Address at the 2nd Convocation of the Mizoram University, Aizawl, Mizoram

Knowledge Missions for Development

I am indeed delighted to participate in the 2nd Convocation of the Mizoram University, Aizawl. I greet the Chancellor, Vice Chancellor, professors, staff, students and other distinguished guests. I am happy to note that this University has started contributing to the development of higher education in Mizoram during the last five years.

Last year, when I visited Mizoram, I was moved to see a unique music and dance performance organized at the Airport late night.

Normally, no aircraft takes off from Aizawl, the capital of Mizoram after 1600 hours in the evening. Since I had work in Aizawl up to 2100 hrs and had to return to Delhi that very night, our Airforce organised my departure from Aizawl at that late hour, with certain temporary night take off facilities. When I reached the Airport, I saw an impressive scene in the midst of darkness. Near the aircraft and at a safe distance, a choir group was in attendance with musical instruments. As soon as they saw me, they gave a beautiful lovely farewell song composed by a Mizo Poet Rokunga. The poem is titled �The World of Parting�. It means:

"Now we part with heavy and painful heart

The world we live in has been destined for parting

By the heavenly father above

But we are destined for a better world than this

A city eternal where we will never know painful partings"

I was touched by the emotion, content and the tune of the song. Now, I would like to discuss on the topic ?Knowledge Missions for Development?. First let me discuss the core competence of Mizoram.

Core Competence of Mizoram

Mizoram is bounded by our own state of Assam, Manipur, Tripura and also with an international border of 722 km with Bangladesh and Myanmar. It is a mountainous state and has four major rivers, large biodiversity and friendly people. Mizoram, having a moderate climate throughout the year, is also a home to many rare species of birds, flora and fauna. With this climate and locale Mizoram is rich in forest, agricultural produce, bamboo, handloom, handicrafts, sericulture, and horticultural products. The literacy in Mizoram is over 88% which is next only to Kerala. The important mission of the State will be to uplift the 16% people who are living below the poverty line, making the State 100% literate, increase the per capita expenditure, reduce the infant mortality rate, provide safe drinking water and pucca house to each family. I would like to discuss the capacities that are to be built among the students for contributing towards the development of the State. With this core competence, the State can embark on the following missions.

Bio-fuel mission

Mizoram has 2,60,000 hectares of barren uncultivated area and cultivable waste land. Certain multi-purpose bio-fuel plants can grow well in this land with very minimum input. Once cultivated, the crop has fifty years of life. Fruiting can take place in these plants in two years.

Bio-fuel plants can be grown in at least fifty percent of the waste land, that is, one lakh thirty thousand hectares. This plantation can result in producing one lakh thirty thousand tons of bio-fuel in a year. The Central Government has approved mixing of 10% bio-fuel with diesel for cars, whereas there are experiences in case of trucks and tractors, mini vans higher percentages of bio-fuel in India. The approximate revenue will be Rs.325 Crores a year and will provide employment for 1,30,000 people. It will reduce the foreign exchange outflow paid for importing crude oil, the cost of which is continuously rising in the international market. This Bio-fuel is carbon neutral. The oil can also be used for soap and candle industries. De-oiled cake is a raw material for composting and the plantation is also good for honey production. This will be the additional benefit from the plantation of Jatropha a popular bio-fuel plant being planted in states like Madhya Pradesh, Chattisgarh, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, and Uttaranchal besides Ministry of Railways. Mizoram should mount a mission mode programme, absorb the best of the technologies available in the country and start commercial production immediately. One time investment needed for bio-fuel plantation can come from the Ministry of Rural Development. The capital equipment and investment in plant and machinery can come from bank loans and private sector entrepreneurs also. I have seen the progress in bio-fuel plant cultivation, preparation of seedlings, tissue culture and development of non-toxic hybrid varieties in Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore. Bio-fuel plant Jatropha has also been planted in the waste land of Rashtrapati Bhavan and as a demonstration farm to the farmers.

Bamboo Mission

This mission envisages an integrated programme of expansion of plantations of Bamboo species, the scientific management, and promotion of community level value addition and entrepreneurship. This will enable presenting the raw material for the industries and the industry to access and apply modern technology for producing globally competitive new generation bamboo products. This includes setting up of clusters of small value addition processing units, near the resource for employment generation and benefit to the local small entrepreneur. Processed raw material suitable for ultimate use in industry/handicraft sector will be required, for economizing handling cost of raw material to the location of industry proposed to be set up in different parts of the country. Even though I realize that you have a problem of Bamboo flowering and certain budgeting provision has been made to handle the problem. I have a different view, we have to find a scientific solution. When the bamboo clusters are reaching the flowering stage (say) after four decades, it should be properly carbon dated, then one decade before the final target, fresh cultivation starts, and the aged one should be completed uprooted.

The programme envisages the cultivation of bamboo over Ten thousand hectares of waste land in addition to the existing bamboo cultivation. The economic and social benefit from these activities, will lead to the creation of forty thousand jobs and the market opportunities worth over Rs. 32 crores with an investment of Rs. 13 crore. This will be useful for further development of the Mizoram. We should use the management personnel, industrial experts and business houses to provide international market connectivity for our bamboo products leading to sustainable growth, wealth generation and positive contribution to the growth of Mizoram?s GDP. The institutions like National Institute of Design, Ahmedabad, Indian Institutes of Management, Industrial houses and Mizoram Government can work together to generate number of Bamboo enterprises in different HILL PURA clusters.

Horticulture

Mizoram is a potential state for cultivation of Cash crops like Tapioca, ginger, fruits like orange, lemon, kagziline, pineapple and papaya. These crops can be taken up in a mission mode and setting up the fruit and vegetable processing plants for value addition. This will facilitate distant marketing of horticulture produce of Mizoram. Mizoram climate is most suitable for cultivation of cut flowers such as anthurium which fetches Rs.6 to 25 per piece in Delhi market and has an export potential. I would suggest the horticulturists to concentrate on promotion of this flower cultivation in this state and marketing within the country and exporting abroad. For this road and air connectivity is essential. The target for anthurium marketing could be initially start with atleast Rs.10 Crores worth of anthurium every year. This will be a wealth generator cum employment opportunity provider mission for the farmers of the state. The Mizoram Government can take the assistance of the National Horticultural Mission for technical, managerial and financial support.

Tourism including General, Spiritual, Health, Science

There are a number of places of interest in Mizoram which will be an attraction for the tourists. The visitor is attracted to historic memorials and fabled caves, scattered all over the state. Traveling in Mizoram in the mountainous regions is painstaking and little hazardous at times. The highest peak in Mizoram, Blue Mountain which is situated overlooking Koldyne River is an important tourist spot. The peak is encircled by bamboo groves at the top where there is level ground of 200 hectares. Other tourist spots are Pukzing cave, Milupuk, Sibuta lung, Chhing Puy memorial and Lord Bhudda?s image at a site near Mual Cheng village.

Infrastructure Development: When the tourists visit any state, they like to realize maximum value for their stay which can come only through reliable and fast travel facilities to all tourist destinations. Creation of these facilities will involve infrastructural development such as helipads, railway line, multi lane roads and good transportation systems to interior parts of Mizoram.

Another important infrastructural need is quality clean accommodation, which can be realized through public-private sector participation. Adequate number of hotel rooms with various amenities including good environment and communication facilities has to be planned.

Human Resource Development: We need people friendly professional tour operators having proficiency in this field. They should have the ability to use modern tools and be able to provide in-depth factual data about various places of interests to the tourists. They should also guide them to avail diversified tourist products such as general, spiritual, and eco-tourism.

The website of Mizoram Government gives some basic information about hotels and possible routes etc, but it still does not exploit the visual power of the web to project the natural beauty and cultural complexities of Mizoram. The website should aim at taking the tourists on Virtual Tour and provide customized tour, based on the interest of the tourists.

Wealth Generation: Mizoram with its unique tourist places of interest can definitely increase the tourist arrival to five lakhs, both national and international, from the existing less than a lakh. Every tourist national or international generates at least 4 jobs as per the international experience. This increase in tourist arrival will provide additional employment to large number of Mizoram youth in various sectors of the tourism industry. It will also generate business of over Rs.50 crore. While promoting tourism we should ensure that ecology is not disturbed and the natural environment is fully protected.

The Department of Tourism, Government of India is keen to develop tourist destinations and circuits in Mizoram and also they are actively involved in advertising Mizoram tourist packages in different media.

Develop the spirit:

Dear friends, I talked to you so far about Mizoram?s unique core competence in various sectors and the missions which can be undertaken for transforming Mizoram into a developed State before 2015. Mizoram University can become partners in these missions by knowledge planning, knowledge creation and knowledge dissemination among the students who will be executing these missions after completing their education. The University system must build the capacities of research and enquiry, creativity and innovation, use of high technology, entrepreneurship and moral leadership among the students. I have found that when the students graduate approximately 10% of the students take up research or some specialization. The remaining 90% graduates are looking for jobs and they have to come out with the spirit ?I can do it?. The education system should inspire the young to achieve this capacity. Graduates with such a prepared mind can definitely be able to take up the leadership of small enterprises with the assistance of venture capital provided by banks. This will enable the nation to have number of employment generators rather than employment seekers. It is important for Mizoram to structure the university education system which will empower the young people of Mizoram to take up an entrepreneurial career.

Conclusion:

The Mizoram University needs a vision to become a partner in the Mizoram?s goal of transforming itself into a developed State by 2015, which will enable collective, coordinated, purposeful and positive action by all students and faculty members of the University. We should learn to look into the future, set objectives for the long run and work as a team to realize the results. The University should facilitate provision of knowledge to the people of Mizoram particularly living in the rural areas so that they can work for creating value added products from their agricultural produce for marketing in national and international markets. I would urge all of you to work for such an objective with a vision. In this noble but mammoth task, you the educated younger generation has a crucial role to play and I have no doubt your concerted action will make Mizoram prosper in all sectors of the economy and become a model State for the nation.

I congratulate the graduates who are passing out from Mizoram University today and my best wishes to the members of Mizoram University for success in their mission of providing value based quality education to the youth of Mizoram.

May God bless you.