In an attempt to boost rural tourism in Northeast India, Guwahati to host 2-day national conference

To promote rural tourism in Northeast India, a panel of scholars, policy makers, service providers and experts will meet on Saturday and Sunday to participate in a two-day national conference at Greenwood Resort, Guwahati.
Narendra Singh Tomar, Minister of Rural Development, Panchayati Raj and Mines, will inaugurate the conference in presence of Amarjeet Sinha, Secretary, Ministry of Rural Development; Satyajeet Rajan, Director General of Tourism; M.P Bezbaruah, former secretary of the Tourism Ministry; W.R Reddy, Director General, NIRDPR; Ram Muivah, Secretary, North East Council; and other state government officials.

In fact to boost rural tourism in this part of the country, the North East Regional Centre (NERC) of National Institute of Rural Development and Panchayati Raj (NIRDPR) is organising the conference of Livelihoods through Rural Tourism in North East India: The Way Forward.

Professionals, heads of departments, academicians, and institutes concerned from all over the country will come together and participate in this meet as speakers, chairpersons, and panellists. The NERC was formed in Guwahati in 1982, whereas NIRDPR is an independent organisation involved in research, training and consultancy in rural development. NIRDPR falls under the Centre’s Ministry of Rural Development.

The organisers stated that there is a need to work for the rural development in this region as it has immense potential and comprises 80 percent rural population, and 7.02 percent of the total villages of the country are spread across the eight cities.

One of the organisers was quoted saying, “The rich and varied flora and fauna, colourful village life, pristine natural beauty, unique culture, ethnic cuisine and homestay facilities hold high promise of transforming the sleepy villages into vibrant pockets of economic activity.”