Newmai News Network Imphal | June 15 Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan views the North East as a window to connect with East and South East Asia and as such, the North East is an extraordinarily important strategic and vital part of the nation. Mahajan was speaking during the inaugural of the 16th North East Regional Commonwealth Parliamentary Association Conference (NERCPA-2017) in Imphal. The Government has ambitious plans to build roads and ports connectivity with South-East Asian countries through Myanmar for promotion of trade, commerce and tourism, Mahajan stated and further viewed that the strategic location and natural resources make the region a potential power house of India for development and progress. As such, the ‘Act East Policy’ for all round development of North East is the top most priority for the entire nation, she added. Observing that policy making today has become a highly complex process and that there is greater emphasis on good governance based on transparency and accountability, the Lok Sabha Speaker emphasized that in order to perform legislative duties effectively, it is essential for legislators to seek the guidance of domain experts in areas which are specialized and technical in nature. As a member and now Speaker, she stated that the problems faced by members in understanding several key issues confronting the nation and coming up for consideration in Parliament were noted and In order to address this issue, it was decided to bring in domain experts to orient members by creating a perspective on various important issues. Thus the Speakers’ Research Initiative (SRI) was institutionalized in the Lok Sabha Secretariat in July 2015, she stated. Mahajan apprised the delegates that SRI focuses on identifying core areas/issues of long term and strategic policy, generate high quality research inputs and devise appropriate mechanisms for interaction with members of both the Houses of Parliament for the purpose of information dissemination and capacity building. She expressed hope that a similar mechanism for the North Eastern States would be of great help to the legislators of the region. Towards this, she encouraged the legislators to be proactive saying, ‘until you spread your wings, you don’t know how far you can fly’. Manipur Deputy Chief Minister, Y. Joykumar Singh also spoke on the occasion and stated that the Look East Policy initiated in the early 1990s, is largely founded on the growing necessity for multi-dimensional connectivity – a composite policy aimed at accomplishing greater economic and political ties with South East Asian countries. Viewing that the neighborhood and global connectivity has now acquired a new strategic dimension, he noted that no nation today can go ahead without knowledge connectivity, technological connectivity and market connectivity. As such, there is a greater challenge for us to implement policies for arranging transportation, air and railway, for the region, he maintained. Referring to challenges relating to militancy and instability and their impact on peace in the region, Joykumar stressed on the need to build a peaceful atmosphere for providing an impetus to industrial rejuvenation in the region. Earlier, Manipur Legislative Assembly Speaker Yumnam Khemchand Singh, while welcoming the delegates, said that Manipur is a land of peace and tranquility adding that the small and beautiful state is a rare asset of human civilization. He pointed out that the Act East Policy calls upon to get prepared and be ready to engage with the rest of the world. The task, he said, is not simple and easy and what we need is collective, comprehensive and coordinated move with strong political will to meet the challenges of the region. Singh further said that the strategic location of Manipur between India and South East Asian countries underlines the additional expectations of the State to act as ‘land bridge’. Meghalaya Legislative Assembly Speaker & Chairperson, NERCPA A.T. Mondal, in his keynote address, said that CPA has played a major role in promoting the spirit of mutual cooperation and harmony between member countries. Referring to connectivity-related challenges in the region, he said that transportation and communication are the two important areas where special emphasis is required. Mondal also underlined that the acute problem of education and unemployment need serious attention and alternative job market with the help of private sector should be created to solve the existing imbalance. Later in the day, the Conference took up discussion on the first item on the Agenda ‘North East and Look East Policy’. The discussion, which remained inconclusive, will be taken up again on Friday. Thereafter, Atul Kaushik, Additional Secretary, Lok Sabha Secretariat, made a presentation on Speaker’s Research Initiative (SRI). He also responded to queries of the delegates. The Conference also adopted a Resolution, resolving to request the Speaker, Lok Sabha to consider setting up of a Chapter of SRI in the North East Region so that the benefits of Speaker’s Research Initiative activities are made available to the legislatures and legislators of the region regularly and at an easily accessible place.
