Gangtok: A roundtable was organised in Sikkim as a precursor to the Northeast Global Investor Summit at Chintan Bhawan in Gangtok on May 9.

The roundtable was the fourth in a series of state-level conferences.

The event was organised by the Government of Sikkim and the Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER), the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (industry partner), Ernst and Young (knowledge partner), and Invest India (investment facilitation partner).

Speaking at the Roundtable, Lok Ranjan, Secretary to the Government of India, Ministry of DoNER, said they are pleased with the level of information sharing among the partners, and they see great potential for investment in the Region. The Centre, in collaboration with the states, is committed to engaging with investors through Summits and Roundtables to explore investment opportunities.

Neeraj Pradhan, Principal Chief Engineer, Tourism and Civil Aviation Department, added, that tourism is a key area of investment in the North East. With small states having bigger ambitions and potential, tourism has become a major contributor to employment, growth, and sustainability in the region.

The summit provides the perfect platform for enthusiastic stakeholders, no matter how big or small, to invest in infrastructure development, which can lead to positive demographic change.

Dr S. Anbagalan, Chief Executive Officer of Sikkim Organic Farming Development Agency (SOFDA), elaborated that they are focused on promoting organic farming in Sikkim and the region. Their efforts are directed towards ensuring registration and certification of organic products, as well as implementing risk-based harvest management. “We have a well-established production administration in place, and we are also working on enhancing food service management,” he added.

ALSO READ: India bans apple imports, exempts Bhutan