Kohima, November 11 (MExN): Nagaland Parliamentary Affairs & Power Minister, KG Kenye today said that platform like Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) plays a very important role as it is an association not just of shared values, but of common purpose, unity and joint actions.
A commonwealth renewed in purpose, confident in its identity and ambitious in its vision for the world, Kenye stated in his closing remarks at the 22nd CPA India Region Zone-3 Conference today in Kohima.
He hoped that CPA will continue to foster collaborations through exchange of ideas, good practices and a network for a better world, better commonwealth, better India a better north east.
He stated that the importance of self-reliance “as we are going through the Fourth Industrial Revolution where digital sovereignty and the need for localised digital solutions will be very crucial.”
India needs to have localised solutions and software ready not only to act as a substitute but to counter the dependence, like China does, that will protect us in a situation of the US blocking access to its software as we saw recently, he stated.
A lot of progress has been made in terms of the size of economy and various other socio economic, health and development parameters corroborate what is obvious and manifest to all, he stated.
Stressing on the need to harness the opportunities that neighbourhood offers, Kenye stated “ASEAN is a very vibrant trading block next to us which is the third largest trading block globally with a total trade reaching USD 3.5 Trillion.”
India-ASEAN trade is almost $ 123 billion and growing.
From the perspective of the North Eastern States, I think a cooperation in the services sector especially in Tourism and Health services should be a priority area for us, he stated.
He stated that physical connectivity plays a very important part and the Trilateral Highway Project between India, Myanmar and Thailand will be the real gamechanger.
He stated that CPA facilitates collaboration among its members through conferences, workshops, and the sharing of knowledge and best practices.
Presently, the Commonwealth is home to 2.7 billion people. Over half of them are from India, now the most populous country in the world.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has a Vision to make India a developed country by the year 2047 with a 10 Trillion Dollar economy, Kenye stated.
“If we are to realise Vision 2047, a sustained high GDP and per capita income growth has to be achieved by devicing policies that foster innovation and self-reliance through local capacity building while ensuring social inclusion and equity by reducing poverty and inequality, ensuring universal access to quality healthcare and education, achieving gender equality, and bridging the urban-rural divide,” he stated.
