GUWAHATI, Feb 7: Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma on Friday said the state has initiated interventions to promote partnership with Japan by leveraging the strong bilateral ties that India shares with Japan.
“We firmly believe in strong partnership, trust and relationship with Japan. Our Prime Minister Narendra Modi has taken every step to ensure that the foundation laid between the two nations benefits both for economic prosperity,” the chief minister said, while addressing the 5th India-Japan Conclave here on Friday.
He also remarked that the prime minister’s vision has inspired Meghalaya to take advantage of the strong bilateral ties with Japan.
“We are not a big state and there are certain areas of strengths and opportunities we have. We are focused on moving forward in our way. We will do a few things, but we will do them well,” he added.
Discussing the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) aimed at strengthening economic ties between the two nations by enhancing trade and investment flows, the chief minister said the state has opened opportunities for its youths to undergo training for employment in Japan.
He emphasised that the young population of Meghalaya is its strength.
Starting with a few nurses who were recruited, the state has now opened vast opportunities with a target to train as many as 3,000 nurses in the coming years.
“When recruitment agencies wanted to hire nurses from Meghalaya, the youths were apprehensive, parents were worried about safety and many were concerned about the fees involved for training in the Japanese language,” he said, adding that the state government is now providing financial support for the training and ensuring the safety of youths recruited by agencies to work in Japan’s healthcare sector.
“Initially, the youths did not trust the recruiting agencies as the training cost was high. The state government intervened and resolved the problem. We are now paying for the training as well as ensuring the safety of our youths,” he said.
“I personally went to Japan to drop off the first batch. Already, 50 nurses from the state are working in different parts of Japan, and 500 are currently learning Japanese. This number will swell to 3,000, and may even reach 5,000 in the next four to five years,” the chief minister added.
He also informed that the state is exploring opportunities and collaborations in skills other than nursing to send its human resources to Japan.
“Meghalaya has a young population, with close to 45 per cent of the population below the age of 19 years. This is our advantage, and we want to provide opportunities for our youth to explore avenues beyond the state and the country,” he said.
The chief minister highlighted that the state is also exploring opportunities in agriculture and has already partnered with a Japanese firm, Yats Corporation Company Ltd. The state has procured machinery and equipment to promote Shiitake mushroom cultivation. During his visit, he had a dialogue with Ono Keiichi, Japan’s Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to India and the Kingdom of Bhutan.
In the meeting, they discussed strengthening ties between India and Japan through Meghalaya and continuing cooperation to bridge the human resource gap in healthcare for Japan.
The chief minister also referred to the Phulbari-Dhubri bridge as an example of how an economic corridor could be established by connecting it with existing roads in the Northeast and several roads bordering Bangladesh, thereby increasing the value of the investment.
He further emphasised that the Northeast could unite as a region to explore its collective potential in international trade and commerce.
