NEEA wants agriculture for NE development

Aizawl, Nov 17 (UNI) Mizoram Agriculture Minister H Rammawi today urged economists to stress upon agricultural activities for a vibrant economy in NE region.

Inaugurating the 8th North Eastern Economic Association (NEEA) annual conference here, he said agriculture is the mainstay of the region's economy.

Mr Rammawi pointed out that many Centrally-sponsored schemes could not be implemented properly in the NE states due to their remoteness.

''The Centre's decision to allocate ten per cent of Plan Fund for the development of the region through the DoNER ministry and the 'Look East' Policy sounds good, but these cannot be satisfactorily implemented due to poor transportation, communication and health facilities,'' he said.

Since majority of the people depend on agriculture, this sector should be given priority to boost the per capita income, he observed.

About a hundred of economists from all over the country participated in the two-day conference on 'North East as a Common Market and Learning from Success Story'.

NEAA president Prof. Atul Sharma said stress should be given on the agriculture sector, plantation, weaving and biodiversity of NE states under the WTO-India treaty for sustainable economy of the region.

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