Aronoday honorary President Lt Gen (retd) D. B. Shekatkar, who served in various states of the North-East for 30 years, said, “The motive is to bridge the information gap between the other parts of the country and the region.
Dr. Kamal Taori (IAS), Secretary of the North-Eastern Council (NEC), is in the city at the invitation of Aronoday; on Saturday said the need of the hour in the northeastern states is to identify performing institutions working in critical areas and on regional issues. “Development policies followed in the northeast will have to be tailor-made to address the siverse spectrum of problems that exist in the region.”
Nitin Gokhale, a journalist from the region, observed that national neglect of the northeast had led to insurrection in the form of separatist movements. However, he added, the onus of finding a solutions to the multitude of problems lies with the people. Another observation he mad was that the insurgency has turned into a lucrative business. The turnover from extortion, ransom money, the drug trade and arms dealings have crossed Rs 200 crore per year. He also pointed out, “Instead of being labeled a dejected part, the northeast should be projected as India’s gateway to Southeast Asia.”
Seminar was organized at S. M. Joshi Hall, Pune on May 15 at 9.30 am on Sunday.