The National Cadet Corps (NCC), the largest uniformed youth organisation in the world, is celebrating its 71stRaising Day today. The celebrations began yesterdaywith Defence Secretary Dr Ajay Kumar and DG NCC Lt Gen Rajeev Choprapaying homage to the martyrs, who made the supreme sacrifice in the service of the nation, at the National War Memorial in New Delhi.

They laid wreaths on behalf of the entire NCC fraternity.The NCC Raising Day was also celebrated all over the country with the cadets participating in marches, cultural activities and social development programmes.

During the current year, the NCC cadets have contributed immensely in relief operations carried out during floods in Maharashtra, Bihar and Kerala.

The cadets also participated wholeheartedly in the Swachhta Abhiyan, Swachhta Cycle Rally, Mega Pollution Pakhwada and played a pivotal role in spreading awareness about various government initiatives like Digital Literacy, International Day of Yoga, Blood Donation Camps, Tree Plantation and immunisation programs etc.

NCC girl cadets successfully summited the Mount Tenchenkhang (6,010 metres) in Sikkim and Boy cadets successfully summited MountHanumarTibba (5,982 metres) in Himachal Pradesh.

The multifaceted activities and varied curriculum of NCC provides unique opportunities to the youth for their development.

Many cadets have done the nation and the organisation proud by their remarkable achievements in the fields of sports and adventure.NCC continues its relentless efforts towards moulding theyouth into responsible citizens of the country.

NE festival being organised in Varanasi is an occasion to provide fusion of both rich cultures: Dr Jitendra Singh

Efforts should be made to bring rest of India closer to North East, says Minister North East is ‘New Engine’ of development for New India, says Dr Singh There is a lot to learn from North East for rest of India: DoNER Minister Posted On: 23 NOV 2019 8:45PM by PIB Delhi

The Union Minister for Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER) Dr Jitendra Singh said that 4-day North East festival beginning from today in Varanasi will offer an opportunity for the fusion of the two rich cultures of Ganga and Brahmaputra, represented by Varanasi and North East respectively. He said that Varanasi is a holy city and it is a unique opportunity to have this event organised in Varanasi.

He expressed happiness over the fact that North East culture is being showcased on the banks of Ganga. He added that this would also bring India's cultural diversities together and help people across India to understand what Northeast is all about. Dr Jitendra Singh was addressing at the inaugural function of 4-day ‘Destination North East’ Festival. Veteran cine star Zeenat Aman, Former cricketer R P Singh and several other celebrities for the world of films, music and sports were also present on the occasion.

The festival is being organised by the Union Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER), led by a team of senior officers headed by Secretary DoNER Inder Jit Singh and Secretary North East Council K Moses Chalai. It is a 4-day event from 23rd to 26th November 2019 at IIT BHU grounds, Varanasi.

The previous editions of ‘Destination North East’ were held in Delhi and Chandigarh. "Destination North East" 2019 is providing live experience to the audience. All the eight North Eastern States are participating in the event along with their respective handicrafts, handloom, organic products and cultural troupes.

Dr Jitendra Singh said that North East provides unexplored avenues for youth from all over India. He said, Northeast has something to offer to each of the young Start-Ups and aspiring entrepreneurs from all over India and therefore it is fast emerging as the favorite destination for youth from all over India. This will help in curbing youth exodus, he said. He said that youth should explore the opportunity of Business to Business sessions being held during the festival. He added that Government has built hostels for the North East students to help them pursue their studies in different parts of country.

The DoNER Minister said that North East model of development has today become a reference point for replication in other parts of India. There is so much to learn from North East. He said that some states like Sikkim have GDP that most of the other states don’t have. He spoke about the citrus fruit park in Mizoram. The Minister said that North East has a lot to offer to rest of India. He spoke about women empowerment in North east. He added that NE is New Engine for development of North East. He added that young entrepreneurs are also travelling to North East to find new avenues of employment. He also mentioned about "Venture fund" for start-ups introduced by DoNER ministry.

Dr Jitendra Singh said that Ministry of DoNER has taken various steps for the development of region. He said that development of peripheral states is the focus of Government since the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi took charge in 2014. He said that Prime Minister Modi himself visited Northeast more than 30 times during his first term. He added that Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi attended the meeting of North Eastern Council after 40 years by a PM i.e. after Shri Morarji Desai. He added that North East has to develop at the same pace as other parts of the country.

Speaking about the initiatives for Northeast, the Minister said that connecting North east with the rest of country is the priority of Modi Government. Various steps have been taken to boost rail, air and road connectivity, he added. Dr Jitendra Singh said that budget to North east has been increased. He said that a train has been started from Itanagar to New Delhi i.e. Arunachal Express. He added that a train will soon be flagged off to Bangladesh from North East. He also spoke about Sikkim Airport.

The DoNER Minister said that the festival will provide an opportunity to create awareness and the people will learn about the rich culture of North East here. He encouraged youth to participate in the festival and find opportunities for economic development.

Minister of State (I/C) for Culture & Tourism, Shri Prahlad Singh Patel and Chief Minister of Manipur, Shri N. Biren Singh jointly inaugurated the 8th International Tourism Mart today at Imphal, Manipur. The Ministry of Tourism, Government of India, in association with the North Eastern States is organising the “International Tourism Mart” (ITM) at Imphal, Manipur from 23 November to 25 November, 2019. Tourism Minister of Arunachal Pradesh Shri Nakap Nalo, Secretary, Tourism, Shri Yogendra Tripathi and other dignitaries from Central Ministries and North Eastern States were also present on the occasion.

Speaking on the occasion, Shri Prahlad Singh Patel said that the entire North East region has great heritage of culture and natural beauty to attract tourists from across the globe. He said that to attract more tourists to the North East region, we need to change the perception and added that government is working towards the same. He said that the Prime Minister of India is a true brand ambassador of India to promote the tourism in the country. The Minister said that this is the second time when Manipur is hosting the International Tourism Mart and this time we can see that because of friendly environment for tourists more and more tourists are coming to visit Manipur.

Shri Patel also said that North East region has witnessed 47% growth in terms of visits of foreign tourists, which is a very good sign for the enire region.The Union Minister also said that due to reduction in E-Visa fee and reduction in GST rates on Hotel rooms, more tourists are coming to India. He also said that our government has opened 137 peaks for foreign tourists and besides this, Siachen glacier has also been opened for public. Shri Patel said that India has jumped in World Travel and Tourism Index from 40th to 34th position in 2019.

Speaking on the occasion Chief Minister of Manipur Shrin N. Biren Singh thanked to Tourism Ministry for giving opportunity to Manipur to host 8th ITM. He said that because of peace in Manipur, the number of tourists are increasing consistently. He also said that Manipur has good infrastructure and better connectivity with other parts of the country so we are expecting good number of tourists in future.

This is the 8th International Tourism Mart and an annual event organised in the North Eastern region with the objective of highlighting the tourism potential of the region in the domestic and international markets. It brings together the tourism business fraternity and entrepreneurs from the eight North Eastern States. The event has been planned and scheduled to facilitate interaction between buyers, sellers, media, Government agencies and other stakeholders. The North East Region of India comprising the states of Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Tripura and Sikkim, is endowed with diverse tourist attractions and products. The varied topography of the region, its flora and fauna, the ethnic communities with their rich heritage of ancient traditions and lifestyles, its festivals, arts and crafts, make it a holiday destination waiting to be explored.

The 8th International Tourism Mart, will put the spotlight on “Sustainable Tourism an engine for Economic Growth and Employment”. Besides deliberations on promotion of tourism in the North East Region in general, the Mart will also give a platform for promoting cultural ties, providing enhanced connectivity to the States of North Eastern Region with other countries in our neighbourhood.

Buyer and Media delegates from around the world and from different regions of the country are participating in the Mart and will engage in one-on-one meetings with sellers from the North East Region. This will enable the tourism product suppliers from the region to reach out to international and domestic buyers, with the objective of promoting tourism to the region. A total of 36 foreign Buyer delegates from over 19 countries namely Australia, Canada, Cambodia, Czech, Dubai, Italy, Japan, Oman, Korea, Myanmar, Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Singapore, Spain, Thailand, USA, UK, Vietnam are participating in the Mart.

Besides, the foreign delegates, 49 domestic stakeholders in Tourism sector from other parts of the country and 109 sellers from the North Eastern States are participating in the Mart. Representatives of State Tourism Departments of these North East States will also be present to showcase their tourist destinations and to interact with the delegates.

International and Domestic Buyers will be engaging in business-to-business meetings with sellers from the North Eastern Region. In addition to these the three-day event also includes presentations by state governments on their tourism potential, cultural evenings, sightseeing visits to local attractions in and around Imphal.

An exhibition by State Tourism Departments from the North Eastern States including display of beautiful handicrafts and handlooms is also being organised to show case the tourism products of respective participating States. The state government of Madhya Pradesh has also been invited to participate and give a presentation as it is a paired state with Manipur under the “Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat” initiative.

Overwhelming response has been received for taking post-mart familiarisation tours to the North Eastern states by foreign buyer delegates. This will create awareness about the rich and varied tourism products of the North Eastern region and to give them a first-hand experience of the destination.

The International Tourism Marts are organised in the North Eastern States on rotation basis. Manipur is hosting this mart for the second time. The earlier editions of this mart have been held in Guwahati, Tawang, Shillong, Gangtok, Agartala.