Vision 2020 and Look East Policy

14 dEC 2009
RAJYA SABHA

The Minister of Mines and Minister of Development of North Eastern Region Shri B.K. Handique has said that Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER) and North Eastern Council (NEC) prepared NER Vision 2020 document for socio-economic prosperity of the North Eastern Region to bring it on par with the non-North Eastern States. The document was released by the Prime Minister on 2nd July 2008 and was laid in Lok Sabha on 22nd October, 2008. As a follow up action on implementation of the document, 17 Thematic Working Groups were constituted comprising line Ministries, State Governments of the North Eastern Region and sectoral experts. These Thematic Groups have prepared plans of action for achievement of the objectives enshrined in the Vision Document. The plans of actions were also shared with the public representatives, State Governments, media and civil society groups in the North East.


In a written reply in the Rajya Sabha today, he said, India’s relationship with Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) is central to her Look East Policy. The Look East Policy of the Government of India has been evolving since early 1990s and India has significantly deepened her interaction with ASEAN. The primary objective of the Look East Policy in the context of North Eastern Region of India is to take advantage of the new opportunities in trade and investment by improving socio-economic and political relationship with the neighbouring countries. The Look East Policy in the context of North Eastern Region is pursued in a multifaceted manner in diverse areas such as improved connectivity, promotion of trade and investment and cultural exchanges.


Some of the important developments in the Look East Policy, interalia, relate to initiating/resuming dialogue/trade with the following neighbouring countries :


China



Promotion of border trade at Nathu La pass in Sikkim.



Bangladesh



(i) Taking up (a) the issue of declaring Ashuganj, Bangladesh, as a Port of Call by the Government of India under the Indo-Bangladesh Inland Water Transit and Trade (IWTT) Protocol and (b) the issue of operationalizing Sherpur in Bangladesh, as a multimodal link under the Protocol.



(ii) Taking up the issue of direct bus service from Kolkata to Agartala via Dhaka as also increasing the frequency of the Dhaka-Kolkata bus service, with the Government of Bangladesh.



(iii) Access to Chittagong Port.



Myanmar



(i) Implementation of Kaladan Multi-Modal Transport and Transit Project as a follow-up on the Protocols on Maintenance of Administration, for facilitation of Transit Transport and a Framework Agreement for the Project which were signed between India and Myanmar in April, 2008.



(ii) Conversion of current border trade into regular trade to enhance trade between North East States of India and Myanmar. In the 3rd Meeting of the Joint Trade Committee held on 14-16 October, 2008, the two side have agreed to:



· Open the existing border trade centres at Moreh in Manipur and Zowkhathar in Mizoram to normal trade;

· Develop Avankhung in Nagaland as a third border trade centre to begin with and thereafter move to normal trade here as well.

· Expand the existing Indo-Myanmar Border Trade Agreement from the existing 22 items to 40 items.

· Establish banking systems with foreign exchange facilities at Moreh and Zowkhathar to begin with.



(iii) Construction of Rhi-Tidim and Rhi-Falam roads by India in Myanmar to operationalize the India-Myanmar border trading point at Rhi-Zokhawthar.





Thailand



Exploring the investment opportunities in the identified sectors like road, power, tourism, inland water transport, agriculture etc. with the business delegations from Thailand led by the Thai Minister of Commerce in June 2007, through North East India Trade and Investment Opportunities Week, organized by Ministry of DoNER in association with Indian Chamber of Commerce, Kolkata and Thai Department of Trade & Negotiations from 1-4 October, 2007 at Bangkok. Followed by another visit by a Thai delegation headed by the Deputy Minister of Industry of Thailand to the States of Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh and Assam from 9-12 January, 2008 to further explore the areas of cooperation through exchange of information and visits of organized trade, investment & tourism delegations to promote Thailand-India trade and investment. It was followed-up by the visit of the Deputy Prime Minister of Thailand in October 2009 with a view to consolidate the socio-economic relations between the two countries in areas of mutual business interests.



Minister for External Affairs had also taken a high level meeting on 31.10.2007 on the Look East Policy with the Chief Ministers of the North Eastern States and the Central Ministries concerned so as to formulate a strategy for a meaningful involvement of the North Eastern Region in the Look East Policy. The follow-up on the issue emerging out of the High Level Meeting on the Look East Policy are advocated by the Ministry of DoNER with the concerned line Ministries and the State Governments as these evolve on the basis of India’s on-going diplomatic initiatives with the concerned countries. A Task Force was also set up in the Ministry of DoNER to review the progress.