Dimapur, January 10 (MExN): A regional seminar themed ‘youth Initiatives for peace and development in North-East’ was held in Guwahati January 7-9. The Seminar attended by intellectuals and youth leaders from Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Mizoram, Manipur and Nagaland. Dr. LR Bishnoi Inspector General of Police, Assam, highlighted various visible reasons responsible for the problems and the need for peace in the North-East. He strongly preferred a ‘good country’ to an ‘advanced and a rich country.’
“A country cannot be a good country unless the resources of its people are developed. India is a resourceful country. It is only how we utilize them,” he said. He appealed the participants of the seminar to discourage the culture of “bandhs.” He revealed that in the year 2011 alone, there were 140 bandhs organized by various communities in the state of Assam. He therefore expressed the need for frequent interactions with youth of the North-East region.
Sharing his experiences, he opined that there are people even in European countries who do not like their own government. However, the IGP said, they have healthier ways to express their ‘feelings’ to their governments.
The first technical sessions were chaired by Prof. Mohendro Singh of Manipur University, who said the five characteristics of youth are ‘full energy, enthusiasm, alertness and a high sense of creativity.’ He proposed eight initiatives to creating peace and development in the North-East. The ways he proposed were orientation of all youth volunteers in peace education, involving local panchayats or local civil bodies, involving in centrally sponsored schemes like MGNREGS, NRHM, RTI, etc. providing career counseling services to all youth to ensure livelihood security as a component of peace.
Also, resource person Zavise Rume of SCERT, Nagaland, highlighted various strategies to promote peace and development in the North-East region. He emphasized on the need for ‘peace education programmes’, skill-based job oriented vocational training courses, clear cut state policy on vocational education for youth, entrepreneurial education courses, urgent need of psychological counseling, vocational and career counseling for youth and students among others.
Resource person Dr. D.D. Mali Director, Indian Institute of Entrepreneurship, Guwahati, Ministry of Industries & Commerce, Govt. of India, highlighted various Centrally Sponsored Schemes for youth such as the Swarnajayoti Gram Swarozgar Yojina, Prime Minister Employment Generation Programme, Entrepreneurial Skill Development Programme and Rural Entrepreneurial Development Programme among others.
Dr. Mali also explored various bank schemes such as the NABARDS, SIDBI, KVIC, NSIC, for self-employment and entrepreneurial career to bring peace and prosperity to the North-East Region. He encouraged the state governments to launch self-employment programmes, employment generation mission, and CM’s self-employment programme as implemented in Assam state. Dr. Mali strongly felt that ‘professional backwardness’ is the major backwardness of North-East India.
Resource person Dr. U.P. Singh, Deputy Director of NYKS, Ministry of Youth Affairs assured the gathering that he would consider the proposal to form a kind of a regional advisory committee on peace Initiatives the in North-East Region. There was active deliberation during the seminar on various issues related to peace and development in North-East Region. The seminar was organized with the objectives to enhancing “employability skills”, social security, and to disseminate information about various developmental programmes at the grass-root level.
