Meghalaya's infrastructure summit aimed at dialogue, not deals: Goyal

Shillong, Jun 25: Meghalaya’s two-day Infrastructure Summit was designed to get the Centre, Northeastern states and industry in one room for honest discussion, not to chase investments, Commissioner & Secretary Sanjay Goyal said on Thursday.

“The purpose of the state government was to bring in various stakeholders on one platform and it was not an investor summit in that passion, that is why we called it infrastructure summit,” Goyal said.

He said the event brought together key ministries from the Government of India, departments from all Northeastern states, and industry representatives.

“We tried to bring them on one single platform and if you have seen the session that we have divided for the period of two days’ time, were also designed wherein the discussion could happen,” he said.

The sessions were structured around three focus areas: mapping strengths of each state, gauging industry interest, and reviewing Central schemes from a Northeastern perspective.

“On what are the available strengths with various states, what are the available possibilities from the industries’ sides, in what fashion they can come and see this place, and can explore it and can look forward to future engagement with various state governments and departments,” Goyal explained.

“Thirdly the most important player, the Government of India, wherein various ministries are having intervention in various schemes and what kind of changes if at all are required from Northeastern perspectives in those schemes and all,” he added.

Goyal said senior officers from all invited ministries participated throughout. “All the ministries we have contacted, they all have sent senior level officers, they have sat through all discussion and chaired all discussion, so this is what was the prime objective,” he said.

The bigger aim was to break old perceptions about investing in the region.

“Bringing various players which has never explored the kind of investment, notion are there in their minds, preconditioning and all are there, so this summit was that to let them come and see, let them come and explore, and understand, what kind of initiatives the state government are taking including Government of Meghalaya and try to understand what are the opportunities available for them,” Goyal said.

A post-summit report is now being prepared to capture findings. “To that extent I believe it has served its purpose and now what we are looking forward to is that, out of the discussion that we have held for two days, we are trying to come out with some kind of report… it can guide and suggest to us, what came up, what procedural gaps the industries are looking into, what we can suggest to the state government or Government of India, or various ministries,” he said.

On investment climate, Goyal said views have changed.

“As far as a few years back investment, I think that perception has changed to a large extent, the government has been felicitator in various things,” he said. He cited Meghalaya’s investment promotion policy and Act from two years ago: “If you see the investment promotion policy and the act which we have enacted around two years back, it talks about all felicitations but then what we are looking forward is let people come and understand, let people come and see, whether those felicitation are there on the ground or in just papers.”

One key issue that emerged was MSME credit access.

“Other departments and other state governments when they were in deliberations, these things came up. In one meeting of UNNOTI, one of the reasons came for MSMEs still not comfortable in taking loans and we are acquitting them to other state governments, one of the discussions was can MSMEs in north eastern states, the definition can be revised,” Goyal said.

Also Read: 30 youth from Shkenpyrsit turn agri-tourism guides, get certified at felicitation ceremony

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