Guwahati: The weeklong North-East Festival, organised as a part of Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav by the DoNER ministry in association with North Eastern Council and with active support from Assam government in Dispur came to an end on Wednesday as President Ram Nath Kovind graced the closing ceremony held at Srimanta Sankardev Kalakshetra in the city.
Addressing the gathering, President Kovind commented that the north-eastern region is the natural gateway for India to south-east Asia and beyond. In presence of Assam Governor Jagdish Mukhi, State chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, Union Ayush minister Sarbananda Sonowal, DoNER minister G Kishan Reddy with other, the President commented that with 5,300 kilometre of international borders, the region possesses significant strategic values.
“With the launch of Look East Policy, the security-centric approach towards neighbours in the east gave way to a prioritising of economic issues for benefiting from the common potential for economic growth across the region. Later in 2014, the LEP was upgraded to the Act East Policy, which brought about a paradigm shift and marked a significant change in the potential role of the region,” said the President.
As the nation celebrates the freedom movement, citizens recall the valour and patriotism of not only its great leaders but also lesser-known or forgotten participants without whose sacrifice it would not have been a mass movement. Northeast was second to none when it came to joining the struggle for freedom, stated President Kovind adding that the region has immense inherent strengths and what it offers in terms of tourism, horticulture, handloom and sports is often unique.
Governor Mukhi, while speaking on the occasion, hailed efforts of the Centre to develop the region as it is endowed with immense natural beauty, rich biodiversity, rare wildlife and unique cultural heritage. He commented that setting up of the NEC in 1971 has greatly benefited the region and acknowledged its contribution in the socio-economic infrastructural development of north-eastern States by taking some major schemes in various sectors like transport & communication, health, agriculture, power, sericulture, irrigation, education etc.
CM Sarma commemorated the valour and courage displayed by freedom fighters from the region in the freedom struggle. He paid homage to the region’s great freedom fighters like Piyali Phukan, Maniram Dewan, Kushal Konwar, Kanaklata Barua, Mukunda Kakati, Bhogeswari Phukanani, Tileswari Barua, Ambikagiri Raichoudhury, Jyoti Prasad Agarwala, Bishnu Prasad Rabha, Tikendrajit Singh, Rani Gaidinliu, Paona Brajbashi, Haipou Jadonang, U Tirot Singh, etc.
Expressing his gratitude towards the Union government for the importance being given to the region in its policymaking process, he thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for withdrawing the armed forces special powers act (AFSPA) from many districts of Assam and other north-eastern States. Sarma mentioned various ambitious initiatives like electrification of railway lines, UDAAN scheme for civil aviation connectivity, focusing on early completion of trilateral Asian highway, etc which would help the region to emerge as the express-way connecting south-east Asian nations.
