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Thread on #WhatAssamNeeds
Hoping to shed some light on some urgent needs of Assam and if possible suggest solutions.
1/n A plethora of central government labs and institutes for both STEM and social science domains. This will a first step to industrialization of Assam.
Hoping to shed some light on some urgent needs of Assam and if possible suggest solutions.
1/n A plethora of central government labs and institutes for both STEM and social science domains. This will a first step to industrialization of Assam.
Out of 350 CFTIs, Assam has less than 10 such institutions. The calculation for NE region will me much worse. Metro cities alone will have 3x institutes compared to a whole state like Assam. Data taken from here:
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_institutes_funded_by_the_Central_Government_of_India
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_institutes_funded_by_the_Central_Government_of_India
Given that research and knowledge creation in an institution, particularly in social science, is highly localized, this puts the entire NE region at a disadvantage. Having a large scale institution also ensures a lot of local job creation, directly and indirectly.
Having STEM institutes and labs also create a local ecosystem of supporting ventures. Consider Peenya in Bangalore, which is a hub of machining shops given the number of defence, space, and other labs and institutions in Bangalore.
Not just direct employment, it will also increase the awareness regarding higher studies among students in the region. This will indirectly influence their employment opportunities later.
2/n Private universities, preferably big names such as BITS, Plaksha, Ashoka etc. Given their reputation and scale, it will help in bringing employers to set up their shops nearby. Current private institutions lack in quality and will take time to improve the same.
Private institutions will also have the same effects as outlined in the previous tweets regarding CFTIs. Direct and indirect employment generation and educational opportunities will be the main advantages.
As mentioned, due to their already established quality, these institutions might be able to bring private companies to the region by providing skilled human resources which is a distant dream as of now.
3/n Regional offices of Private Media Houses: Gone are the days when media houses used to employ only journalists. Given the competition and drive for TRP, designers to coders are employed in media houses. Therefore, this can also be a pathway to employment generation.
Not just employment, this can also help in reducing the tyranny of distance imposed on the NE states and their issues, frequently ignored by MSM. This will further lead to widespread awareness about the states in aspects such as tourism.
4/n Eh tourism !!!
NE is so unexplored even NE people don't know about all the beautiful places in our region. Some came out due to social media posts but the government initiatives are pathetic to say the least.
NE is so unexplored even NE people don't know about all the beautiful places in our region. Some came out due to social media posts but the government initiatives are pathetic to say the least.
When I travelled to different destinations outside NE, I always exclaimed that my village is better than many of them. This is not an exaggerated view.
For example, this is a picture from my village. I studied in a school overlooking this scenic paddy field.
Given that many countries in the world earns a fair bit of their GDP from tourism, NE and Assam can be the most exquisite place for travel. Employment generation will be much easier if a PPP model is followed to improve the tourism support in the region.
While the government is trying to hard to increase awareness, what is required is ground support for tourists in terms of communication and accommodation.
5/n An auxiliary initiative for tourism is cultural showcase. Given the tribes and multifaceted cultural composition of Assam and NE, showcasing them can be a vital attraction for tourism. I will die to do a Bihu dance any given minute, but Bihu is not the only thing Assam has.
There is Bagurumba dance by Bodos, and countless others. If I start talking about them, that will be another thread. A district wise cultural showcase every month can attract lots of tourists. A Srimanta Shankardev Kalakshetra in every district is an urgent need.
If a tourism workflow is planned, where a tourist will travel throughout Assam, will have food at someone's home evey day and watch what that particular place offers in terms of songs and dances along with the local varieties of food and wine, it will be an awesome experience.
Given the sheer varieties of veg and non-veg food options and local rice beers from Xaaj to Haarlong, I don't know why food tourism is not a thing yet in Assam and NE.
6/n Assam Tea. Whenever I interact with any foreigner, I introduce myself with Assam Tea and everyone knows. There can be tea tasting points showcasing the wide varieties of tea produce and their qualities. We don't need to bring awareness just provide ways to experience the same
If you don't know how famous Assam Tea is, check this blog by @OUPress https://blog.oup.com/2015/01/hot-tea-month/
I will add more pointers to the thread as I think of more aspects. Now that I think about it most of these points deserve a thread too, specially cultural showcase and food of Assam. I will add them too once I get pictures of the same.
For starters, here is a team of people performing Bordhol (Big Drum) in my village
There are multiple such drums to perform in different Puja and other festivals.
There are multiple such drums to perform in different Puja and other festivals.
7/n Ban on Chanda Culture. The widespread chanda (money taken from business in the name of celebration) culture is a bane to the existence of businesses in Assam. A complete ban on this along with rigorous implementation is required before we even dream about private industries.
Any flourishing business is a target of this culture and useless celebrations are rampant in any area. This is the only cynical point in this thread. I think we are looking ourselves if we don't get rid of it as soon as possible for the greater good.
Protection of businesses from chanda is required at all costs. Local businesses can employ far more people than government jobs. The government should just ensure liberty and law enforcement and others would follow.
This is not mindless capitalism. It's what ingrained in Indic culture as seen from multiple Kings all over India when businesses flourished like anything. @Iyervval has a good lecture on this.
The same is the case with bandhs already banned by Ghy HC but not implemented. https://m.economictimes.com/news/politics-and-nation/gauhati-high-court-bans-blockades-agitators-to-pay-for-losses/articleshow/68487208.cms
8/n Using already existing institutes to contribute to business creation. This is related to the first point but in a more direct manner. This can be fuelled by government grants to startups along with accountability.
I don't know why Uddhab Bharali is not given a chair professor status in @iitg and funded to work with students to innovate and release products in the market. This can go a long way if similar innovators are co-opted by institutions.
Many other innovators can be brought together to create local startups and businesses which can result in great markets and products for indigenous problems. This should, in fact, be done with innovators throughout the country.
9/n Leadership with determination. How @myogiadityanath stepped in to create the biggest mobile manufacturing unit of the world in Noida. Hope our leaders soon have the vision beyond their political gimmicks https://twitter.com/neha_aks/status/1228128279720288256?s=19
Leadership with vision https://twitter.com/SwarajyaMag/status/1265583525098479617?s=19
10/n Increasing number of civil servants from NE/Assam throughout the country. We need atleast 100+ civil servants from the NE region every year so that they can make changes to policies from inside the system rather than from the outside.
