Assam has experienced turbulent years during the last few decades which has yet to show any respite. However, globalization has entered this state and the government is facing financial shortfalls. There is massive unemployment in the traditional sectors, but interestingly there is a huge shortfall of skilled manpower in the professionals sectors. But due to their own limitations and absence of acumen, colleges and universities are neither generating many skilled students nor are capable of offering proper guidance. These students and younger generations are the worst sufferers due to absence of appropriate guides or personal heroes during this crucial period. The NRA with their vast experiences and visions can fill up this critical gap and steer the younger generation.
But how?
The INTERNET has turned the world into a global village where Assam is very much part of it, especially after the introduction of a Community Information Center in each block of the North East equipped with high speed VSAT connectivity. Many rural people are more or less Net savvy. With a large number of rural youths spread over every nook and corner of Assam accessing the Internet, each message from the NRA can be facilitated to reach each village of Assam directly. The NRA should utilize this media fully. These messages may be on the present education systems of the US, the UK, or Australia, campus life, various activities pursued by the younger generation of boys and girls while studying such as journalists, web designers, sales personnel to encourage them to be involved in similar activities. Each Community Information Center may be converted into an intellectual hub in each rural block. The existing http://assam.org portal may be revamped with these additional contents and concepts. If possible, there may be a submission facility, where people can submit their query and may be answered by a pool of NRA.
Secondly, it is well-known that the NE is the natural habitat of several native rare medicinal plants. These are priceless local resources to offer to the vibrant global markets. The NRA can help identify the products that may command attractive price or draw western attention. Though the Indian domestic market is large and attractive for the North East products, but the global market is highly prestigious and rich, even if it may not be financially practical in the initial stages. Moreover as steps have been made to sell a few North East products through e-commerce portals, the NRA can help in this initial learning process by issuing a few small token orders, e.g., for gamosas, so that it will help us learn the process of exporting, the associated economics, demand, packaging, certificate issues, licensing, quality control, and quality management. It will help improve the infrastructure development to produce world-class products and to overcome the numerous obstacles in entering the global markets. We hope that within a short period, Assam can expect to generate world-class entrepreneurs and the global markets may be replete with high quality North East products.
- by Dibyajit Dutta. Shri Dutta is District Informatics Officer at North Lakhimpur office of National Informatics Center, Assam.
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