Context: Recently, Ministry of Development of North-East Region (DoNER) has launched the logo and song for festival “Destination North East-2020”
About Destination North East-2020

• It is a four-day event held in different cities in India to showcase and promote the north-eastern states of India.
• The festival showcases the culture, cuisine, tourist destinations and experiences of the north-east.
• The festival “Destination North East” has been held in different parts around the country for the last couple of years. It was held in Varanasi in 2019 and in Chandigarh the year before that.
• This year, however, the event can be attended while being at home as it will be conducted virtually because of the pandemic.
• The 2020 event focus on "The Emerging Delightful Destinations".

Importance of NE Region of India

• Strategic Location: The NER is strategically located with access to the traditional domestic market of eastern India, along with proximity to the major states in the east and adjacent countries such as Bangladesh and Myanmar.
• Links with Southeast Asia: With ASEAN engagement becoming a central pillar of India’s foreign policy direction, NE states play an important role as the physical bridge between India and Southeast Asia.
• Significant for India’s Act East Policy: The Act East Policy places the northeastern states on the territorial frontier of India's eastward engagement.
• Economic Significance: The NER has immense natural resources, accounting for around 34% of the country’s water resources and almost 40% of India’s hydropower potential.
• Sikkim is India’s first organic state.
• Tourism Potential: Northeast of India is home to many wildlife sanctuaries like Kaziranga National Park famous for the one horned rhinoceros, Manas National Park, Nameri, Orang, Dibru Saikhowa in Assam, Namdhapha in Arunachal Pradesh, Balpakram in Meghalaya, Keibul Lamjao in Manipur, Intanki in Nagaland, Khangchendzonga in Sikkim.
• Cultural Significance: Tribes in NER have their own culture. Popular festivals include Hornbill Festival of Nagaland, Pang Lhabsol of Sikkim, etc.

Government Initiatives for NE Region

• North Eastern Region Vision 2020 document provides an overarching framework for the development of the NE Region to bring it at par with other developed regions under which different Ministries, including the Ministry of DoNER have undertaken various initiatives.
• Digital North East Vision 2022 emphasises leveraging digital technologies to transform lives of people of the north east and enhance the ease of living.

Infrastructure Related Initiatives

• Under Bharatmala Pariyojana (BMP), roads stretches aggregating to about 5,301 km in NER have been approved for improvement.
• The North East has been kept as a priority area under RCS-UDAN.
• Regional Connectivity Scheme (RCS-UDAN) has been launched to provide connectivity to unserved and underserved Airports within the country and to promote regional connectivity by making the airfare affordable through Viability Gap Funding (VGF).
• For Promoting Tourism: Under Swadesh Darshan Scheme of Ministry of Tourism, projects worth Rs.1400.03 crore have been sanctioned for the North East Region in the last five years.

Mission Purvodaya

• Purvodaya in the steel sector is aimed at driving accelerated development of Eastern India through the establishment of an integrated steel hub.
• It is expected that out of the 300 MT capacity by 2030-31, over 200 MT can come from this region alone, driven by Industry 4.0.
• The Integrated Steel Hub, encompassing Odisha, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, West Bengal and Northern Andhra Pradesh, would serve as a torchbearer for socio-economic growth of Eastern India.

The National Bamboo Mission has a special significance for the Northeast.