National Seminar on Look East Policy and North East held at Golaghat
A national level UGC sponsored seminar on “Look East Policy and North East India” was held at DR College auditorium today. The seminar was organized by the Economics department of Debraj Roy College, Golaghat in association with Vox-Populi, an NGO. The open session of the workshop was presided over by Devojit Phukan, associate professor of the college. The welcome address was being given by Proip Kumar Saikia, Principal D.R. College. In the seminar Dr. Sunil Kr. Saikia, Head Center for Enterprise Development and Management, Indian Institue of Entrepreneurship (IIE), Prabhat Bezboruah, prominent tea cultivator and Director of Bokaholla Tea Co. Ltd and Bidyananda Barkakoty, Chairman North Eastern Tea Association (NETA) presented their keynote address. The seminar was organised for enhancement of a social research base in the Northeastern region.
Speaking on the occasion Prabhat Bezboruah, prominent tea cultivator and Director of Bokaholla Tea Co. Ltd was of the opinion that, the country’s look east policy is India centric whereas we need a Northeast centric Look East Policy. The policy makers in Delhi have little idea of the ground realities of the North Eastern states and the proof of which lies in the widespread social discontentment in this region which was the primary fuel of the many brands and phases of militancy that we have seen. He further said that the Stilwell Road is a vital link in connecting Northeast to Yunan and beyond into Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam and we as North-Easterners see no negatives in reopening this vital artery which will greatly facilitate the integration of this regional economy with the great ones further to our East. However, the mandarins in Delhi feel that a good road leading right to the border may encourage China to venture into a fresh expansionist thrust and their way of discouraging this is to leave the border road un-motor-able, so that Chinese may have a second thought about looking west.
Bidyananda Barkakoty, Chairman, NETA said that the Northeast region shares 98% of its border with China, Bhutan, Myanmar, Nepal and Bangladesh, while a narrow strip of land constituting just about 2% measuring 27 km links Northeast with the rest of India. It is in Northeast India that South-East Asia begins and therefore Govt. of India should ensure that the Northeast plays the arrow head role in the country’s look east policy but unfortunately the policy has remained a slogan and has not yet evolved into a harmonious and productive relationship with neighboring countries. He also point out certain issues which require immediate attention of the Govt. of India, such as setting up of Export Promotion Council (EPC) exclusively for Northeast region, signing of Transit Treaty between India, Myanmar and Thailand, setting up of Visa offices of Bangladesh, Myanmar and Thailand at Guwahati, Air Cargo services should be introduced storage facilities at LGBI Airport, explore and promote use of Ranong port of southern Thailand as an alternative shipping lane connecting Malay peninsula with India etc. Barkakoty further added that maximum benefit of Look East Policy are being reaped by Kolkota and they were using Northeastern region as their flyover.
Dr. Sunil Kumar Saikia of IIE said that India’s Look East Policy which was initiated in 1991 marked a strategic shift in India’s perspective of the world. The term “Look East Policy” was mentioned for the first time in the Annual Report of the Ministry of External Affairs, 1995-96. India’s look east policy would further open up new vistas for the country in general and the Northeast region in particular.
Random Stories
17 May 2011 - 11:38am |
editor
There is a recent revival of interest in Schopenhauer studies in India with the impetus generated from the sincere and meticulous efforts made by IDSS in collaboration with Schopenhauer Research...
26 Aug 2007 - 10:19am |
BandanBharadwaj
Nalbari : Suspected ULFA militants kidnapped Bhagawan Das, a DRDA junior engineer from Chamata chowk near Belsor in Nalbari district around 7.20 pm on Saturday. The abductors numbering around 7-8...
20 Aug 2016 - 9:06am |
AT Kokrajhar Bureau
Sales Tax officials in Kokrajhar seized goods which were brought by train without paying taxes in Kokrajhar railway station on Friday. Officials from Superintendent of Sales Taxes in Kokrajhar led...
22 Sep 2008 - 8:28pm |
alankar
Indian Government is again about to play its same old card - the ST, SC and OBC quota. This time Schedule Community i.e SC. The Ministry of Social Justice is showcasing an amendment in the...
Other Contents by Author
The Indian Institute of Entrepreneurship (IIE) in association with UB Photos Institute of Photography, a wing of UB Photos, the premier Photo News Agency of Northeast India, has organised a 150 hours of Entrepreneurship Skill Development Programme on Digital Photography and Photoshop sponsored by Ministry of MSME, Govt. of India at the office of Golaghat Dist. Journalist Association. The training workshop was today inaugurated by Jadav Saikia, Project Director, DRDA Golaghat. Also present on the occasion were Bismita Gogoi, MLA of Khumtai LAC, Achinta Kumar Barua, senior faculty and programme coordinator of ESDP for IIE, Anup Jyoti Choudhury, District Public Relation Officer, Dwipen Dutta,...
In yet another incident of man-animal conflict, eight people were attacked by a leopard as the wild cat ambushed them in the section 16 of Radhabari Tea Estate under Numaligarh Beat Office of Golaghat District. The incident took place at around 9.30 am in the morning on Wednesday when Anil Gowala, Amrit Bhuyan, Jayanta Karmakar and Barun Majhi were spraying pesticide in the tea garden. While talking to Assamtimes, Prabhat Saikia, Beat Officer of Numaligarh Beat Office said that they have set up cages in the panic-stricken tea estate and village to trap the animal. An alert has already been sounded in the entire village and adequate arrangement has been made. He further said that the tea...
In protest against the non-fulfillment of their long standing demand, the Sarupathar Chambers of Commerce along with several other organisations staged a rail blockade agitation at Sarupathar railway station on Thursday. About four hundred people staged a blockade from around 4 am in the morning and block Brahmaputra Mail (up) for more than over three hours. The traders’ body and people of Sarupathar have been long since demanding stoppage of long distance trains like Kamakhya Express, Jana Shatabdi Express, Chennai Express etc. Meanwhile D. Das, Manager (Commercial) of Lumding Division and Debeswar Bora SDO(Civil) arrived at the spot and negotiated with the agitators and assured...
To mark the 125 years’ glorious existence of the Golaghat Govt. Bezbaruah Higher Secondary School (GGBHSS) the school is going to organize a Quasquicentennial jubilee. The school was established by Gobinda Chandra Bezbaruah in 1886, the elder brother of Rashraj Lakhminath Bezabaruah, with only 18 students and since then the school, has been igniting generation and generations of young minds with the light of knowledge to take up the challenges for the cause of a better tomorrow. As the first event of the 125 Years’ Jubilee Celebration, the school today organised a mass rally with a daylong programme. The day started with the registration of alumnis where some eight hundred...
A verbal quarrel between two petty traders at Naojan, along the Assam-Nagaland border took a grim turn when one of them named Ranjan Ali took out a .22 bore revolver and fired two rounds at Prasanta Bhuyan. Bhuyan received bullet injuries in his stomach and chin and undergoing treatment at Kushal Konwar Civil Hospital, Golaghat. His condition is stated to be serious. Ranjan Ali had surrendered at Sarupathar police station.
While talking to Assam Times, officer in charge of Sarupathar Police station Deben Bora denied extremist involvement in the incident and said Ali had procured the firearm from Dimapur in Nagaland for Rs.25000.
At the time when the state government has conferred the best hospital to Kushal Konwar Civil Hospital has raised many eyebrows. Golaghat Kushal Konwar Civil Hospital which is supposed to cater to the medical needs of the entire district covering three subdivisions – Bokakhat, Dhansiri and Golaghat has failed to live up to the expectations of the people. Already suffering and ailing, when patients are admitted in the civil hospital, their hope is to get some basic facilities. How can a hospital lacking in so many aspects of medical care can qualify to become the best hospital. Inadequate medical equipment and lack of manpower make for sheer inconvenience.
In papers, KK Civil is 319...
Golaghat Govt. Bezbarua Higher Secondary School (GGBHSS), one of the premier educational institutions of the state, has completed a glorious era of 125 years. To mark the completion of this glorious era, the school authorities have lined up some colourful events with year-long programme, the first of which is a Mass Marathon Rally from the school, scheduled on February 13, Monday, at 8 O’clock in the morning. The distance to be covered by the rally is 6(Six) km and the time to be taken by the rally to complete the distance is estimated to be about 2 hours. This was informed by Biman Chandra Goswami, Principal of GGBHSS in a press meet held in the school today. He further informed...
A curse has befallen on the poor family of Matlib Hussain and Boby Begum of Athkhelia’s Chokial village in Golaghat district since they had discovered that their son is afflicted with the dreaded thalassemia. Their son Muzzaiqir now 9 has been suffering from thalassemia since he was a 24 days old infant. Thalassemia is a group of genetic blood disorders which results in excessive destruction of red blood cells, which leads to anemia. However the parents could not detect at the initial stage what actually ailed their child but as he grew up, both Matlib Hussain and Boby Begum came to know the misfortune that had struck their child. The process of treating thalassemia is being quite...
A forest guard of world famed Kaziranga National Park (KNP) has been critically injured in a rhino attack inside the park. The person, identified as Lambudhar Chokhan (40), is now undergoing treatment at Kushal Konwar Civil Hospital, Golaghat. The incident happened at around 12 pm yesterday. While talking to Assamtimes, Divisional Forest Officer (Kaziranga) Dibyadhar Gogoi said that Lambudhar and his colleagues were on duty at Dusuti area in the western range of the park under Nagaon district where they came across a female rhino and her cub and the animal suddenly attacked him.
It is to be noted that On January 9, another forester was attacked and killed in a wild buffalo attack...
The 23rd bi-ennial conference of All Chutia Youth Sanmilan concluded today at Jamuguri in Golaghat district. At the open session held on the concluding day eminent personalities of the state graced the occasion. Among those who attended the meet were Haren Chutia, Secretary All Chuita Jati Sanmilan, Sarat Saikia MLA from Mahmora constituency and Parliamentary Secretary Education department, Amiya Bora former chairperson of APSC, Jatin Bora Vice-president of All Assam Students Union. Speaking on the occasion Bitupan Saikia, the newly elected president of All Chutia Youth Sanmilan, said that the Chutias have been demanding the SC status for a long time but the government has been ignoring our...
Add new comment