'You are the people who can help... There is a lot of scope in education and healthcare sectors for investment. Please help us with money and expertise,' Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi said here at a session on investment opportunities in northeast India at the 9th edition of Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD) convention.
The convention is India's annual event to connect with its 25-million-strong diaspora in 130 nations.
With a special focus on the northeast, the 2011 PBD convention is being held in partnership with the ministry for development of north eastern region and the state governments of the eight northeastern states - Assam, Manipur, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim, Meghalaya, Tripura and Arunachal Pradesh.
Gogoi said that there was a wrong perception that there was a security problem in the northeast, which may have been true in the past, but not any more.
'Some of the states here are the most peaceful,' said Meghalaya Chief Minister Mukul Sangma, listing Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya and Mizoram.
Sangma said that the 'problems' were only in small pockets. 'When there is a problem in Andhra Pradesh or Uttar Pradesh, nobody says that there should be lack of investment in those states,' said Sangma.
He pointed out that there was a huge demand for education and technical training institutes in the northeast.
'I have been told by senior officers in the hospitality sector, that they prefer to have recruits from the northeast, as they are good English speakers and very professional. It shows that there is a big demand for manpower from here,' he said.
Sangma highlighted that most of the students in the northeast were forced to travel outside the region for higher education.
The healthcare industry in the northeast was also underdeveloped, which led to patients being referred to hospitals in Chennai, Hyderabad, Bangalore or Delhi. 'The healthcare infrastructure is not enough to attend to the demand,' said Sangma.
Tripura Commerce and Industries Minister Jitendra Choudhury highlighted the fact that the region was poised for growth, with India's 'Look East' policy and better relations with neighbouring Bangladesh.
'After this (trade accords with Bangladesh), the entire region will benefit from more trade and development of infrastructure,' he said.