'Tourism in North-East will boom post Covid': Jitendra Singh shares previous 'ignorance'

On World Tourism Day on Sunday, Union Development Minister for North-east region Dr Jitendra Singh exuded confidence that the region will see a major boost in the tourism sector after the COVID-19 pandemic. He also went on to accept that when he assumed charge he was 'ignorant of the region' and had only heard people asking to make Northeast more accessible to the rest of the country but never the other way around.

"On this world tourism day, I can dare to declare this that in the coming times, post the coronavirus pandemic, tourism in the Northeast will get a major boost because domestic tourists will realise its easy accessibility and pristine nature. Six years ago when PM Modi handed me the responsibility of looking after Northeast, I was ignorant of the region. I only heard people saying do something to get Northeast closer to rest of India but never heard bring rest of India closer to Northeast," said Jitendra Singh. 

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Amit Shah inaugurates 'Destination North East 2020'

Amit Shah inaugurated a Northeastern cultural festival called 'Destination North East 2020' on September 27 via video conferencing. During the inauguration ceremony, the Home Minister said that Indian culture is incomplete without North-east while adding that the Modi government is committed to developing the North-Eastern states. "Without the northeast, India and Indian culture are incomplete. Indian culture can't be completely imagined until the northeastern culture meets that of India because the northeastern culture is the jewel of Indian culture," said Amit Shah. Chief Ministers of north-eastern states were present during the inauguration ceremony. 

Shah also said that all the people from North-east have always kept the principles of 'Atithi Devo Bhava' alive while showing the world that environment does not need to be destroyed in order to develop and prosper. 

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More on 'Destination North East 2020'

Destination North East 2020 is a 4-day virtual event set to take place from September 27 to 30. This virtual cultural festival will give people a chance to explore various cultural events along with the scenic beauty of North Eastern states from the comfort of their homes. This festival is being held digitally in the wake of COVID-19. 

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(With inputs from ANI)