Dr. Sukanta Majumdar, Union Minister of State for the Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER), attended the closing session of the North East Bankers’ Conclave 3.0 at the Mizoram University Auditorium, Aizawl, on Tuesday.
In his address, he emphasised the importance of strengthening cooperation among governments, banks and financial institutions to accelerate development in the North Eastern Region.
Dr. Majumdar highlighted the significant potential of the North Eastern states in sectors such as agriculture, tourism, entrepreneurship and infrastructure. He stressed the importance of harnessing the unique strengths and opportunities of each state to promote inclusive and sustainable growth, describing the conclave as an important platform for bringing together government representatives, banks and financial institutions to deliberate on common challenges and identify practical solutions.
Recalling the earlier editions of the conclave, Dr. Majumdar stated that the first North East Bankers’ Conclave, held in New Delhi, deliberated on improving credit access for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs), start-ups and the agriculture sector, as well as expediting the implementation of Central and State Government schemes whereas the second edition, held in Agartala, focused on expanding banking infrastructure, including the opening of new bank branches and ATMs, and extending banking services to previously unbanked villages.
He noted that these initiatives had yielded encouraging results as following the two editions of the conclave, 131 new bank branches had been opened, 126 new ATMs had been installed, and banking services had been extended to 6,905 previously unbanked villages.
The valedictory session featured presentations from four breakout groups on key topics — Banking Infrastructure and Financial Inclusion; Credit Flow to MSMEs and Entrepreneurs; Financing of Agriculture, Allied Activities and Rural Entrepreneurs; and Infrastructure Finance in the North Eastern Region.
The xonclave concluded with a vote of thanks by P. V. S. L. N. Murty, Chairman and Managing Director of the North Eastern Development Finance Corporation Ltd. (NEDFi).
