NEW DELHI, 23 Dec: The 10th edition of the North East Festival began at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium here on Friday, with focus on small and medium enterprises (MSME) and startup ecosystem in the Northeast.
The cultural event was inaugurated by MSME Minister Narayan Rane, who said that the festival would help create more job opportunities and boost the startup ecosystem of the Northeast.
“The primary goal of this festival organised in Delhi is to showcase the best of Northeast India’s cultural resources and act as an enticing gateway for the exceptional talents of the region,” Rane said.
He added that there is an emerging startup culture in the Northeast and they should take “maximum advantage of technology to boost their businesses,”
“The government is also leaving no stone unturned to educate the entrepreneurs about emerging technologies to augment the startup ecosystem in the rich Northeast region,” the minister said.
There are more than 100 MSME businesses taking part in the festival, featuring the Northeast’s handloom, handmade jewellery, handicrafts, agricultural-horticultural products, and processed food items.
The festival, which is returning after a two-year hiatus caused by the coronavirus pandemic, features a number of events, including an MSME exhibition, a multi-cuisine food court, an art exhibition, a photography exhibition, a ‘rock battle’, tourism B2B meet, a musical evening, and a fashion show.
The North East Festival will see participation of over 500 artists across 30 musical bands, 16 fashion designers, 60 food stalls, and a number of tour operators over the course of four days.
Musical bands including Klanjan (Assam), Innocent Eyes (Manipur), Traffic Jam (Manipur), Flying Cupid (Assam), Bipul Chettri & The Travelling Band (Sikkim/Darjeeling), Trance Effect (Nagaland), Taba Chake (Arunachal Pradesh), and Jessie Lyndoh (Meghalaya) will participate in the festival.
“North East Festival is all about creating a synergy between people and celebrating life. And, through this festival, we are sensitising the multicultural population of Delhi to the beauty, diversity, and integrity of Northeast India.
“We are happy to report that people are now aware of our traditions and culture through this festival, which has given the much requisite platform to many local entrepreneurs,” Shyamkanu Mahanta, chief organiser of the festival, said in a statement.
The event will come to an end on 26 December. (PTI)