Guwahati, July 12: Union Minister of Communications and Development of the North Eastern Region Jyotiraditya M. Scindia today said he will do everything to maximise Meghalaya’s competitive and comparative advantages and drive the State to a more prosperous era of growth.
In Shillong today, Scindia met with Chief Minister Conrad Kongkal Sangma. The Union Minister chaired a review meeting with Chief Minister Conrad Kongkal Sangma, Secretary of DoNER Chanchal Kumar, Secretary of the North Eastern Council Angshuman Dey, and State Secretary D.P. Wahlang in attendance. Discussions focused on the progress of various projects and initiatives in the region.
The Union Minister in his meeting strategised on key areas of work and future plans. “With a focus on “Technology, Environment and Tourism” we will strive to strengthen regional connectivity, build robust infrastructure and help Meghalaya to more prosperity,” the Union Minister said.
The Union Minister provided suggestions and feedback regarding the schemes and further development of tourism avenues to attract tourists to Meghalaya. He also assured of full assistance to the Chief Minister.
Chief Minister Sangma highlighted the role of DoNER and NEC in future state initiatives, emphasizing inter-regional cooperation and developing agricultural logistics to empower farmers in the state. He also said that efforts will be made by the Ministry to attract investments to the region.
Scindia also reiterated the common goal of development and progress set by PM Shri Narendra Modi, stressing that a developed India means a developed North East. He emphasized moving beyond project completion and focusing on the social impact and outcomes of development efforts.
During his visit to the NEC Secretariat in Shillong, Scindia interacted with local farmers benefiting from a farming and agriculture project funded by NEC.
The highlight of the day was the launch of the NERACE App by Scindia, aimed at integrating farmers and sellers on a unified digital platform. This initiative marks a major step towards enhancing agricultural connectivity in the North Eastern Region and will bring together 50,000 farmers and 5,000 buyers in the next 5 years.
Speaking on the occasion, Scindia said The North Eastern Region Agri-Commodity e-Connect (NERACE) is a transformative web portal and mobile app designed to connect the farmers of North East India with the global market.
“This initiative by the Ministry of DoNER demonstrates our commitment to empowering our farmers by providing a platform where they can market their produce and negotiate prices in real-time as well as on a pre-booking basis. By integrating buyers and other service providers, NE-RACE creates an ecosystem that connects the right buyers with farmers, ensuring remunerative prices and efficient management in marketing the farm products of the North East Region” he said.
NERACE platform has been launched to revolutionise the agricultural landscape of Northeast India, bridging gaps between local farmers and global markets. Designed to address challenges such as limited market access, perishability concerns, and dependency on intermediaries, NERACE aims to enhance the reach and profitability of high-value agro-horticultural products from the region.
Over 2,200 farmers and FPCs across 50+ crop categories have already been onboarded, with plans to engage 50,000 producers and 5,000 buyers within five years.
Unlike conventional B2C platforms, NERACE operates as a Farm to Business (F2B) marketplace, enabling price negotiation, bookings, and real-time product availability.
The platform provides integrated logistics solutions, market intelligence, and multilingual support (English, Hindi, Assamese, Bengali, Nepali, Khasi, Mizo, and Manipuri) to ensure hassle-free transactions and query resolution.
NERACE is set to transform the agri-horticultural potential of Northeast India by promoting local specialities such as Black Rice, Kiwi, Large Cardamom, and medicinal plants in domestic and international markets. State-wise farmer onboarding camps and campaigns for buyers and service providers are planned post-launch, in collaboration with state governments and under various agricultural schemes.
A presentation on the first draft of the NER Vision was delivered by Professor Mahendra Lama, Chairman of the Drafting Committee. The vision document outlines eight goals for the development of the North East Region, including establishing it as a South Asian power hub, leveraging border areas as opportunities, promoting it as a green destination, creating an economic corridor, becoming a centre for climate studies for the Indian Himalayan Region, developing medical and adventure tourism, serving as a melting pot of youth and culture, and achieving a peace dividend.
Scindia will be in Assam tomorrow and will visit the NEDFi House in Guwahati, to meet with officials and discuss ways to further promote entrepreneurship and startups in the region.
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