Information and Broadcasting Minister Prakash Javadekar Friday said the government has many plans on the anvil to increase connectivity with the northeast, including rail, road and air connectivity, and through All India Radio and Doordarshan.
"We have many plans on the anvil for the northeast which we will reveal in the budget to come.. The northeast people will definitely will be happy," said Javadekar after a meeting with the Bezbaruah panel that was set up by the ministry of home affairs after the death of a northeast student, Nido Tania, in the capital.
"We are taking more steps for more integration with the northeast," he said.
M.P. Bezbaruah, who chairs the committee, said they held a detailed meeting with the ministry on what all has been done and what can be done.
"The prime minister has said the primary objective is to increase connectivity with the northeast, and to sensitise people in metros about the rich culture of the northeast, and the difference that northeast people have by way of ethnicity and looks - these should not be allowed to come in the way of integration," he said,
Bezbaruah said the committee is meeting other ministries and giving suggestions.
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Information and Broadcasting Secretary Bimal Julka said they were holding continuous dialogue with the northeast to understand their problems and see how best to overcome them in terms of radio reach and involving locals in TV and radio content.
"A dialogue is a must to keep developing content creation," he added.
Julka also said the government is taking into consideration measures to see that airwaves in border areas do not get swamped by air waves from across the border.
Bezbaruah also said the committee is holding meetings with sports and cultures and other meetings to create awareness. The panel would hand over its recommendations in the first week of July.
During the course of discussions with the panel, Javadekar said the northeast should be India's gateway to southeast Asia.
The discussions included recommendations for promoting northeast as a filming destination and featuring films from the region in the various film festivals.
Appreciating the talent in the people of this region, the minister observed that there should be better participation by them in the various genres of information and entertainment.
"A constant dialogue and an inclusive approach were realized as the need of the hour in order to integrate our north-eastern brethren into the mainstream," he said, according to an official statement.