New Delhi, Dec 5 (KNN) An implementable action plan is to be developed for the North East which is practical, tangible and doable, said Dr Rajiv Kumar, Chairman of NITI Forum.

He was speaking at the 2nd meeting of ‘NITI Forum for North East’ held under the chairmanship of Dr Rajeev Kumar, Vice-Chairman, NITI Aayog and co-chairmanship of Dr. Jitendra Singh, Minister of State (IC), Ministry of Development of North East Region (DoNER).

He asked the Secretary NEC to present 5 important recommendations of the Expert Panels on Bamboo, Tea, Tourism, Fisheries and Dairy.

He said, “The Forum would work for accelerating the pace of socio-economical growth of the Region. It would focus on action based approach and would work towards substantial results in a time-bound manner.”

He further added that NITI Forum, North East Water Management Authority and North Eastern Council will coordinate for important development projects on the ground for the region.

With the objective of having more focused discussions, the NITI-NER Forum identified five key sectors of Tourism, Bamboo, Dairy, Fisheries and Tea for the key discussion.

The Panel on Bamboo recommended creation of synergy between industry, authorities and academia of the sector.

The Tea panel discussed issues of mismatch between demand and supply, rising costs and stagnant prices and organized and unorganized sectors. Tea Tourism was also discussed in details.

The panel on tourism discussed connectivity, PPP initiatives, UDAN scheme, accommodation for tourists and transport facilities. This group also highlighted the need to upgrade the regional festivals such as Sangai and Hornbill to international events by associating local tour operators.

 The panel on Fisheries and Dairy also made their presentations at the end of the discussions.

Speaking on the occasion, Singh said “As the NE is a very unique region, special and unique measures are to be taken for accelerating the growth of the Region.”

He also talked about changing the funding pattern for NE states.

Addressing the Forum, the Secretary DoNER, Naveen Verma said, “In February 2018, the NITI-NER Forum was constituted to periodically review the development status in NER. The Forum would identify various constraints on the way for accelerated, inclusive but sustainable, economic growth in the region and to recommend suitable interventions for addressing identified constraints.”