State potentials highlighted at Intl summit of BIMSTEC
Source: Hueiyen News Service

Imphal, February 08 2014 : Connectivity and agriculture sector are the priority elements on the objectives of BIMSTEC (Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation), according to Sanjay Bhattacharyya, Joint Secretary, Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India, who was speaking at the international summit on BIMSTEC held at Hotel Classic here today.

Speakers from Myanmar, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Bhutan, Thailand and India participated in the conference held under the theme "Focussing Fourteen Pillars of Co-operations" which was organized by the Indian Chamber of Commerce (ICC) under the aegis of Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India.

Dr.Nitin Kumar Triparthi, Editor-in-chief, Internal Journal of Geoinformatics, Leader ICT, Asian Institute of Technology, who attended as one of the resource persons, spoke on the topic of "Cooperation on sharing of Remote Sensing Data on Agriculture, Environment and Disaster Management" during the summit while Kavita Iyengar, Economist, Indian Resident Mission, Asian Development Bank (ADB) spoke on the topic of "Unlocking economic potential through BIMSTEC transport connectivity" .

Dr.Jayantha Dias Samarasinghe, Chairman, Sri Lanka Council for Agricultural Research Policy (SLCARP) also spoke on "The need of a common agenda for agricultural policy framing to ensure food security in BIMSTEC region?" .

During the summit, the issue of available natural resources and scope of hospitality sector in Meghalaya was emphasized by P..WIngty, Principal Secretary, Department of Commerce and Industry, Government of Meghalaya while Sanjay Bhattacharyya spoke on the visions of BIMSTEC.

Speaking on his given topic, Sanjay observed that BIMSTEC was established in the vision to cater all round development in every nook and corner of the north eastern states of country.

He believes that if developments come in the north east then peace and harmony will automatically follow and exist in the country.

Earlier, speaking as chief guest of the inaugural function of the summit, P..CLawmkunga, Chief Secretary of Manipur said that the holding of the BIMSTEC international conference in the state is a good sign as this will widen the horizon to further India's Look East Policy scope for Manipur being the gateway of South East Asia.

Calling upon the people to be vigilant and be aware of their responsibilities, he said that they should take hold of any opportunity that comes their way to further development and economic prosperity.

On the other hand, speaking at the valedictory session of the submit, Chief Minister O Ibobi Singh lauded the Indian Chamber of Commerce for organising such international conference of BIMSTEC in Imphal.

Ibobi observed that Northeast region, particularly Manipur is going to play an important role in bringing the long cherished prosperity under India's Look East Policy not only to India but also to bordering countries.

Manipur has a good agro climatic condition, rich bio-diversity -herbal & medicinal plants, high horticultural potential, rich forest and water resources.

Added to this, the State has a high literacy rate and a large potential of sport talents with rich cultural heritage.

It also has excellent air connectivity with the rest of the country.

Considering the development potential of the State, the State Government has identified a few priority sectors in Tourism, Health tourism, Power, IT, Horticulture and Agro & Food Processing for attracting private investment in Manipur, Ibobi added.

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