Addressing media persons at the Chief Minister's Office, Kohima on 5th April 2023, Chief Minister, Neiphiu Rio stated that Nagaland is hosting the fourth and final B20 Session being organised in the North East at Kohima. He said the B20 Sessions are the official G20 dialogue forum for global business community.
Rio informed that Kohima is witnessing the convergence of 60 overseas delegates from 27 countries. The delegation includes diplomatic, focused trade and business delegates.
The Chief Minister mentioned that Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) is facilitation the Business to Business and Business to Government meetings. He said the overseas business delegates are getting the opportunity to interact with the local industry during B2B and with the Government in the B2G sessions for potential investment, collaboration and tie-ups. He added that over 100 B2B and B2G requests were generated for interaction with Government Departments in Tourism, Commerce & Industries, Agriculture, Horticulture, Healthcare and Food Processing.
Rio also stated that the State Government is taking advantage of the presence of a large contingent of international delegates by making elaborate arrangements not to showcase investment and partnership opportunities, but also to provide a unique experience for the visiting delegates with an exposure to Nagaland's culture, cuisine, art, festivities and scenic beauty.
Rio said that Nagaland will benefit from the B20 Conference as it is strategically located and will help Nagaland develop as a base for boosting links with ASEAN countries. He mentioned that the trade potential of the State lies in its strength in agro & forest based, mining & minerals based and services based industries. He said the North East Region and Bangladesh have close-ties and Nagaland is set to benefit from the cooperation. The Chief Minister stated that the State is open for potential tie-up in the areas of Tourism, IT, Agriculture and Infrastructure Development and with the participation of leading nations in these areas, it will help the State to push the economy to greater heights. He added the B20 conference will usher new opportunities for the people of Nagaland.
Minister of State, Ministry of External Affairs, GoI, Dr. Rajkumar Ranjan Singh said ‘Diversity is the strength of the North Eastern States’ with more than 250 ethnic tribes domiciled in the region. Hitherto, the North East Region was reckoned as landlocked but with the formation of bilateral and multilateral ties with other countries, the region has now become the centers for investment and partnering with other global business communities and platform for various collaborations. He stated that the G20 meeting is a good platform to showcase to the World the potential of the North Eastern region. He said that the region is the new engine for the growth of India. He also assured that the Ministry of External Affairs is ready to assist the states in exploring the potential areas of the region for investment and promotion of partnership in the business sector.
Dr. Rajkumar Ranjan Singh also expressed the desire for collaboration of educational institutions, and construction of all-weather roads in all the border villages having close proximity with international boundary lines. He also proposed for opening of more border hubs. He added the principle of the Government of India is to deliver to the last mile villages.
(Nongozo, Asst. Director & Wepre, APRO)
