The Vice President said that he feels energised and rejuvenated each time he visits the Northeastern region of our great country. Calling all eight Northeastern states as the glittering jewels in India’s crown, he described the scenic beauty and serenity of the hills coupled with the warmth of people here as a memorable experience.
TFM Desk
Vice President of India M. Venkaiah Naidu on Tuesday described Manipur as the ‘Powerhouse of Sports in India’, and said that this small state leads the way when it comes to bringing glory to the nation in sports. “Manipur’s Olympians have done the state and the nation proud indeed,” he added.
The Vice President, who is on an eight-day tour to Northeastern states, landed in Imphal on Tuesday.
He interacted with a group of achievers from Manipur who have left a mark in their respective fields. Among those present at the event at Raj Bhawan, Imphal were Olympians, literary & cultural figures, artisans and teachers. VP Naidu praised them for their achievements and said that they should always keep aiming for excellence in their respective fields, according to official sources.
Praising the sportspersons from the state for keeping India’s flag flying high, VP Naidu said “You are also role models and a fountainhead of inspiration for thousands of aspiring sports persons across the nation.”
The Vice President expressed his happiness at the performance of Indian sportspersons during the recent Tokyo Olympics and said that we should aim for even better next time.
Noting that the state and central government are making efforts to encourage sports, he urged the Industry to come forward and promote sports. He also asked the state governments to create sports infrastructure and training facilities right upto village level.
VP Naidu urged the industry to come forward and promote sports in the country. He expressed his happiness at the good performance by India in the Tokyo Olympics said that we should aim for even better next time
He said that he feels energised and rejuvenated each time he visits the Northeastern region of our great country. Calling all eight Northeastern states as the glittering jewels in India’s crown, he described the scenic beauty and serenity of the hills coupled with the warmth of people here as a memorable experience.
During the interaction, the Vice President was presented a pair of boxing gloves by India’s boxing legend MC Mary Kom. VP Naidu remarked in a lighter vein, “these are meant to protect me” after wearing the gloves.
Later, VP Naidu inaugurated the Phytopharmaceutical Laboratory at the Institute of Bioresources and Sustainable Development (IBSD), Imphal.
Addressing the gathering, the Vice President lauded IBSD for promoting the Phytopharmaceutical Mission of Northeastern region. The mission will aid in the development of alternative herbal medicines to combat diseases like COVID-19. He praised the contribution of the Indian scientific community in nation building and said that the future progress of our country rests in the hands of our able scientists, according to official sources.
The Vice President opined that rational thinking and scientific temper are the cornerstones of a progressive nation. Stating that the Northeastern region is a biodiversity hotspot with its rich variety of ecosystems, he praised IBSD for managing the bioresources of the region for sustainable development using modern biotechnological tools.
Expressing happiness that IBSD, an institution under the Department of Biotechnology is promoting the Phyto-pharmaceutical Mission of Northeastern region, he said that the mission is aimed to promote the documentation, scientific validation and evaluation of traditional healthcare practices which is an important step and assumes special significance in the context of the vast plant resources and diverse traditional healthcare practices of the Northeast.
The Vice President also stated that it is praiseworthy to know that IBSD is also focusing on the promotion of start-ups based on the development of herbal medicinal products such as AYUSH drugs, Phytopharmaceuticals, nutraceuticals, among others.
VP Naidu exuded confidence that transformational approaches in developing products, processes and technologies with local bioresources will help in development of traditional knowledge-based therapeutic agents leading to the socio-economic development of the region as well as benefits to traditional health care practitioners. He also appreciated IBSD’s initiatives in ensuring quality standards of food and water in the Northeastern region and numerous outreach programmes to ensure that the fruits of its research reach the common people of this region.
The Vice President stressed the importance of better roads and connectivity in the Northeastern region to the overall development of the region. He called for development activities in the Northeastern states by utilizing the funds provided by the Centre for various projects with transparency and accountability. Development of the country is incomplete without the development of Northeast. Communication should be strengthened in the Northeast, he added.
Governor of Manipur, La. Ganesan in his speech as the guest of honour congratulated all the scientists and researchers of IBSD and made a special request to the authorities of the newly inaugurated laboratory to reach out to far flung rural areas where medical facilities are almost nil or minimum and to those people residing who are economically backward. The basic objective of this Phytopharmaceutical Lab is to provide quality medical facilities. The medical facilities in the Northeastern region including Manipur are insufficient compared to other metropolitan cities. The region is directly affected by the COVID-19 pandemic and it is our belief that we are going to overcome the challenge but it will take some time, he added.
In his presidential address, CM Biren Singh stressed that the Northeast region is blessed with rich biodiversity. The state government is committed to protect the environment and ecology and have been making various efforts for protecting forests thereby increasing the Protected Area Networks. State Botanical Garden and Biodiversity Parks have been established for protecting and conserving the local species. State Biodiversity Board and Manipur State Wetlands Authority are also functioning.
He also stated that he was delighted to learn that IBSD has taken up several researches on bioresources available in the region. The newly developed laboratory of Phytopharmaceutical research will help in documenting the large number of medicinal plants of the Northeast region. Scientific validations and characterization of bioactive compounds have tremendous significance for nutraceuticals and drug development.
He expressed happiness that IBSD has also made significant contributions to the people in the region during the pandemic by providing manpower and RT-PCR to strengthen testing capacity. It is commendable that IBSD initiated the genome sequencing facility for Coronavirus for the first time in NE India. The state government looks forward to its continued collaboration with the Institute in the state, he added.
Later, the Vice President visited INSACOG facility of Institute of Bioresources and Sustainable Development.
As part of the programme, “National seminar on Bioeconomy from Bioresources of North Eastern Region of India” was also held at IBSD campus, Takyelpat, Imphal.
The program was organized by Institute of Bioresources and Sustainable Development (ISBD), Imphal (An institute under Department of Biotechnology, Ministry of Science & Technology, Government of India) in commemoration of 75 years of Independence (Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav).
Council of ministers, MLAs, Prof. Pulok Kumar Mukherjee, director, Institute of Bioresources and Sustainable Development, Dr. Nanaocha Sharma, scientist, Institute of Bioresources and Sustainable Development and other dignitaries were also present on the occasion.