From CK Nayak
New Delhi: Meghalaya Chief Minister Dr. Mukul Sangma on Thursday gave a new twist to the investment scenario in the Northeast by encompassing not only industries but also all other sectors, that too, taking it up beyond the frontiers of the region.
“Both the region’s along with the country’s as well as the global economy have undergone sea changes in recent times and the investors should take note of it,” Dr. Sangma said. He was speaking at the ongoing Pravasi Bharatiya Divas session on ‘Investment Opportunities in States’.
Speaking at the session, Dr. Sangma advised the Diaspora not to look at the Northeast region as a remote landlocked cluster but vast population in its accessible neighbours – Bangladesh, Myanmar, Bhutan and Nepal and the South East Asian countries and beyond. The total population of the region and its neighbours will be nearly 300 million with a common origin, history and culture.
This teeming population with better and relatively modern lifestyle is itself a big market not to speak of power house of production, he said. He presented all Northeastern states as a largely ‘untapped and virgin’ investment destination and said investors can tap markets in Bangladesh and Myanmar with their presence there.
“The competition in others states is very stiff. You come to Meghalaya, Northeast and you will be pleasantly surprised,” he said. He also highlighted the natural beauty of his state and its English-speaking population which would be a ‘human capital’.
“It is often heard that not much has been done in the remote Northeast which in itself an opportunity to the investors,” Dr. Sangma, a votary of big investment, said. Both the Centre and the state Governments in the region are taking giant steps for attracting investments, he added.
Besides these steps a plethora of updated legislation like Right to Information (RTI) and Right to Education (RTE) has brought revolutionary changes in governance, Dr. Sangma noted. “This has brought transparency in governance which helps the investors.”
The Chief Minister pointed out that a silent revolution is happening in rural areas including in Northeast where majority of poor and lower middle class population live. Farmer friendly reforms in general and MNREGA in particular has increased the wages beyond minimum wages which has given rise to more spending and consumption.
“MNREGA liberated agriculture workforce from suppression and oppression and pushed up wages, ensuring them work and money,” he said, praising the job guarantee scheme for driving up people’s purchasing power.
“This has not only stopped migration of rural folk for wages but also transformed the rural economy which the investors can take note of,” Dr. Sangma said. This has opened up a vast field where investment can be made beyond the limits of towns and cities, he added.
The Chief Minister hoped that this event would go a long way in helping to build a better and fruitful relationship between the Government of India and the Pravasi (NRI) community. Such close interaction will also take regions like landlocked Northeast not only beyond its neighbors but also further ahead to South East Asia, he said.
Giving sector-wise details the Chief Minister said his Government has been trying to bring in heavy investment in education, health, IT, non-conventional energy and human resources. “The State capital Shillong, being a British era hill station and education hub, health and higher education is our traditional strength,” he said.
“To take it further there is a need for public private partnership and we are willing to adopt policies that would help investment in this sector,” Dr. Sangma said, adding, “Since the goal is also to make it affordable to the poor, we plan to have more hospitals, medical colleges and centres of higher education in the Government sector too.”
“The State wants to build better infrastructure to take care of energy and transportation needs of the State mainly in the non-conventional sources. We need to create or tap energy from all possible sources, be it solar, hydel, wind, gas or any other source within or outside the State,” he said.
“In effect a large scale public private campaign to improve facilities for generation and transmission of energy and for goods and people’s movement, from and within the state is one of top most priorities in the State.”
“Meghalaya is one of the fast growing IT destinations in India. This dream, of turning youths from job seekers to job givers, is one of the most cherished goals and the State Government will take all necessary steps to turn this dream into a reality,” Dr. Sangma said.
The Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs has organized this year’s event in recognition and appreciation of the constructive, economic and political role played by the Indian Diaspora. In the present globalized world, such interactions can be mutually rewarding in economic, social, cultural and other spheres of life, Dr. Sangma concluded.