2-day North East Investors’ Summit in Shillong from tomorrow

 Shillong

The first ever “Investors Summit” exclusively for North Eastern Region (NER), organized jointly by the Ministry of Textiles and the Ministry of DoNER during 29-30 January, 2017, would be inaugurated by the Union Textiles Minister, Smt. Smriti Zubin Irani in Shillong, at the State Convention Centre, on 29th January, 2017. Other key dignitaries addressing the Summit are Dr. Arvind  Panagariya, Vice Chairman, NITI Aayog; Dr Mukul Sangma, Chief Minister of Meghalaya; Dr. Jitendra Singh, Chairman, NEC and Minister of State (I/C) for DONER; Ajay Tamta, Minister of State for Textiles, Government of India; Kiren Rijiju, Minister of State for Home Affairs, Government of India; H Rohluna, Minister for Industries, Government of Mizoram, and Tamiyo Taga, Minister for Industries, Government of Arunachal Pradesh.

The Ministry of Textiles has taken the initiative to organize the first ever “Investors Summit” exclusively for NER, in association with Ministry of DONER and the Industry Associations FICCI and CII on 29-30 January 2017 at Shillong. Focussed on manufacturing in textiles and allied sectors, the theme of the Summit is “Exploring Opportunities in North East Region”. The summit aims to showcase the NER as a global destination for investment, and to explore the possibility of bringing in convergence of efforts of various central Ministries and North Eastern States to attract investment in NER.

The Summit will be attended by all North Eastern States, Export Promotion Councils, industries from North Eastern Region and leading investors across the country. The entire textile value chain from fibre to garment, including raw materials shall be represented in the Summit. The meet would witness participation of over 400 delegates from across the country. It is expected to unlock the huge potential of the NER in textile manufacturing and generate new avenues for employment in the region.

The event will showcase the unique opportunities in textile manufacturing that the NER offers to the business world. It is expected to usher in a new era of collaboration, not only for investments but also for new skills and advanced production technology. The states of the NER would put up exclusive stalls and make presentations on investment opportunities in textile manufacturing in these states. The summit will have focussed sessions on Showcasing Opportunities in Textiles in North East, Entrepreneurship Development and Start-ups, Enhancing Reach of North East Textiles through Textile Design and Marketing, Ease of Financing of Textiles Industry in North East and Improving Infrastructure in NER.

The Summit will also witness signing of MoUs in various areas, among local entrepreneurs, Institutes and State Governments. Over 15 MoUs are expected to be signed during the summit, in the presence of Union Minister of Textiles. Buyer-Seller meets and exhibitions would also be held on both days of the summit.

Background

North Eastern Region has huge potential for investments, particularly in the field of textiles and handicrafts, due to its inherent strength for skilled work force and locally available raw materials. Ministry of Textiles is implementing projects worth Rs. 1,050 crore for handlooms, handicrafts, sericulture, apparel & garmenting, technical textiles etc. in the eight states of North Eastern Region, in line with the “Act East” policy of the Government.

These projects have created a foundation for further growth of manufacturing in textile sector. Other line Ministries too have schemes, where various incentives/ concessions are available for investments in NER. However, this information is mostly in silos and does not provide a comprehensive picture to the investors about the opportunities in North East. The Investors’ Summit seeks to address this concern as well.

The decision to hold the summit was announced by the Union Textiles Minister, Smt. Smriti Zubin Irani, at the Annual Conference of State Textiles Ministers, held in New Delhi, on 10th November, 2016.