In continuation to the Business Summit and Roadshow – Mizoram Calling organised by the Indian Chamber of Commerce onJanuary 11 at Mumbai, a Business Summit and Roadshow was held here today at Aizawl during which a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between the Government of Mizoram and Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation Ltd. The Hon’ble Governor of Mizoram Lt. Gen. Nirbhay Sharma PVSM, UYSM, AVSM, VSM (Retd.) was in attendance to deliver a keynote address. 

Speaking on the occasion, Hon’ble Governor of Mizoram Lt. Gen. Nirbhay Sharma said that the tourism and agro market potential of Mizoram were worth exploring wherein more industrial State like Maharashtra and the corporate houses can help. He laid stress on developing a few big tourism nodes within Mizoram that would lead to further infrastructural developments and employment generation and highlighted a few strong key sectors where more investments could pour in. He said that the best practices of cooperative societies in Maharashtra could be emulated to move away from subsistence farming to a more profitable commercial one. Governor Nirbhay Sharma also laid emphasis on roping in the film makers and producers to explore the pristine nature of the State and involvement of the community while also giving a cosmopolitan outlook to the state. In the meantime, he urged the civil society to welcome and cope with the changing dynamics. He also said that the government is working towards ease of doing business and looked forward to the outcome of the roadshow. 

Shri PC Lalthanliana, Minister for Horticulture, Government of Mizoram lauded the initiatives of the Governor and the efforts of the Indian Chamber of Commerce. He said that the North East region is a powerhouse in terms of trade and investments. He highlighted the unique selling points (USPs) of several horticulture crops grown in the state which he termed them as organic by default. Development of forward-backward linkages, logistical improvements, food-processing and value addiction are the sectors which he considered needs investments. He believed that the Summit would provide a platform to foster strong partnership between the two States and evolution of new ideas. 

Shri Arvind Ray, Chief Secretary of the Government of Mizoram welcomed the gathering while Dr. C. Vanlalramsanga, Secretary of the Planning and Programme Implementation Department showcased the similarities between the two governments and what they can gain from the partnership. 

Shri Ashutosh Rathod, Director of Tourism, Government of Maharashtra who is also the Jt. MD Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation Ltd. said that his government and other businesses in Maharashtra are eager to form synergies with Mizoram. He was delighted by the fact that Mizoram is shaping up its policy to be in sync with the Act East Policy. He also said that special attention would be given to people from Mizoram for medical care under the government’s Medical Tourism policy. Dr. Rajaram Dighe, OSD to Minister – Cooperation, Marketing and textiles, Government of Maharashtra presented how his government was planning to transform 5000 Primary Agriculture Cooperative Societies (PACS) under the Atal Mahapanan Vikas Abhiyan.      

Two presentations were made from Government of Mizoram during the Summit – ‘Mizoram as the popular and sustainable Agri Tourism destination’ by Shri Biakthanmawia Pautu, Director of Tourism and ‘Horticulture based business opportunities in Mizoram’ by Dr. Robert Lalrinsanga, Horticulture Development Officer. The terms of the agreement (MoU) were highlighted by Ms. Rachel Lalrinhlui, Tourist Officer with a B2B interaction on Maharashtra-Mizoram Business Cooperation concluding the Summit.