This refers to “Huge mining potential in North-Eastern States ( Business Line , January 22). Inaugurating a seminar in Mumbai organised by the Ministry for Development of North Eastern Region, an apex and local business chamber, the Minister emphasised the need for sustainable mining in line with environmental policy. This was the sixth North Eastern Business Summit, in which seven Chief Ministersa and five Central secretaries apart from a State minister and officials, the CEO of a foreign bank and an NBFC reportedly participated. Its agenda included mining, infrastructure, agro and food processing, tourism and hospitality sectors.
But there was hardly any coverage of the points raised by various ministers from the NE region, the civil servants, or the responses from and interaction with the corporates attending the session. Even the union minister confined his attention to mining and power. It is also not known how many corporates had participated in the summit.
Though infrastructure was a leading theme of the summit, the Indian Railways were conspicuous by its absence.
People would have liked to know more about the Government's plans for improving rail connectivity in the region.
The summit should also have devoted some attention to developments in health and education in this region.
While it would be good if more apex and local chambers in other metros organise such summits covering the comprehensive development of the region, it is more important that the media gives such issues wider coverage.
It would be good if the officials of the Planning Commission were also associated with such meets.
S. Subramanyan
Mumbai