Economy / Northeast

YANGON, February 14: In a major policy shift, the Government of India is attaching top priority in opening all traditional trade routes between the Northeastern States and the neighbouring countries to encourage trade and commerce leading to economic development of the region. Hinting at this policy change was the External Affairs Minister, Jaswant Singh, who said the natural outlet for the Northeast is through the neighbouring South-east Asian countries and not Calcutta. "The Northeastern States has to have an access eastward," he told newsmen accompanying him on his tour to Myanmar, first by...

KALEWA (Myanmar), February 13 (PTI): Giving a new impetus to Indo-Myanmar relations, external affairs minister Jaswant Singh today opened a 165-km road built with Indian assistance linking the two countries to pave the way for enhanced tourism, trade and economic ties. Using a special computer-aided design, Border Roads Organisation (BRO) has constructed the Tamu-Kalamyn-Kalewa road, costing Rs 100 crore, in a record time of three months. Singh, who is on a three-day official visit, the first high-level from India to Myanmar since the trip by Rajiv Gandhi as Prime Minister in 1987, arrived...

KALEMEYO (Myanmar), February 13: The border trade between the Northeastern States and the neighbouring Myanmar is likely to see a fresh revival with the formal inauguration of the 160 km Tamu-Kalewa-Kalemeyo Road jointly by the External Affairs Minister, Jaswant Singh and the Minister for Construction, Maj Gen Saw Tun here this afternoon. Red carpets were rolled out for the high-level Indian delegation led by the External Affairs Minister that also included ministers of four Northeastern States, including Assam, besides top officials from the Ministry of Home Affairs, Surface Transport and...

GUWAHATI, February 12: The development interests of India's Northeast region are such that it must try to get an assured market for greater utilisation of its natural resources and go for joint venture processing and manufacturing units with Bangladeshi entrepreneurs, setting up growth zones along its international boundary bordering Bangladesh, said Gurudas Das of the Omiyo Kumar Das Institute of Social Change and Development here today. Das, who was addressing a day-long seminar on "India's Northeast and Bangladesh: Problems and Opportunities", organised by the Centre for Northeast Studies...

GUWAHATI, February 11: There are a lot of commonalities between India's Northeast and Bangladesh which can be harnessed for mutual benefit, especially in the economic sphere. Ranked almost parallelly in terms of development, the people of these two areas could benefit immensely if economic integration could be brought about. That was the crux of a discussion on "India's Northeast and Bangladesh Problems of Opportunities" that was held at the Vivekananda Kendra here this evening. Organised by The Centre for Northeast Studies and Policy Research (C-NES), New Delhi, in association with The Assam...

IMPHAL, February 10: Jaswant Singh will inaugurate the Tamu-Kalimyo road, a venture undertaken by the Indian Government with an understanding with the military junta of Myanmar, on February 13 at the Bridge Gate on the Indo-Myanmar border. The construction task of the 108 km-long road was undertaken by the Border Road Task Force (BRTF) since 1997 and is in its final stage. Tight security arrangement has been made in the border town in view of the inauguration function, which will be participated by high-ranking officials of both the countries. There is also an understanding between the...

NEW DELHI, February 10: The growing warmth in the ties between India and Myanmar is likely to see opening of the barriers for cross-border movement of people through Northeast to the neighbouring country. When the Foreign Minister of India, Jaswant Singh, will cross the international border at Moreh in Manipur on Tuesday morning he may well mark the beginning of the opening up of the border with Myanmar for movement of people. The External Affairs Minister heading a delegation of Indian Government will be in Myanmar on a three-day official visit to the country, first since late Rajiv Gandhi's...

NEW DELHI, February 3: Alarmed at reports of massive irregularities in transport subsidy schemes in the Northeast, the Union Industries Ministry has directed the National Productivity Council (NPC) to probe the allegations and recommend measures to plug the loop holes in the schemes. The joint Secretary in the Ministry of the Industries, S. Jagdessan, who is in-charge for the Northeast, told this newspaper that the NPC has already submitted its draft report to the Ministry recently. " We have received the draft report and are expecting the final report soon after which it would be released,"...

NEW DELHI, August 6: The Centre would give a special thrust to set up food parks in the Northeastern states to facilitate new food processing units that could value-add to the region's vast horticultural resources, Minister of State for Food Processisng Chaoba Singh said on Saturday, reports UNI. Inaugurating a seminar here on development of the Northeast, he pointed out that the food park scheme would provide a total technology and infrastructure package to important horticultural produce collection centres. Facilities for the food park would include cold storage, cold chain, warehousing...

NEW DELHI, July 28: While recommending fundamental restructuring of the system of Central financing of the Special Category states, the 11th Finance Commission has recommended that the responsibility for development of infrastructure of vital importance of these states, including Assam and other north-eastern states requiring large investments should be that of the Centre. The recommendations of the Finance Commission tabled in the Parliament here on Thursday may not be good news for the states reeling under severe financial crisis as no special concessions have been made to them as sought by...