Letter from Hari Singh to Mountbatten in 1947

Dated: 26 October 1947

My dear Lord Mountbatten,

I have to inform your Excellency that a grave emergency has arisen in my State and request immediate assistance of your Government.

As your Excellency is aware the State of Jammu and Kashmir has not acceded to the Dominion of India or to Pakistan. Geographically my State is contiguous to both the Dominions. It has jvital economical and cultural llinks with both of them. Besides my State has a common boundary with the Soviet Republic and China. In their external relations the Dominions of India and Pakistan cannot ignore this fact.

I wanted to take time to decide to which Dominion I should accede, or whether it is not in the best interests of both the Dominions and my State to stand independent, of course with friendly and cordial relations with both.

I accordingly approached the Dominions of India and Pakistan to enter into Standstill Agreement with my State. The Pakistan Government accepted this Agreement. The Dominion of India desired further discussions with representatives of my Government. I could not arrange this in view of the developments indicated below. In fact the Pakistan Government are operating Post and Telegraph system inside the State.

Though we have got a Standstill Agreement with the Pakistan Government that Government permitted steady and increasing strangulation of supplies like food, salt and petrol to my State.

Afridis, solidiers in plain clothes, and desperadoes with modern weapons have been allowed to infilter into the State at first in Poonch and then in Sialkot and finally in mass area adjoining Hazara District on the Ramkot side. The result has been that the limited number of troops at the disposal of the State had to be dispersed and thus had to face the enemy at the several points simultaneously, that it has become difficult to stop the wanton destruction of life and property and looting. The Mahora powerhouse which supplies the electric current to the whole of Srinagar has been burnt. The numer of women who have been kidnapped and raped makes my heart bleed. The wild forces thus let loose on the State are marching on with the aim of capturing Srinagar, the summer Capital of my Government, as first step to over-running the whole State.

The mass infiltration of tribesmen drawn from distant areas of the North-West Frontier coming regularly in motor trucks using Mansehra-Muzaffarabad Road and fully armed with up-to-date weapons cannot possibly be done without the knowledge of the Provisional Government of the North-West Frontier Province and the Government of Pakistan. In spite of repeated requests made by my Government no attempt has been made to check these raiders or stop them from coming into my State. The Pakistan Radio even put out a story that a Provinsional Government had been set up in Kashmir. The people of my State both the Muslims and non-Muslims generally have taken no part at all.

With the conditions obtaining at present in my State and the grreat emergency of the situation as it exists, I have no option but to ask for help from the Indian Dominion. Naturally they cannot send the help asked for by me without my State acceding to the Dominion of India. I have accordingly decided to do so and I attach the Instrument of Accession for acceptance by your Government. The other alternative is to leave my State and my people to free-booters. On this basis no civilized Government can exist or be maintained. This alternative I will never allow to happen as long as I am Ruler of the State and I have life to defend my country.

I am also to inform your Excellency's Government that it is my intention at once to set up an interim Government and ask Sheikh Abdullah to carry the responsibilities in this emergency with my Prime Minister.

If my State has to be saved immediate assistance must be available at Srinagar. Mr. Menon is fully aware of the situation and he will explain to you, if further explanation is needed.

In haste and with kind regards,

The Palace, Jammu                                 
Your sincerely,
Hari Singh

Why Barkha Dutt is attacking Arnab Goswami? The reasons go beyond TRPs

Controversial television journalist Barkha Dutt is on a mission these days. The Consulting Editor of NDTV, whose conversations with corporate and political lobbyist Niira Radia were leaked in 2010, is lobbying with fellow journalists to bring down Arnab Goswami, the always angry Editor-in-Chief of Times Now.

While one may think that it's the TRPs – the metric to measure how popular a TV channel or a news show is – that is driving this jealousy as Arnab has garnered all TRPs, the reasons go much beyond that.

A sequence of events has led to the current hysterical state of Barkha Dutt, starting with the Indian Army killing Hizbul terrorist Burhan Wani in Kashmir. The immediate reaction of Barkha to this big news was this:

This tweet itself brought criticism to Barkha as people pointed out that not only she skipped the word "terrorist" to define Burhan (instead calling him 'commander', as if he held some legitimate post), but painted him as a guy whose father was someone indulged in noble job of teaching and whose primary interest and involvement was within social media.

Deliberately or inadvertently, Barkha appeared to have indulged in harmful distortion. It was soon discovered that Burhan's father was no ordinary school headmaster, but someone who held jihadist views. While Burhan's activities went beyond social media and he played active role in many killings and threatened to carry out terror attacks.

Following Burhan's killing, there were violent protests in Kashmir by separatists against security forces, and there were casualties on both sides. Once again, many felt that Barkha Dutt was soft on separatists in her reporting from the ground zero.

Barkha was, however, almost unperturbed by these criticisms. Until Hafiz Saeed spoke. In a TV interview, the mastermind of Mumbai Terror Attacks thanked Barkha Dutt and Congress leaders for their "good work" in Kashmir.

A note of thanks and recognition from a terrorist is the last thing someone would want. Also, what comprises "good work" in the scheme of things of a terrorist is a further troublesome idea. Barkha knew that this was something she needed to get off from her back.

And she found an alibi in Arnab.

Arnab didn't really ask for any gag on media – something Barkha is claiming in her current tirade against him, and thus making it a case of press freedom (and giving cue to others to cry Emergency?). Yes, Arnab did ask some in the media to be exposed, investigated, and tried for their links with those in Pakistan who plot downfall of India.

What's wrong with that? He didn't name anyone. And it's absolutely fair to demand that those in cahoots with the enemies of the nation should be investigated and tried. And if they happen to be in media, there is no reason why they shouldn't be tried.

Remember that the same Arnab had gone ballistic against a Hindi journalist named Ved Pratap Vaidik, who had met Hafiz Saeed two years ago. Vaidik had claimed that he was a journalist and thus his meeting with Hafiz should be seen in different context, but Arnab was not ready to buy that argument.

So Arnab's stand on this issue is consistent. He is not willing to give any concessions to anyone claiming to be a journalist as far as hobnobbing with the enemies of the state is concerned. And this time he didn't really name anyone, but Barkha thought it was about her.

Barkha made it all about her (but under guise of defending press freedom) because she desperately wanted to get the Hafiz Saeed's endorsement forgotten by the public. And the best way to do was to start a bigger controversy – make big statements like being ashamed of being in the same industry as Arnab Goswami and virtually calling him a "chamcha" (sycophant).

This appears to be working. People are no longer talking about why Hafiz Saeed thinks Barkha Dutt or Congress leaders do "good work" in Kashmir, but now it's all about "good journalism" that Arnab Goswami is not supposed to be doing.

Apart from taking the focus off Hafiz Saeed's statement, the attack on Arnab by Barkha and her friends serve another purpose – to show the journalists and media persons about who the real daddy is.

Those broadly subscribing to the left-liberal ideology have had a mafia like control on media for long. Arnab is someone who is not a typical left-liberal. Arnab is no right-winger as well, but he is definitely no Adarsh Liberal. He himself underlines that fact by terming the others as "Lutyens Media".

And thus someone like Arnab ruling the media scene hurts the other side. They need excuses to attack him and to cut him to size, so that others get the message – if we didn't leave Arnab, who are you? It is a signal to those in junior and middle level positions in journalism – be with us, or you'd be taught a lesson just like we are teaching Arnab a lesson.

So there won't be easy end to this battle, as this goes beyond TRPs and personal egos of two former colleagues. Perhaps next in line will be a leaked letter or "sources" based story that many journalists in Times Group have written to the top management complaining about Arnab's attack on press freedom, and that top management is upset with Arnab, and so on.

The nation wants to know what Arnab has thought about it, and how will he deal with this organized attack on him. Right now it seems that he doesn't give a toss about it.

Courtesy: opindia.com

How To Pay Zero Tax On Income Of Up To Rs 10 Lakh

Story Highlights

Basic income of Rs 2.5 lakh per annum is exempted from income tax
Deduction of Rs 25,000 is allowed against medical insurance premium paid
Gifts of Rs 5,000 per annum from employer are tax exempt

With an increase in income, our income tax liabilities also go up. Experts say there are provisions that can help a person cut down his/her tax outgo substantially.

Sudhir Kaushik, CEO and co-founder of Tax Spanner, says, "The tax laws do have the provisions which can of help you to reduce your tax outgo to nil even if your cost to company (CTC) is Rs 20 lakh." But that is possible if there is a complete flexibility to the taxpayers to get their salary restructured and they use the various tax provisions, he adds.

Here is how a person can cut down the tax outgo to zero for income up to Rs 10 lakh.

1) Basic income of Rs 2.5 lakh per annum is exempted from income tax. 

2) You can claim deduction of Rs 1.5 lakh under Section 80C. There are various investments such as public provident fund (PPF), tax-saving equity mutual funds and tax-saving fixed deposits that qualify for deduction under this section. You can also claim payment made against the principal of home loan as deduction under this section.

3) Also, if you have a home loan, you can claim a deduction of up to Rs 2 lakh against the home loan interest payment. Or if your company gives you house rent allowance (HRA), you can claim a deduction against it. You can claim the minimum of the three for HRA:

a) The HRA paid by your employer

b) Actual rent paid by you minus 10 per cent of basic salary

c) 50 per cent of salary, if living in a metro or 40 per cent of the salary, in case of non-metro

You can claim both HRA and deduction against home loan if you are residing on rent in another city due to employment reasons.

4) You can claim an additional deduction of Rs 50,000 for investments made in National Pension Scheme (NPS) under Section 80CCD. Section 80CCD represents deduction with respect to a pension plan notified by the government, including NPS.

5) Apart from this, employer's contribution to NPS of up to 10 per cent of basic salary is tax exempt under Section 80CCD(2).

6) You can claim a deduction of Rs 25,000 per annum against medical insurance premium paid. Apart from this, you can claim an additional Rs 30,000 for the medical insurance premium paid for your parents.

7) You can avail a deduction of Rs 25,000 for investments made up to Rs 50,000 in Rajiv Gandhi Equity Saving Scheme (RGESS). New investors with income below Rs 12 lakh can invest in this scheme.

8) If your salary has allowance components, there are certain allowances against which you can claim tax deductions. You can avail a deduction of up to Rs 15,000 as medical allowance. Food coupons of up to Rs 2,200 per month are also tax-exempt. There are certain allowances such as periodicals and uniform which can be claimed as per actuals.

9) Gifts of Rs 5,000 per annum from employer are tax-exempt.

10) You are also allowed to claim a transport allowance of Rs 1,600 per month which is equal to Rs 19,200 a year.

11) You can claim a children's education allowance of up to Rs 100 per month per child. Also, you can claim up to Rs 300 per month against hostel fees for each of your children.

12) If you taxable income is below Rs 5 lakh, you are entailed to a tax rebate of Rs 5,000 on your total tax.

Courtesy: NDTV Profit

The Chaat Shop

THE MENU AT A DAHI CHOLEY CHAAT SHOP

1) Chaat-- Rs.10
2) Special chaat - Rs.12
3) Very Special chaat - Rs. 15.
4) Extra Special chaat- Rs. 18.
5) Double Extra Special chaat- Rs. 20.
6) Sunday Special chaat - Rs. 25 (Sunday only).

To check each and every chaat for its different taste, I started eating everyday a different one. . . . .

But soon I discovered that each and every one had the same taste of Chaat.

Finally one day I asked him the reason for the same taste?
💷 💵 💴

Chatwala said: chaat cost. . . . Rs 10

Special chaat means spoons washed ... 🍴

Very Special chaat means spoon and plates both washed ... 🍛🍴

Extra Special chaat means washing hands before putting the Chaat in washed plates & served with washed spoons... 👏

Double Extra Special chaat means clean drinking water is provided separately ... 💧

Chaat wala now looking at my face ....

Then I asked What is Sunday Special?

Chaatwala said :

"Sunday ... I take bath...!!"

Credit card owners beware! Do not make these mistakes

Credit card opens a huge opportunity for your shopping because it makes the transaction easier, smoother and hassle free.

But you should use your credit card wisely or else the small mistakes that you make might create a lot of troubles for you later.

If you are a frequent credit card user, do not make these mistakes.

1. Never make late payments as it involves a big penalty. But the most important thing is that the late payment habit has a negative impact on your credit card score. You will realise the importance of this score while applying for housing and auto loans.

2. Never get into the "minimum payment" trap. This option looks very good for short term, but in the long term you end up paying a huge interest.

3. Don't keep many credit cards. True, this widens the scope of your shopping. But remember, in the end you will have to pay for everything –the payment as well as the interest.

4. Don't use your credit card for purchasing everyday household items. Though you don't mind paying Rs 200 for the exotic apples, but when it comes to paying total interest, it will hurt your pocket.

5. Always read the terms and conditions of your credit card company. Different companies will have different hidden rules.

6. Don't overlook your monthly statement. It not only helps you keep a track on your shopping but also alerts you on unfamiliar transactions.

7. Never use your credit card for ATM transaction. You will end up paying a hefty interest on cash transaction through your credit card.

Courtesy: Zee Business
   

Pareshan hubby

Thank you Pakistan

Letter from a man in Birmingham to his friend in London:

"I was fed up with being burgled and robbed every other day in my neighbourhood. The alarm system was no use so I tore it out and deregistered from our ineffective local Neighbourhood Watch...

Instead, I've planted a Pakistani flag in each corner of my front garden.

Now, the city police, the National Security Bureau, Scotland Yard, MI-5, MI-6, the CIA and every other intelligence service in Europe are all keeping watch on my house 24x7x365...

I'm followed to and from work every day and my wife too when she goes out shopping.

So no one bothers us at all...

I've never felt safer... All thanks to Pakistan."😂😂

Height of misunderstanding

👌‌‌ Killer ‍‌‌‌‌‍‍‍‌‌‌✋‌‌‍‌‌‌‌

A man married his own secretary thinking  that she will still follow his orders as before!!

‍‌‌‌‌‌‍‌‍‍‌😂‌‌‍‌‌‌‌‌‍‌‍‍‌😂‌‌‍‌‌‌‌‌‍‌‍‍‌😂‌‌‌‌‍‌‍‍‌
   

A flying car soon?

Bluetooth was named after a Danish king

Germany surrendered in World War II on this day

The CEO

In a factory: A man standing on the floor, Not doing any work and looking aimlessly.

CEO of that factory came and asked his salary.

Man replied "5000 Sir"

CEO took out his wallet and gave 15000 and told him "I pay people here to work and not to waste time. This is your 3 months salary. Now get out of here. Never come back.

That guy left...
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
Then CEO asked  workers, "Who was that guy?"

Workers replied "PIZZA delivery Boy, Sir."

😜
😂
😇
😆
😃
😅
😂

MORAL : DON'T OVERREACT IN EVERY SITUATION!!

Bill introduced in US to prevent Indian companies from hiring on H-1B visas

WASHINGTON: A bipartisan group of two US lawmakers has introduced in the House of Representatives a legislation, which if passed by the Congress would prevent Indian companies from hiring IT professionals on H-1B and L1 work visas. 

Since the revenue model of majority of big Indian IT companies is heavily dependent on H-1B and L1 visas in the US, such a bill is likely to have a major impact, if not sound a death knell, on their businesses. 

The 'H-1B and L-1 Visa Reform Act of 2016' introduced by Democratic Congressman Bill Pascrell from New Jersey and Republican Dana Rohrabacher from California would prohibit companies from hiring H-1B employees if they employ more than 50 people and more than 50 per cent of their employees are H-1B and L-1 visa holders. 

Before the bill is signed into a law by US President Barack Obama, it needs to be passed by the Senate, wherein it has not been tabled so far. Notably, the two sponsors of the bill come from the two American states which have the maximum concentration of Indian Americans. 

"America is producing many skilled, high-tech professionals with advanced degrees and no jobs. By 'in-sourcing' and exploiting foreign workers, some businesses are abusing the visa programs and undercutting our workforce to reap the rewards," Congressman Pascrell said. 

"Without the critical reforms our bill proposes, American workers will continue to be unfairly displaced and visa workers will continue to be mistreated -- both of which are unacceptable," he said in a statement. 

Noting the foreign outsourcing companies are the top users of the H-1B and L-1 visa programs, a media statement issued by the Congressman's office said over the years a number of concerns have been raised about how certain companies have been using these visa programs, including a 2011 report from the Government Accountability Office calling for reform. 

Pascrell and Rohrabacher had introduced a similar version of this bill in 2010, which could not gain enough support in the Congress. 

The lawmakers said the H-1B and L-1 Visa Reform Act of 2016 would close loopholes in the H-1B and L-1 visa programs, reduce fraud and abuse, provide protections for American workers and visa holders, require more transparency in the recruitment of foreign workers, and increase penalties on those who violate the law.

Source: PTI

Lionel Messi sentenced to 21 months in jail for tax fraud

Lionel Messi has been sentenced to 21 months in jail for tax fraud by a Spanish court.

Under Spanish law any sentence under two years can be suspended meaning the Barcelona and former Argentina footballer is expected to avoid serving time in prison.

The 29-year-old, among the world's highest-earning athletes, was accused of creating a string of fake companies in Belize and Uruguay to avoid taxation on €4.16m (£3.2m) of image rights earnings between 2007 and 2009.

What are the chances of Messi serving his jail sentence?

Messi, who took time out from Argentina's preparations for the Copa America tournament this summer, said in court last month: "I was playing football; I had no idea about anything. I trusted my dad and my lawyers."

The Argentinian's father Jorge Horacio Messi has been handed the same punishment. The pair, who also face huge fines, can appeal their sentences through the Supreme Court.

During the trial, Messi said he never suspected any wrongdoing when his father would ask him to sign contracts or documents relating to his image rights, a lucrative source of income for any athlete of his calibre.

Source: The Independent

Smriti Irani special ... on being made Textile Minister

Trending on whatsapp:

On Smriti Irani's exit from the HRD Ministry...........to Textile

"आज फिर एक बेटी के हाथ से किताब छीन कर सिलाई मशीन थमा दी गई है"😂😂

PS. This is just meant to be a joke. Request everyone to kindly not take it seriously.

Rendezvous of a friend with a tiger in Kaziranga

   

Over 24 Hours After Siege, Bangladesh Grapples With Who Attacked Dhaka

Written by Sudhi Ranjan Sen | Updated: Jul 03, 2016 12:09 IST

Story Highlights

Dhaka Mayor says not certain who carried out the attack
While attack claimed by ISIS, they demanded release of local terrorists
Dhaka believes homegrown terror outfits bigger threat than foreign groups

Dhaka: More than 70 policemen crowded the entrance of a narrow lane leading to the Holey Artisan Bakery in Dhaka's leafy Gulshan area - the place where gunmen killed over 20 people including 19 year old Tarishi Jain in a siege that started on Friday night.

From a distance, it was clear that the policemen were going over the scene of crime, collecting evidence.

"It was a little after 8 p.m. when we heard the first explosion, the police rushed in. As the police tried to enter, they came under heavy attack, there were several explosions, and from a distance we could see two police officers fall. It appeared that the terrorist had hurled a grenade," Shamsur Islam, a driver in one of embassies and an eyewitness told NDTV.

More than 24 hours after the attack, little is still known about which group had struck. A Bangladesh Minister this morning said the attackers were not from the ISIS.
 
The attack began around 8 pm on Friday.

"We cannot say with certainty who carried out the attack," the Mayor of Dhaka Annisul Huq told NDTV. Both the al Qaeda and ISIS have claimed responsibility.

But demands made by the terrorists before being gunned downed is perhaps an indication. Sources said that while the terrorists demanded that the Bangladesh Government accept it was ISIS, they had also demanded release of two Jamaat-ul Mujahideen (JuM).

Sources said, "while crosswinds between the ISIS and the JuM cannot be ruled out", chances are that the attack was carried out by home-grown terrorists. "The ISIS can claim credit," a senior officer told NDTV.

Since last year, the ISIS and al Qaeda have claimed responsibility for the killing more than 30 people in Bangladesh. In its cross hairs have been liberals, atheists, foreigners, gays and religious minorities in Bangladesh. Although violence gs had increased, Bangladesh, however, hasn't seen an attack like this. "We will have to re-calibrate our counter-terror policy," Mr Huq told NDTV.
 
Dhaka claims that local the terror outfits like the JuM and Ansar-ul-Islam are a bigger threat to the country than al Qaeda and ISIS.

The Bangladesh government has cracked down on these groups, arresting hundreds of suspects over the last few years. "International terror groups are claiming responsibility because the local groups are under pressure and cannot afford to claim responsibility," a senior officer associated with the counter-terror operations in Bangladesh told NDTV.

The fine distinction between terror groups isn't however impressing the common citizen. There is a growing sense of anger against the government. "It is sad day for us, we should have taken note of the earlier attacks and taken adequate measures," Rakib Chowdhury, a student, told NDTV.

Is this radicalisation of Bangladesh?

HIGHLIGHTS

Bangladesh has long maintained that there are no foreign fighters on its soil

All seven gunmen in Friday night's attack and overnight siege were local.

Bangladesh began two days of national mourning after 20 hostages were slaughtered in Dhaka.

DHAKA/NEW DELHI: Bangladesh, faced with the worst militant attack in its history, is probing deeper for possible ties between the men who murdered around 20 people in a restaurant and trans-national Islamist extremist groups, security officials said.

Until Friday's attack in an upscale part of the capital Dhaka, the government had blamed two home-grown groups for mounting violence, but these were attacks on individuals, most of them with crude machetes and knives, and never a coordinated mass killing.

So the storming of the restaurant, taking diners hostages, apparently singling out foreigners for death and then fighting a gunbattle to the finish marked a new level of sophistication and scale, anti-terrorism officials and security experts said.

"We cannot say immediately which group is behind this. But they were terrorists who were trained well," said Brigadier General Naeem Ashfaq Choudhuri, director general of military operations for the Bangladesh army.

One line of inquiry being pursued is whether the attackers received any guidance from Islamic State or al Qaida in the run-up to the attack, an official in the police counter-terrorism wing said.

Police were also looking into whether the Dhaka assault was part of, or inspired by a series of attacks elsewhere in the world including on Istanbul airport last month, he added.

Islamic State claimed responsibility for the Dhaka attack, and even while the siege was still on, the group published grisly pictures from inside the restaurant apparently sent by the assailants.

The authenticity of the images has not been established, however.

A U.S. government source said some US government experts were now leaning towards the view that Islamic State was behind the attack, in which an American citizen was among the dead, along with at least nine Italians and seven Japanese.

Al-Qaida versus Islamic state?

Bangladesh, a pre-dominantly Muslim country of 160 million people, has long maintained that there are no foreign fighters on its soil, although some Western security experts have questioned that.

Officials have said that all seven gunmen in Friday night's attack and overnight siege were local.

It is not yet clear whether they belonged to either of the two main domestic militant movements blamed for a spate of attacks in recent months on bloggers, university teachers and members of religious minorities.

Ansar-al-Islam, considered the better coordinated and more dangerous of the two until now, had pledged allegiance to al-Qaida, while Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen had claimed to represent Islamic State in Bangladesh.

Security experts in Bangladesh, India and the United States said that even if there were no foreign fighters involved, whichever group mounted the restaurant assault appeared to have benefited from external support.

"This attack was of a level of sophistication that suggests the involvement of a group well schooled in intricately choreographed terror operations, and ISIS and al-Qaida fit the bill," Michael Kugelman, a senior South Asia associate at the Wilson Center, said.

Four pistols, an AK-22 semi-automatic assault rifle, four unexploded IEDs and several sharp weapons were recovered from the scene, Brigadier General Choudhuri said.

The targeting of people in a restaurant appeared more in line with Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen, which has focused its attacks on non-Muslims, whether a poor rickshaw-puller or a grocer.

Ansar-al-Islam, in contrast, has laid down strict "targeting criteria" under which its fighters attack people carrying out "anti-Islamic" activities such as bloggers criticising radical Islam or activists promoting gay rights.

It has said it will not carry out random killings.

Bangladesh counter-terrorism officials say Ansar follows the ideology and methods of al-Qaida, and has a fugitive former army major playing a key role that could make it more potent.

But they and foreign experts also see the risk of an escalating rivalry between al-Qaida and Islamic State, or their local proxies, in Bangladesh.

Courtesy: Reuters / TOI

The Golden Pagoda of Namsai. Breathtaking.

   

Driving in Kaziranga

   

Shillong getting prettier by the day

Dr. Jitendra Singh announces 'Make in Northeast' initiative :: Chairs a joint meeting of the officials of Ministry of DoNER and Ministry of Tourism

The Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) of the Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER), MoS PMO, Personnel, Public Grievances & Pensions, Atomic Energy and Space, Dr. Jitendra Singh has announced “Make in Northeast” initiative beginning with a comprehensive tourism plan for the region, here today. He also announced the decision to appoint a Brand Ambassador who, he said, could personify the heritage and identity of Northeast and at the same time, inspire the rest of the countrymen to “look east” and “act east”. 

Chairing a joint meeting of the senior officers of Ministry of DoNER and the Union Ministry of Tourism, Dr. Jitendra Singh said, “Make in Northeast” initiative, inspired by Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi’s “Make in India” concept, will in the long run seek to promote exclusive Northeast expertise in areas like tea processing, organic farming, food processing, exploitation of wind power through wind mills, AYUSH, wellness therapies like spas, etc. A detailed Brochure for investors will also be prepared and released across the country to encourage investment in Northeast, he added. 

In order to develop Northeast as a destination for investors, holiday seekers and tourists, Dr. Jitendra Singh said, mega circuit and mega destination projects of Tourism Ministry in the area will also be pursued. 

Soon after taking over the charge of the Ministry of DoNER two months ago, Dr. Jitendra Singh recalled, the first decision taken by him was to plan a 2015 Calendar for the Ministry of DoNER based on theme of Northeast festivals with each month displaying the traditional local festival of each region in that particular season. When circulated across the country, this annual calendar would serve as a document to introduce the tradition, culture and tourism of the region through one single document, he added. 

Revealing future plans, Dr. Jitendra Singh said, his Ministry will soon organize an event in Mumbai for interaction with representatives of film industry in order to bring awareness about the vast potential for location shooting in Northeast which can be done with much greater ease and cost effectiveness without travelling abroad. It is strange, he observed, that the only film maker from Mumbai who had, with commitment, focused on depicting Northeast through cinema was Late Dev Anand and therefore, the glory of visuals from Northeast locations needs to be reintroduced to the present generation of film makers as well. 

One of the important objectives of “Make in Northeast” initiative, Dr. Jitendra Singh said, will be not only to generate revenue for Northeast but also to create job opportunities to prevent the exodus of youth which is presently taking place from the region to the rest of the country. 

The meeting, among others, was attended by Secretary (Tourism) Dr. Lalit K. Panwar, Secretary (DoNER), Shri Vijay Kumar.