Asserting that Assam is emerging as an economic hub of South East Asia, President Pranab Mukherjee on Friday said that the country’s expansion of international trade, business and investment is changing its direction, composition and physical destination.
Mukherjee said this while inaugurating the Namami Brahmaputra the five-day long river festival and said that while Europe and North American countries are no longer vital markets for India, the South East Asian countries are emerging as new destinations for India’s trade and investment.
“India’s North-East is the gateway and most effective location to put into effect the Prime Minister’s Act East policy,” he said adding that South East Asia also assumes significance in recent times considering the fact that India will soon celebrate 25 years of its association with ASEAN.
The President complemented Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal for conceptualizing the Namami Brahmaputra, identifying the content of the festival and ensuring proper implementation for it. The President also suggested the Chief Minister and his cabinet colleagues to convert Namami Brahmaputra into a regular programme to boost tourism.
Mukherjee referred to his experience over the Rhine river in Europe where a small stretch of Rhine river was turned into a tourism package narrating the history of Eastern and Central Europe and said that Brahmaputra has more legends, histories, tradition, cultural heritage and stories to tell the visitors.
"It is rich in natural resources and its people are hard working. What is needed is strong drive, right policies and effective implementation. Referring to the diverse and distinctive culture of Assam," the President said, while adding, that India's strength was its ability to manage diversity and forge unity in divergence.
"It was not just the elites but also the common people who were firmly committed to trust, mutual understanding and harmony," he said adding that Indians were argumentative but never intolerant. "Our traditions, including the teachings of Assam's great scholar and social reformer Shankaradev never allowed the practice of intolerance," he added.
Bhutanese Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay, who was also present on the occasion as the Guest of Honour, recalled the centuries old relation between the people of the Himalayan Kingdom and Assam and said that effort should be taken up to further this cooperation.
"I am wearing a special fabric today. It is made of cotton which is grown in Assam and woven by women in Bhutan. This is a symbol of cooperation between the people of Bhutan and Assam. We have 266 kms of border with Assam and people interact freely with each other on both sides of the border. This is the relation between Assam and Bhutan," Tshering said while pointing out to the traditional dress he was wearing.
Calling Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal as a 'spiritual brother', Tshering appealed to the Government of India to arrange for opening of a Bhutan consulate in Guwahati.