The first-ever Ashtalakshmi Mahotsav was inaugurated by the Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi on 6th December 2024 at Bharat Mandapam, Pragati Maidan New Delhi. The Festival is being organized by the Ministry of Development of North-East Region (DoNER), Government of India from 6th to 8th December 2024. It aims to showcase the beauty, diversity and promise of the eight states of Northeast – Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Manipur, Nagaland, Mizoram, Tripura and Sikkim.
On the second-day a panel discussion on ‘Towards Prosperity: Catalysing North East’s Progress for a Viksit Bharat’ was held with Union Minister of Development of North Eastern Region and Communications, Jyotiraditya M. Scindia, Chief Minister Tripura, Manik Saha, Meghalaya Chief Minister, Conrad Sangma and Sikkim Chief Minister, Prem Singh Tamang, joining the discussion, which was held at Bharat Mandapam, Pragati Maidan, New Delhi on 7th December 2024.
Union Minister Jyotiraditya M. Scindia stated his belief that north eastern states can become a growth engine of the country in sectors such as airports, roads, semiconductors, etc. In tourism sector, he said that the DoNER Ministry is working with all the 8 states to develop tourism circuit highlighting the specialty of each state. On the area of skill development and employment, he said the Ministry along with all the NE states will work together to skill the NE youths so that their skills matches with the current requirement of industries. He added that the NE youths have vast potential for growth in IT, AI and animation sector, for which more needs to be done in improving education.
Tripura Chief Minister, Manik Saha speaking at the panel discussion highlighted the developments taking place in various sectors in Tripura. He reiterated the Prime Minister’s statement that without the development of NE, the country cannot develop and also expressed his happiness that other parts of the country are now better and more aware of the 8 NE states than before.
Meghalaya Chief Minister, Conrad Sangma stated that the NE states can be the growth engine of the country and for it to happen it need to seize the opportunities available in the present time and added that the kind of support which NE has received over the last ten years in all sectors have hugely pushed to bring up the growth potential in NE states.
Sikkim Chief Minister, Prem Singh Tamang stated that NE states are now not only a ‘political platform’ but a ‘developmental platform’ as well.
The first ever Ashtalakshmi Mahotsav aims to offer a dynamic stage for showcasing Northeast India’s vibrant textile sector, tourism opportunities, traditional craftsmanship, distinctive Geographical Indication tagged products. It also aims to emphasize the significance of infrastructure development in NE and its transformative impact. ‘Purvi,’ a young girl, representing all eight NE states, symbolizing unity and diversity is the mascot of the Festival.
