By Imna Longchar, TFM Nagaland Correspondent
Confederation of Nagaland Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CNCCI) would be holding the 1st Northeastern States Chamber of Commerce and Industry business conclave from September 18 to 20 at Niathu Resort, Chumoukedima. Real stake holders from all the eight northeastern state would be converging for the business conclave.
Informing this on Saturday afternoon at a press conference held at Auri Spring Lounge, The Four Seasons, Dimapur, CNCCI chairman, Dr Khekugha Muru, the three days business event with Nagaland chief minister, Neiphiu Rio, as the president of the Conclave, and had send across invites to the remaining other chief ministers of the states which received very positive response or feed backs from the chief ministers, however, Dr Muru, detailed that the inaugural programme on September 18 to kick-start at 4 pm coincide with different religious events falling on the day and as such most of the chief ministers would likely to be preoccupied with their respective.
However, he said that the CNCCI said that the conclave is having some well-known academicians from the northeast to speak on various issues with inclusive of former diplomats who have served in various capacities in different parts of the country.
Dr Muru further informed that the closing ceremony on September 20 will have advisor to Nagaland chief minister, and Investment Development Authority of Nagaland (IDAN), Abu Metha, as guest.
Giving a gist about the minutes of the conclave, Dr Muru said that the 2nd day of the conclave, it would totally emphasized on the business session where all the stakeholders of the eight states of the northeast including Nagaland would dwelled on various issues which it has concern in common.
Meanwhile, it was also informed in the press meet that the idea of organizing the first ever 3-days with participation from all the eight northeastern converging into one platform initially came up by the CNCCI keeping in mind that that it was time to speak with its counterparts where Assam was the first to agree on it and then jointly initiated to other states as well since last two years.
Narrating on its journey too, Dr Muru, also said that as the team met and discussed with regard to the issues confronting the many business communities discussed earlier at Guwahati attended by all who represented the entire northeast states expressed that the same feeling that the conclave was the right platform.
He said that the apart from the many issues to be discussed in the 3-days business conclave top priority would be on issues which could actually benefit from each other, coming together we can help ourselves as well as each other, and also few focused areas to discussed by citing that there has been enough of discussions, conclave or seminars which has been carried out.
On this, Dr Muru clearly mentioned that as being the stateholders, the CNCCI, it wanted to come-up with an “action plan” and implement the same in whatever capacities or ways in involving the state government in possibility and convergence of markets by informing that though the northeast itself has a big market but many has end up in small markets leaving aside Assam, the rest are still in nascent stage which need to explore each others’ potentials and markets beyond northeast.
For this, he said that the conclave itself will be an opportunity in trying to explore each other’s market, try to protect each other, and then get the best of business from the market and this way the competition would not be to high to compete with the rest of the nation or internationally but alteast for beginners , then could be a very good beginning for the entrepreneurs who are start-ups and those venturing into business.
Later, the CNCCI chairman, Dr Khekugha Muru, also informed that the business conclave would also deliberate on the Act East policy of government of India which was formerly tagged as Look East Policy, where he emphasized that now everyone is talking about the “Act East” for many years but most are aware that things have started falling but the system (s) that is supposed to be in place are not yet there including customs, proper infrastructures, including modern warehousing, a place for inland containers to be parked.
“Almost 80 to 100 tata mobile trucks comes down from Moreh to Dimapur, almost 100 trucks crosses Manipur, Nagaland, and Assam towards rest of the Indian states or cities”, he said assumed that mostly likely these hundreds of trucks crossing the three states are enroute to either Kolkota, Delhi, or Mumbai, and probably we are buying back the same products from them through online shopping.
He also pointed out that another area concern to touch upon the conclave is to about the untapped tourism industry in the northeast which still lays untapped which is one of the most beautiful part of India still secluded which could be jointly with deliberations in order to have a “tourism circuit” which all states of the northeast could benefit.
On the context of the oil and natural resources which the northeast states are very rich, the conclave would also deliberate on it in order to start linking up with industries and government to explore about the possibility in order to move ahead.
Meanwhile, six official delegates of Chamber of Commerce & Industries from each NE states including Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Sikkim, and Tripura, would be hosted by the host state, Nagaland, while those respective members of states units and sub-units irrespective of numbers desiring to participate in the three days business conclave have to arrange their own transportations, food and lodging.