India's First Cherry Blossom Festival launched at Shillong
November 14, 2016:
Dr Mukul M Sangma , CM of Meghalaya, inaugurating India's First Cherry Blossom Festival at Shillong, in presence of Clement Marak, Minister ,Forests and Environment , KS Kropha IAS, Chief Secretary Meghalaya and Prof Dinabandhu Sahoo, Director IBSD
India’s First Cherry Blossom Festival was launched this morning by Dr Mukul M Sangma, Hon’ble Chief Minister of Meghalaya at a glittering function held at Polo Ground, Shillong this morning in the presence of Cabinet Ministers, senior Govt Officials, members of civil society, tourists and scores of school children.
At an impressive and well attended function, the Hon’ble CM stated that this Nature’s gift of Cherry Blossoms to Meghalaya must be appreciated and is one of several elements that makes Meghalaya an attractive destination for tourists looking for a green destination and a short break away from the hustle and bustle of polluted cities.
He also acknowledged the partnership with Institute of Bioresources and Sustainable Development (IBSD), a National Institute of Department of Biotechnology, Govt of India, for joint conceptualization and implementation of this humble yet successful start in putting Meghalaya onto the global tourist map.
Prof Dinabandhu Sahoo, Director IBSD, who conceptualized the Cherry Blossom Festival in India for the first time told that this event would create a number of opportunities for the people of Meghalaya. He also emphasised that collaborations should be developed with Japan so that more international tourists can visit the North East region.
He assured the people of Meghalaya that IBSD is committed to the socio-economic development of the region and this partnership is only one of several initiatives that are focussed on sustainable utilisation of the unique bioresources of the state. Sahoo said that 2017 is the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development as declared by the United Nations.
He said we must plan for the future editions of this festival in a bigger way well in advance and inform the world, that such activities are also possible in India. He thanked all the people for their active cooperation and requested the people to visit Meghalaya, as the festival will end on 17th November 2016. On this occasion, the Hon’ble Chief Minister released a coffee table book entitled ‘Cherry Blossom-Sakura for Peace, Prosperity and Sustainable Development’ written by Sahoo.
Shri KS Kropha IAS, Chief Secretary of Meghalaya, in his address also underscored the huge tourism potential of this festival and expects that in the years to come this will draw huge numbers of tourists from all over the country and from across the world.
* This Press Release was sent to e-pao.net by Albert Chiang (Institute of Bioresources & Sustainable Development) who can be contacted at ac1000000(AT)gmail(DOT)com
This Press Release was posted on November 15 2016
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