New Delhi, October 14 2008: The Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER) in collaboration of the Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (ASSOCHAM) today organized a one-day Conference of North Eastern StatesInvestmart 2008 at Hotel Shangrila, Janpath here.

The Union Minister for DoNER Mani Shankar Aiyar was the chief guest.

In his inaugural address, Mani Shankar Aiyar said the absence of private sectors is the only lacunae in the development of the North Eastern Region.

Public Private Partnership (PPP) in executing developmental works is a must in the Region for its accelerated development.

Though the NE Region covers 8 percent geographical area and 4 percent population of the country, the Central Govt has been paying special attention towards its development by earmarking 10 pc of the plan funds of each Ministry for the Region.

So, there is no shortage of money for development of the Region, he added.

Elaborating the various advantages for the investors in Manipur, Manipur Chief Minister Okram Ibobi Singh invited private entrepreneurs to take investment opportunities in different sectors in Manipur like connectivity, trade with Myanmar and ASEAN, horti-culture and floriculture, medicinal and aromatic plants, food and agro based industries, sericulture, tourism, information technology and infrastructure contracts.

Going through local and National newspapers that usually highlighted bad law and order situation in Manipur, investors might have hesitated to come to Manipur.

Every development works in the State were being taken up with progress and quality.

If any investors require security while taking up any projects in Manipur, the State Government was ready to provide it, the Chief Minister stated.

Describing Manipur as the gateway to South East Asian countries, O Ibobi Singh elaborated the development of connectivity in the State.

He said that Manipur has air connectivity with nine daily flights connecting Imphal to Delhi, Kolkata, Bangalore, Guwahati and other destinations.

Air India provides postal air cargo services six days a week.

Night landing facilities at Tulihal Airport, Imphal would be operational by December this year.

Airport was being expanded to increase parking space for eight aircrafts at a time.

New state-of-the-art terminal building with cold storage facilities was in the pipeline.

Referring to road connectivity, he mentioned that three National Highways namely NH-39, NH-53 and NH-150 connected Manipur.

East-West Road Corridor under SARDP-NE was extended upto Moreh bordering Myanmar and it became the critical link in the proposed TransAsian Highway.

Ibobi recalled the trilateral agreement of the Government of India with Thailand and Myanmar to construct a highway connecting India through Manipur to Myanmar and Thailand.

On rail connectivity, he stated that the railway line from Jiribam to Tupul was under construction on priority basis as national project.

It would connect Imphal with the rest of India by 2012-14.The State Govt had requested the Ministry of Railways to extend the line upto Moreh, because it could be the backbone of the proposed TransAsian Railway Line.

On trade with Myanmar and ASEAN, O.Ibobi Singh said that Moreh Town, connected by NH-39 offered the most feasible land route for trade between India and Myanmar and other South East Asian Countries.

In recognition of its potential, the Government of India notified an Integrated Check Post at Moreh.

RITES prepared a Detailed Project Report amounting to Rs 130 crore for the Integrated Check Post.

On horticulture and Floriculture, he stated that Manipur had good agro-climatic conditions suitable for growing exotic and organic fruits like passion and kiwi fruits, pineapples, oranges, lemons; spices like u-morok chillies, turmeric and ginger.

High valued Japanese Shiitake mushrooms and flowers like gradioli, anthuriums and dendrobium orchids grew well in Manipur.

Exotic Fruits Ltd at Mao was doing good business in passion fruit processing and marketing.

The Chief Minister drew the attention of the entrepreneurs to collaborate with local growers for processing, packaging and marketing fruits and flowers in Manipur.

Referring to wide variety of rare and exotic medicinal and aromatic plants grown in Manipur and also it easy access at economical cost and its no-legal hurdles, O.Ibobi Singh invited entrepreneurs to partner local entrepreneurs for processing and marketing of high valued medicinal and aromatic products.

On food and agro-based industries, Chief Minister said that a food park with all infrastructure facilities for a capacity of 40-50 food-processing units was being set up at Nilkuthi.

All incentives under NEIIPP, 2007 were available to investors.

Investment opportunities in the food park were setting up packaging unit, integrated mushroom processing unit, passion fruit processing unit, bamboo shoot plant, fruit juice concentration plant and pineapple slices and juice plant.

Entrepreneurs could set up food processing units and packaging units in the food park.

The Chief Minister also drew the attentions of the investors for taking up projects on sericulture, setting up hotels in tourism sector, investing on development and management of Software Technology Park at Imphal, setting up IT/ITES centers at IT park, Imphal, setting up IT investment centre, setting up an Indian Institute of Information Technology in PPP model, and taking up infrastructure contracts for construction of roads, hydro-power projects, Thoubal Multi-Purpose Project and Loktak Down Stream Hydro-Electric Project.

In the conference, the Principal Secretary (Planning), Manipur D.S.Poonia , Chief Engineer (Power), Manipur Ch.Biramani, Managing Director of Manipur Food Industries Corporation Ltd N Joykumar Singh, Secretary (Tourism), Manipur B.B Sharma also made presentation.

Minister (Power) Phungzathang Tonsing, Minister (Education) L.Jayantakumar and TD Minister D D Thaisii also attended the conference.

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