New Delhi: Minister for Information and Public Relations A.L. Hek today painted a rosy picture of Meghalaya and urged people from the rest of the country and abroad to visit the hill state and see its huge potential.
Addressing the Meghalaya Day at the ongoing India International Trade Fair (IITF) here on Tuesday, Hek said in the recent years Meghalaya has made unimaginable progress in socio-economic spheres. There is large scale economic growth in the State and the main stumbling block of connectivity has been largely done away with.
The Shillong-Guwahati national highway has been converted into a four lane highway and it takes hardly two to three hours to reach the state capital from Guwahati with the Shillong Bypass becoming operational, Hek said. There is a daily flight linking Shillong with Kolkata and the State got its first rail head recently, he added.
Moreover, unlike the perception outside, Meghalaya is peaceful and now well connected, the Minister said. Tourists from home and abroad should visit unique places like Shillong, Cherrapunjee, Asia’s cleanest village Mawlynnong and the famous root bridges of Meghalaya, he said.
Hek also spoke eloquently about the recently concluded slow food festival which drew unprecedented crowd not only from the rest of the country but also from different parts of the world. The State is going to be organic in a very big way soon, he said.
The hill state which is an education hub of the country is now trying to become a medical hub too, Hek, who is also in charge of Health portfolio, said. NEIGRIHMS has been expanded and there will be a new medical college in the Garo Hills, he said.
The participating departments in the Meghalaya Pavilion include Tourism, Forest, Commerce and Industries, Agriculture, Horticulture, Registrar of Cooperative Societies, Sericulture and Weaving, MHHDC, MKVIB. Directorate of Information and Public Relations is the nodal Department.
Apart from Government Departments, there are also 13 entrepreneurs taking part in the IITF. These units are sponsored by various Government departments participating in the fair for promoting and showcasing the indigenous products of the State.
Earlier, P. Sampath Kumar, Resident Commissioner, Meghalaya House, New Delhi, formally inaugurated the Meghalaya Pavilion at the IITF in the presence of H.M. Shangpliang, Secretary, Social Welfare Department and DIPR officers and participants from the State.
On the occasion, cultural troupes from Meghalaya, dressed in their ethnic attire, put up an entertaining show through various folk dances and songs highlighting the State’s rich art and culture.
