The Summit is particularly important this year, because for the first time, it is being held in the interiors of the North-East, in Dibrugarh in Upper Assam, and hence would be a Forum to address key, real grass-roots level developmental issues. Also, two Chief Ministers from neighbouring Myanmar - HE U Thar Aye, Chief Minister of Sagaing Region and HE U Ye Myint, Chief Minister of Mandalay Region will attend the Inaugural Session of the Summit as Special Guests of Honour and share their perspectives on North-East – Myanmar trade & economic exchanges. This visit is extremely important with a fact that Myanmar is India’s true Gateway to the ASEAN markets, and that it has opened up its economy to Asia and the world.
The Ministry of DoNER is responsible for the matters relating to the planning, execution and monitoring of development schemes and projects in the North Eastern Region. Its vision is to accelerate the pace of socio-economic development of the Region so that it may enjoy growth parity with the rest of the country.
One of the prime objectives of the Ministry is to showcase the inherent economic, social and cultural strength of the North East Region as well as to mainstream the Region with the country to move forward in its entirety. Under this objective, this event is being organized.
The ICC has been assigned by the Ministry of DoNER to organize this summit as the Nodal Chamber for the North-East. The Ministry of DoNER, over the years, has tirelessly strived to showcase the tremendous economic potential of the NER to domestic and international investors through meaningful, and strategic initiatives with the help of ICC. So far, the Ministry of DoNER has organized eight North East Business summit in various part of the Country. The Indian Chamber of Commerce has also organized mega trade & investment shows on the North-East abroad, particularly in South & South-East Asian countries having potential to be natural trade partners of the North-East region because of its strategic location and proximity to these countries.
The 3-day North-East Business Summit will address key issues related to the overall socio-economic development of the North-East, which, despite being a region with tremendous economic potential, has not been able to grow as expected, and has largely remained untapped. The Indian Chamber strongly feels that policies and programmes need to be suitably monitored and implemented for taking the region to a higher growth trajectory, in sync with the NE Vision 2020 document released by the Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh in 2008, which recommends a structural transformation of the region.
The Summit will have focused Sessions on strategic areas like: Energy & Power; Horticulture, Tea, Food Processing & Plantation; Infrastructure & Connectivity; Tourism & Hospitality; IT, Healthcare & Financial Services; Higher Education; International Trade with ASEAN in sync with ‘Look East’ Policy etc. There will be a high-profile Exclusive Investors’ Meet with Union Minister of DoNER, North-East Industry Ministers and Senior Officials, which is aimed at portraying the attractive incentive structures offered by the states, highlighting upcoming private & public projects, taking feedback from existing Investors and discussing prospective investment opportunities.
The Summit will also have an Exhibition on the North-East region wherein all the States will display their indigenous products, and showcase their comparative advantages to investors.
More than 500 delegates from across the country, and also from neighbouring countries are expected to attend the North-East Business Summit. The Union Minister of DoNER Shri Paban Singh Ghatowar will chair the Summit. The Summit will witness the coming together of a very large number of Indian and international Cabinet Ministers, Chief Ministers of the North-Eastern States, Policy Makers, Government Representatives, Bureaucrats, Industry Captains, Economists and Analysts as Guest Speakers and Experts.
The Inaugural Session will also witness the giving away of the 4th North East Excellence Awards to outstanding achievers and organizations from the region who have excelled in diverse fields.
