITI Forum for North East’ was constituted in February 2018 with an aim to ensure the sustainable economic growth of the North Eastern Region (NER) of the country and periodically review the development status in NER.

The meeting is being chaired by the Vice-Chairman, NITI Aayog, Rajeev Kumar and the co-Minister of State, Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER), Jitendra Singh. Chief Ministers of the NE States and leading lights from the region will attend the deliberations.

Emphasizing the need to identify constraints, streamline resources and add renewed focus on the NER, the Vice-Chairman and the Minister spoke about Moving towards a prosperous North East Region, the theme for the first meeting.

Chief Minister of Meghalaya, Conrad Sangma tweeted about the meet saying it as the #HistoricNITIForum.

The broad agendas for the First Meeting include among others:

Strategies for improving Road, Rail and Air Connectivity in the North East Region
Realizing the Hydel Dream – Way Forward for utilizing existing potential for hydro-power in the NER
Agriculture and allied sectors
NE States to encourage Organic Farming
Cultivation of Vegetables, fruits, Spices, medicinal plants
Soil Health Card for farmers
Minimizing post-harvest losses
Increased coverage under Crop Insurance
Milk production to be boosted
Water Management
Early completion of on-going irrigation projects
Promotion of Tourism
Promotion of Eco-Tourism, Rural Tourism and Adventure Tourism
Strengthening of North East Tourism Development Council (NETDC)
Organically-themed Home-Stay Tourism (as in Sikkim) may be encouraged in other NE States
The NETDC to work closely with the NE States for tourism promotion
Identifying and targeting early bird projects in areas of connectivity, agricultural productivity and industrial development to give a fillip to growth in the NER.