Guwahati: Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar on Wednesday said the Northeast is on the radar of the nation’s development.
Addressing a gathering at the foundation stone laying ceremony of Meghalaya Skill and Innovation Hub in Shillong, he emphasised that the Northeast is a significant contributor to the unity, economic progress and cultural essence of the country.
Dhankhar lauded the Act East Policy – the upgrade of the Look East Policy. He said it resulted in an exponential growth in communication, connectivity and development of airports in the region.
Expressing concern over ignorance and ill-informed narratives, the Vice President asked if the freefall of information that has no factual foundation be allowed on public platforms.
He said India is on the rise and it is indivisible. He exhorted the youth by calling them the most vital contributors and significant stakeholders in the country’s march to being a developed nation by 2047.
Stating that skill is neither discovered nor innovated, the Vice President said it is the optimal exploitation of talent of a person in that specified field which gives the human resource a qualitative cutting-edge. “Skilling is no longer a quality, it is our need,” he said.
Dhankhar highlighted the formation of the dedicated Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship and the allocation of Rs 60,000 crore towards the internship of five lakh youngsters over a period of five years, adding that villages and semi-urban towns must be the hub of skill centres.
Talking about Meghalaya, he said, “If there is heaven, it is in India and if there is heavenly spirit, it is in Meghalaya.”
He asserted that the engine of Meghalaya’s economy could be driven by tourism alone. He further stated that nature has bountifully gifted Meghalaya and urged the state to exploit it fully by having skilled people in the shape of human resources.