Centre to consider new economic block for Northeast

Agartala, Nov 14 (UNI) The Centre has assured the it would consider the Northeastern states' demand to incorporate the region into a new economic block while further enhancing the facilities of the existing one.

Northeastern Council (NEC) officials said here today that the Union Commerce and Industries Ministry had mooted the idea of forming a new sub-regional group of the NE and its neighbouring countries, during the sixth high-level Conference on Asian Economic Integration: Agenda for the East Asia Summit at Dhaka in July.

According to the plan, the Centre would pursue the opening of traditional trade routes with Bangladesh, Tibet, Bhutan and Myanmar to boost the region's economy and accelarate its development.

A perception prevailed that since Independence, the people of the NE had suffered, as its borders were nationalised and relations with people across the border were de-linked and cultural and economic ties cut off due to the partition, which led to the region's underdevelopment.

Officials added that the Centre had taken initiatives to provide a high-level forum for accelerating economic partnerships among the south Asian nations as a whole and the NE in particular.

UNI