Biswajit promotes investment opportunities in State
Source: The Sangai Express / DIPR
Imphal, November 16 2017:
Textiles, Commerce and Industries Minister Thongam Biswajit Singh has invited investors from across the country to visit and invest in the State saying that Manipur will be the gateway of India to South East Asia.
He said Manipur will have good opportunities for investment in various industries because railway connectivity will come to Imphal City by 2019 and with the Trans Asian highways expected to connect the ASEAN countries.
The Minister was speaking at the 12th North East Business Summit "Transforming North East: The Engine for India's Growth" at the The Lalit, New Delhi today.
He said the initiative of the Look East Policy to Act East Policy will connect the entire North East States of India to South East Asian countries to boost the economy and relationships in the region.
The Minister said the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises sector is growing rapidly in the State under the State Industrial policy "A New Industrial & Investment Policy of Manipur 2017" which has been finalised to encourage investors to establish industries in the State.
He said that the State has the availability of organic Agro-horti raw materials, medicinal herbal aromatic plants (more than 400 varieties of medicinal plants identified), varieties of bamboos, potential for growing coffee, tea and rubber, high qualities of spices and many natural resources like chromites, limestone, natural gas and crude oil.
The thrust areas of industrial activities in the State would be food-based agro-horti industries, medicinal and herbal aromatic plant industries, bamboo & bamboo product processing industries, coffee, tea and rubber plantations, spices processing and mineral based industries, he said.
He claimed that recently the State has developed four industrial estates in Imphal West, Imphal East, Toubal and Bishnupur district and another five in other districts are also in the pipeline.
He said Manipur has a huge potential in handloom, handicraft and textile industries and added that various kinds of artistic textile products are also available in the State.
He said Manipur has 2.04 lakh weavers, which is the highest in the country and 1.9 loom possessions.
He said, "Besides to promote artisans and craftsman and to create more employment and boost their economy, with the initiative of the Governor of Manipur, we have formed Mission on Economic Empowerment of Traditional Artisan and Craftsman (MEETAC)" .
Claiming that more than 2000 patients came for medical tourism from Myanmar and other neighbouring countries to Manipur last year, he said the State can also initiate medical tourism.
The Minister went on to say that Manipur has huge potential in sports and that nine football players from North East India represented India in the recently concluded U-17 Football World Cup.
Asserting that Manipur has the potential for sports tourism, the Minister reminded that recently MC Mary Kom from the State won Asian Gold in Boxing while L Sarita Devi bagged bronze medal.
Acknowledging the sports talents and potential of the State, the Centre has initiated to establish a Sports University in the State, he added.
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