MYSTIC EAST ...nuggets galore Vol 1 | Issue 3 | March - April 2015

SPECIAL FEATURE CHHAU NEEDS A ‘NABAKALEBARA’

A BI-MONTHLY MAGAZINE BY HRAEI

Inside

Special feature 37 March-April 2015

NABAKALEBARA 2015: A BLESSING IN DISGUISE FOR HOSPITALITY INDUSTRY

TDSAT directs TRAI to News-National review tariff guidelines 8 20 for broadcasting 15 News-International companies 18 Indian cuisine is a FHRAI EC meeting big hit all over the in Kolkata 26 world. Read why?

MYSTIC EAST | 3 Inside

CLMV IS THE LAUNCHPAD; ASEAN 28 42 IS THE GOAL 52 SPECIAL FEATURE ON WHY ODISHA IS GOD’S GRACE

CHHAU NEEDS A STATE SURVEY: TRIPURA 38 NABAKALEBARA HERITAGE IS UNRIVALLED

EDITORIAL BOARD This issue of Mystic East contains 60 pages including SUDESH PODDAR, cover and back cover PRESIDENT, HRAEI NAVIN SUCHANTI, All information in HRAEI’s Mystic East magazine is derived from sources we consider reliable TREASURER, HRAEI and a sincere effort is made to report accurate information. The publisher regrets that he RAVINDRA KUMAR KASHUKA, cannot accept liability for error and omissions contained in this publication that might have MANAGING COMMITTEE MEMBER, HRAEI crept in inadvertently. Similarly, opinions/views expressed by third parties in abstract and/ EDITOR or in interviews are not necessarily shared by HRAEI magazine. However, we wish to advise DHEER KUMAR KOTHARI our readers that one or more recognised authorities may hold different views than those reported. Material used in this publication is intended for information purpose only. Readers CHIEF DESIGNER are advised to seek specific advice before acting on information contained in this publication BIPUL BHATTACHARJEE which is provided for general use, and may not be appropriate for the readers’ particular circumstances. Contents of this publication are subject to copyright laws.

Hotel and Restaurant Association of Eastern No part of HRAEI’s Mystic East magazine or any part of the contents thereof may be India, 18A/1, Everest , 18th Floor, 46C, reproduced, stored in retrieval system or transmitted in any form without the permission of Chowringhee Road, Kolkata- 700 071; the publication in writing. The same rule applies when there is a copyright or the article is Telephone- +91 33 2288-1742/43, 40035993. taken from another publication. An exemption is hereby granted for the extract used for the E-mail: [email protected] purpose of fair review, provided two copies of the same publication are sent to us for our Website: www.hraei.co.in records. Publications reproducing material either in part or in whole, without permission could face legal action. The publisher assumes no responsibility for returning any material, solicited ‘Mystic East’ magazine is printed or unsolicited, nor is he responsible for material lost or damaged. and published by Atikram Gupta on behalf of Hotel and Restaurant Association of Eastern This publication is not meant to be an endorsement of any specific product or services offered. India. Printed at CDC Printers Private Limited, No.45, The publisher reserves the right to refuse, withdraw, amend or otherwise deal with all advertisements without explanation. All advertisements must comply with Indian and Radha Nath Chowdhury Road, Tangra Industrial International Advertisements Code. The publisher will not be liable for any damage or loss Estate-II, Kolkata, West Bengal 700 015 caused by delayed publication, error or failure of an advertisement to appear.

4 | MYSTIC EAST March - April 2015

PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE

Dear fellow members, paign to a farce and the whole country will pay a heavy price for an opportunity The Right to Fair Compensation and lost. Transparency in Land Acquisition, Re- The bill enables the state governments habilitation and Resettlement (Amend- to take “situation-specific steps” for de- ment) Bill, 2015 has been in the eye of a velopment of their states while, at the storm of late as Opposition parties have same time, safeguarding the interests of taken upon themselves the responsibil- farmers. “It takes care of the imperatives ity of protecting the farmers’ interest. of growth and employment on the one The impression gaining ground is that hand, and interests of the farmers on the the NDA-led government at the Centre is other. The bill is the need of the hour. If batting for the rich and is trying to push we do not seize our opportunities, the through the bill in Parliament to pre- world will not wait for us,” Singh told empt any resistance in the Rajya Sabha. IANS in a recent interview. Sudesh Poddar It is unfortunate that a Bill which will It would have been more meaning- pave the way for faster economic growth ful had Parliamentarians made an ef- and industrialization, with its attendant fort to make the provisions more farm- benefits, faces the risk of being moth- er-friendly. A more balanced approach is It would have balled once again in the absence of con- the need of the hour and agriculture and been more sensus in Parliament. Political expedien- industry should thrive and complement cy is on the ascendant as development each other for healthy and all round de- meaningful had takes the backseat. velopment of our economy. There is in- Parliamentarians It is a fact that the new bill is an im- deed scope for further rationalizing the provement on the previous Land Acqui- bill to make rehabilitation and resettle- made an effort sition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement ment of displaced farmers effective and to make the Act, 2013. It has been cleared in the Lok livelihood-oriented. Sabha with minor changes. The rural de- A farmer-friendly Land Bill deserves provisions more velopment minister Birender Singh in our whole-hearted support and political farmer-friendly PM Modi’s Cabinet has correctly called parties should work together to push this Congress’ bluff. According to the minis- through Parliament without delay. ter, the Congress-led United Progressive Our current issue presents two major Alliance (UPA) government got the land cultural events, Chhau Festival of Serai- bill passed in 2013 “in a hurry” with over kella and Nabakalebara 2015. I sincere- 50 “drafting errors” as it wanted to reap ly hope you will find it interesting and benefits of the legislation in last year’s thought-provoking. Lok Sabha elections. Enumerating benefits of the new bill, dubbed “anti-farmer” by Congress and some Opposition parties, Birender Singh said its enabling provisions will give boost to infrastructure, manufacturing and employment. If stalled, it will reduce Sudesh Poddar the much-touted ‘Make in India’ cam- President, HRAEI

MYSTIC EAST | 5 MESSAGE

SECRETARY’S MESSAGE

Dear fellow members, has been earmarked in the current year. A Special Accelerated Road Develop- The development of infrastructure in ment Program for North East (SARDP- north-eastern states has been taken up NE) includes upgradation of 10141 km on mission mode by the NDA govern- road stretches of national highways and ment at the Centre. Rail connectivity is state roads. It aims to upgrade national an important component of the ‘Act East’ highways, connecting state capitals to 4 policy. On August 11, 2014, Meghalaya lane or 2 lane and to provide connectiv- got its rail connectivity with the comple- ity to all 88 district headquarter towns tion of the Dubhnoi-Mendipathar lines. of NER by at least 2-lane road. So far, Three more lines into the Northeast approval for 2/4 laning of 6418 km of are expected to be completed this year. various categories of roads under Phase Southern Assam will soon be part of the ‘A’ and Arunachal Package of SARDP- Pranav Singh broad gauge network with commence- NE in entire Northeast at an estimated ment of the longest ever gauge conver- investment of Rs. 33,500 crore has been sion project between Lumding and Sil- given.The target date of completion of char measuring 210 km. Phase ‘A’ of SARDP-NE is March, 2017 The master plan for development of and Arunachal Package is March, 2018. With active support railway infrastructure in the north-east- An MoU was signed between North ern states includes connectivity to all Eastern Council (NEC) and Alliance Air, and participation of state capitals, uni-gauge, broad-gauge the wholly-owned subsidiary of Air In- north-eastern states network in the region, augmentation of dia, on 24th September, 2014 for flight network capacity for handling growth operations in the Northeast under via- in the development of traffic in future, expansion of net- bility gap funding (VGF) scheme of NEC process, one can work to unconnected areas of the region, to connect Shillong, Lilabari, Tezpur and strengthening international borders Silchar with Kolkata/Guwahati. The New expect the local and improving trade and connectivi- Delhi-Dimapur flight was announced at communities to join ty with neighboring countries. Twenty the recently concluded NEC plenary in major infrastructure projects for new Delhi. the mainstream line, doubling and gauge conversion are All this suggests that things have start- economic activity sanctioned and ongoing in north-east- ed rolling so far as infrastructure proj- ern states. These include 10 national ects are concerned. With quality power for overall projects. Together, these major projects and telecom networks in place, industry prosperity of the cover a length of 2919 km at a cost of Rs. would be more than willing to make their 38310 crore. presence felt in the development-hungry north-east region Two new schemes have been initiated states of the region. With active support by the Ministry of DoNER in 2014-15 and participation of north-eastern states which are proof of the Central govern- in the development process, one can ex- ment’s intent to fast track development pect the local communities to join the projects in the infrastructure deficit mainstream economic activity for overall north-eastern region. A sum of Rs. 100 prosperity of the north-east region. crore has been allocated for organic farming in NE which has immense po- tential. Another scheme is the North East Road Corporation for constructing, expanding /improving the road infrastructure in Pranav Singh Northeast. For this scheme, Rs 200 crore Secretary, HRAEI

6 | MYSTIC EAST

NATIONAL NEWS

Assam Ginger to Spice up European kitchens

dum of settlement with an export firm, Nahor Organic Products, for shipping dry ginger to Spain and London. Karbi Anglong ginger has recent- ly been accorded geographical indi- cation (GI) along with Tezpur litchi by the GI Registry of India, thereby boosting the commercial prospects of the two farm products of the state. Eight years ago, the then dep- uty commissioner of Karbi Anglong M. Angamuthu had taken the ini- tiative of exporting organic ginger from the hill district to Germany, where the spice is in demand. A ginger-processing unit was in- stalled at Manja, 25km from district headquarters Diphu, soon after the federation was formed. Once pro- duction started, a memorandum of settlement was signed with Hy- derabad based Sestha Internation- al to ship the processed ginger to Germany. “But the attempt proved futile as the firm did a u-turn and refused to abide by the memoran- dum. However, we continued our mission for the sake of the farm- ers. Finally, our dream has come true,” said former Ginfed executive Sadyut Sandhan. Angamuthu, who is currently the deputy commissioner of Kamrup SARAT SARMA The district, known for its pre- metro, told The Telegraph that the mium quality organic ginger, re- development might go a long way in ssam’s ginger will now spice cently exported 12 metric tonnes establishing Karbi Anglong on the up European kitchens! of dry ginger to Europe and aims international map for its rich natu- A Eight years after a federa- to ship another 41 metric tonnes ral resources. “In 2009, we faced a tion was floated to boost ginger pro- of processed ginger during the sea- tough task as bringing the deprived duction in Karbi Anglong, the spice son. Karbi Anglong Agri Products ginger farmers under one platform has finally made its way to the Euro- Ltd, a firm based at Joporajan, and was not easy. Our dream was to bail pean market, much to the delight of supported by the Ginger Growers’ them out from the shackles of mid- over 6,000 farmers from the central Co-operative Federation (Ginfed) dlemen in a resource-rich but trou- Assam district. had recently signed a memoran- ble-torn district. I am happy our

8 | MYSTIC EAST March - April 2015

efforts have paid dividend today,” tration in the period between April Angamuthu said. 2014 and March 2015, – November Nahor Organic Products senior 25, 2014 for Karbi Anglong ginger executive Sunil Uttam said Spain and November 27, 2014 for Tezpur and the UK are the two European litchi. destinations to which the firm has Besides the above two, seven oth- agreed to ship “derivations of or- er agricultural items from the NE ganic ginger” from Karbi Anglong. region, namely Naga Tree Tomato, “We purchase dry ginger and export Arunachal Orange, Sikkim Large Hyatt plans to open them in the form of gas or powder. Cardamom, Mizo Chilli, Tripura We hope the agreement will contin- Queen Pineapple, Khasi Mandarin 10-12 Hyatt Place ue, as the demand for ginger is big of Meghalaya and Kachai Lemon in the European market. We have of Manipur were also accorded GI properties across collected the first consignment of Registration rights by the GI Regis- India in five years 12 metric tonnes of dry ginger. The try during 2014-15.. next lot of 41 metric tonnes will be Karbi Anglong produces the best yatt Hotels Corporation plans collected shortly,” Uttam said. organic ginger in the world. Grow- to open over eight to10 prop- According to an official in the Kar- ers of Karbi Anglong produce main- H erties under the Hyatt Place bi Anglong agriculture department, ly two varieties of ginger-Nadia with brand across India by 2020. It has the export firm will buy dry ginger high fibre and Aizol with less or no opened its third property at Hinjewa- at Rs 240 per kg. In 2009, the rate fibre. Aizol is more in demand and di, Pune followed by Humpi and Gur- fixed with the Hyderabad-based has negotiating value in domestic as gaon. Hyatt is now eying cities like firm was Rs 32 per kg of raw gin- well as international markets. Bangalore, Hyderabad, Mumbai and ger. Of the district’s 10,334 square Tezpur Litchi is also grown com- Goa for Hyatt Place. km area, the area under crop cul- pletely under organic condition. It is After the launch of the first Hyatt tivation covers as many as 2,47,713 an attractive item of the fruit mar- Place property in Hampi, Karnataka hectares. According to the agricul- kets of Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan in 2012, the company opened the sec- ture department, ginger cultiva- and Uttar Pradesh, among others. ond Hyatt Place in Gurgaon/ Udyog tion is done across a 2,600-hectare The popular varieties of litchi grown Vihar in early November last year, the highland in the district. in Tezpur include the Bombaya, Bi- first in Delhi & NCR. Typically, Hyatt “The annual ginger production of layati, Desi, Elachi, Piyaji and Chi- invests around Rs 80 to 100 crore de- the district is about 20,000 tonnes. nese. The five-bigha litchi orchard pending upon the locations and num- Its rate during the peak season is Rs of the Lichu Pukhuri was set up by ber of rooms for brand like Place. Hy- 18 per kg but goes up to Rs 35 per noted litterateur Late Padmanath att Place in Pune has 117 keys. kg during the off-season. As many Gohain Baruah between 1922 and Hyatt has four categories under the as 6,000 households in the district 1924, while he was the chairman of brand name: Hyatt, Grand Hyatt, Hy- are involved in ginger cultivation,” the Tezpur Municipal Board. It has att Regency, and Hyatt Place. said sub-divisional officer of the ag- 26 litchi trees. “Hyatt Place is a more value for riculture department, S.K. Tiwari. At Porowa, about 400 bighas of money brand in comparison to Grand (Source: The Telegraph) land are covered by litchi farm- Hyatt and Hyatt Regency, a difference Assam Tribune adds: According ing. The Porowa litchi orchard was that the Indian clientele is beginning to the GI Registry, the serial num- started by Late Surjya Prasad Shing to understand. Hyatt Place provides ber for GI registration of Karbi An- in 1954. Litchis from Porowa are simplicity and availability across all glong ginger is 226 and its applica- exported to Mumbai, Delhi, Kolk- its properties, categorically built to tion number is 435, while the serial ata, Rajasthan and also to United give a lively, young and energetic number of Tezpur litchi is 230 and States of America. About 50 farm- ambiance. The brand brings to the its application number is 438. Both ers are involved in the Porowa li- upscale service hotel category and as the items were accorded GI regis- tchi orchards. Hinjewadi, Pune continues to grow and thrive economically, we are ready

MYSTIC EAST | 9 NATIONAL NEWS

to add momentum in the area,” said Swarendra Sahay, general manager, Hyatt Place, Pune. He added that several of its projects are at a nascent stage, but we will have 10 to 12 properties operational within the next five years. Hyatt Place in Pune French major Accor to start will be coming up in the first quarter of 2015, apart from Goa, Hyderabad and 12 hotels by end 2015 Bengaluru which will be operational soon. rench hospitality chain Accor across segments have done fairly According to recent research by expects to add 12 properties in well. Pan-India, our hotels should be HVS India, of the 93,000 hotel rooms F India by this year end, taking doing with a 65% occupancy-level,” being added to the existing 114,000 its total room count to about 7,000 Dhodapkar said. hotels by March 2017 across major from nearly 5,000 rooms at present, a He said the company is investing Indian cities, almost 50 per cent will senior company official said. around 225-250 million euro ($280 be in the mid-market and budget The hotel major is also investing million) on its new digital technology range as demand for mid-market ho- $280 million over its new digital strategies. “In the last 5-6 months we tels is increasing. Furthermore, the strategy, which would include initia- have come upon new digital strategy market is experiencing a shortfall of tives to improve its customers’ da- and we are able to digitally transform around 150,000 rooms. tabase globally. Nikhil Dhodapkar, ourselves as we move forward.” These players see huge potential regional director sales & marketing The Paris-based company is work- for the mid-market segment in India. – Accor India, said, “We have plans to ing towards higher digital presence In Pune, international hotel brands open around 12 hotels across brands by improving customer access via like Hyatt, Marriott, Novotel and this year.” The group currently has mobile devices and revamping its on- Sherwood already have their pres- 32 hotels in India across brands such line booking website. The website has ence in mid size segment. French as Novotel, Sofitel, Grand Mercure, already been revamped. international hotel chain operator Mercure, Formule-1 and Ibis. It will “We have gone away with all our Accor launched its economy brand open its high-end international Pull- mobile apps and have merged them Novotel in Pune in 2013. Marriott has man hotel in India at Delhi Aerocity into one single app, Accorhotels.com. three Courtyard properties in Pune. around July-August this year. We have our digital strategy launched (Source: Business Standard) The group currently has 32 hotels named as the “Welcome” project, in India across brands such as No- which basically helps us to analyse votel, Sofitel, Grand Mercure, Mercu- even before our guests check in and HRAEI launches re, Formule-1 and Ibis. It will open its take care of what their needs are. Be- new-look, lively high-end international Pullman hotel fore check in, a guest can tell us his/ in India at Delhi Aerocity around Ju- her preference and by the time he/she website ly-August this year. arrives, we are able to provide with Hotels & Restaurant Association The group will also see a strong whatever is needed. And post check- of Eastern India (HRAEI) has just supply of inventories across brands out, this engagement must continue launched a new-look website with this year, with one or two proper- as well till the time he/she is coming several interesting features and ties under Novotel brand (with one back to us,” he said. vibrant images in a much more hotel coming up at Delhi Aerocity), The database which will store in- reader-friendly format. Keeping one hotel under the Mercure brand formation about the preferences of in mind ease of navigability of the in Hyderabad, two Grand Mercure guests across brands will be available user, the upgraded version of the properties in Mysore and Vadodara/ in all Accor hotels globally. Dhodap- website has been made clutter-free Bangalore and three Ibis hotels in kar said that the Welcome project has and enriched with more topical Goa, Kochi and Chennai. been initiated in some of Accor hotels and relevant content with clear “Moving forward, in 2015, we are globally and the hotel chain wants focus on tourism and the priceless cautiously optimistic that there would to run a pilot in India now. The cor- charms of Incredible India. be a good demand. First two months pus would be spend over five years. have been good and all our hotels (Source: DNA)

10 | MYSTIC EAST

NATIONAL NEWS

New tourism policy to have a clear-cut action plan, timelines: Dr. Mahesh Sharma

The Minister 2002 had not been utilised fully. The of State for new policy will use the framework Ola now allows Tourism (In- of existing policy to make it dynam- dependent ic to meet the challenges that have you to orde food Charge), Cul- emerged in today’s world including axi aggregator Ola, which is ture (Indepen- technological and global competitive- currently in midst of raising a dent Charge) ness. He appreciated the idea of a ‘sin- T massive Rs 2,500 crore fund- and Civil Avi- gle window portal system’ for making ing , has gone live with a food order- ation, Dr Ma- information available to tourists. ing service called Ola Cafe. hesh Sharma, declared recently that Various issues ranging from infra- The service will be available as one the new Tourism Policy, 2015 will structure, e-ticketing and safety and of the options in the existing Ola app in be launched on May 15 this year. security were discussed during the select localities across four cities - Ban- He was addressing a workshop on workshop. galore, Hyderabad, Delhi and Mumbai the formulation of the new tourism Secretary, Tourism, Dr. Lalit Pan- during specific timings (lunch, dinner policy. war, said that e-ticketing was started and evening snacks). Representatives from various or- on a pilot basis for Taj Mahal and Hu- Through this service, one can select ganizations like Indian Association mayun’s Tomb and the government is their preferred meal & quantity, place of Tour Operators (IATO), FICCI, in the process of e-ticketing for top 25 the order and track it on the mobile NASSCOM, FAITH, Travel Agency monuments of India. app. Ola says users can pay for the order Corporation of India, Indian Tour- Keeping in view the technologi- by either Ola Money or Cash. One can ist Transporters Authority (ITTA), cal changes, the speakers suggested also cancel their orders before its deliv- Indian Heritage Hotels Association that different mobile applications ery either through the app or through (IHHA), All India Resort Developers for various sectors of tourism can be the phone. Association (AIRDA) and Association launched in order to disseminate in- This launch comes amidst Ola’s plans of Domestic Tour Operators of India formation to interested tourists. The to foray into product deliveries. Howev- (ADTOI) were present among others setting up of a ‘Digital Museum’ was er, it’s worth noting that this service is at the meeting. also proposed in order to promote not really new. Ola’s biggest competitor Dr. Mahesh Sharma informed the the rich and unique local cultures and Uber had launched a similar food de- gathering that a new work culture will their heritage. Demand for establish- livery service called UberFRESH in the be implemented in which a task will ing a ‘Hospitality University’ was also United States last August. The service be identified and a person assigned raised during the meeting. initially offered lunch deliveries and lat- for the task. The timeline will also be Various other issues like soft ad- er extended it to dinner deliveries few fixed and the implementation will be venture tourism, wildlife tourism, months back. closely monitored, he said. Acknowl- desert tourism and nature tourism AntFarm-backed Scootsy is aiming to edging the need for synergy between were also discussed. do something similar in India, wherein various ministries of the government, The stakeholders maintained that it claims to deliver essential goods with- the Minister appreciated the idea of the ‘S’s used in previous policy i.e., in an hour. The company had acquired a National Tourism Board which is Swagat (welcome), Soochna (In- a food delivery service Meals on Wheels proposed as a part of the new policy formation), Suvidha (Facilitation), in November last year and had stated to accelerate tourism development in Suraksha (Security), Sahyog (Coop- plans to adding more more categories the country. eration), Samrachana (Infrastructure like cakes & confectionaries, groceries, The Tourism Minister explained Development) and Safai (Cleanliness) gifts & flowers and essential electron- that the potential of existing policy of are relevant even today. (PIB) ics among others. (Source: Economic Times)

12 | MYSTIC EAST March - April 2015

memories of joyful times together. He was boarding house. This building was converted an extraordinary man who lived a life of love, into a bar-cum -restaurant and named dedication and compassion. He will always ‘Amber’ in 1959. It had a seating capacity OBITUARY be in our thoughts and our prayers,” Sanjay of about 98 persons. By 1964, three more reminisced about the life and times of Sudesh floors were added to the building and were Sudesh Kumar Khullar, Khullar. converted into restaurants. s/o Late Gian Chand Khullar Date of birth - 10.8.1935; The Khullar siblings, Rajpal and Sudesh Amber and Sagar are household, iconic names Date of demise - 29.4.2015 Kumar, started small in 1950 with a modest in the city and most connoisseurs of good FHRAI president - 2003; coffee house at the Shyambazar 5-point food have frequented these joints whenever HRAEI president-2006-2011; crossing in Kolkata but their dreams knew they happened to pass by. Among yesteryear Member of Honour, no bounds even in those early days. The 16- celebrities who have visited Amber are Indira HRAEI room boarding house, which they established Gandhi, Rajiv Gandhi, Jyoti Basu, Sheikh in 1954, created quite a stir when the ultimate Mujibur Rehman, Giani Zail Singh, Maqbul Fida showman of Bollywood, Raj Kapoor, booked Hussain and Amitabh Bachchan among many Sudesh K.Khullar, the Managing Director of all the rooms for his unit while he was in other top notch cricket players of the world. Amber Restaurant, and President of FHRAI the city for the shooting of his classic ‘Jagte Mr Vinaay Malhotra, Sr VP, Hotel & (Federation of Hotel & Restaurant Association Raho’. of India) in 2003 also served as the President Restaurant Association of Eastern India, of HRAEI (Hotel & Restaurant Association In 1956, the Khullars launched their first remembers his personal family relations of Eastern India) for five years from 2006 to restaurant called Sagar Restaurant with forty with the Khullar family since 1962. He recalls 2011. Sanjay Khullar, the able son of Sudesh five seats. It served authentic north Indian Sudesh (Deshi) Bhai’s special contribution Kumar Khullar, is now shepherding the total food (Curries and Kebabs). Sagar was a from Amber towards the National Defence operation of the Amber Group. runaway success from day one. Egged on by Fund during the Chinese Aggression. The the success of ‘Sagar’ and the growing craze total collection was sent to Late Jawaharlal “Dad has had a profound influence on all of for Indian food, the Khullars acquired an old Nehru, the then Prime Minister of India in us and has filled our lives with wonderful bar in 1959 which was just opposite their November 1962.

at a cost of Rs 2,777 crore have been included in the Budget 2015-16,” he said. An all-time high outlay of Rs 5,215 crore has been allocated in 2014-15 and a provision of Rs 5,338 crore has been made in the Budget for next fis- cal. “However, completion of these projects depends on many factors such as land acquisition, forest clear- ance, law and order situation, etc which is beyond the control of Rail- ways,” he added. To a separate question, Sinha said Railways aim to connect all north Railways have taken up 29 major projects at an anticipated cost of Rs east state capitals 16,361 crore in Jharkhand since the creation of the state in November, NEW DELHI: Railways is aiming at in Rajya Sabha during Question Hour. 2000. connecting all state capitals of North He, however, he did not give any time- An expenditure of Rs 1,013 crore East by a train network, government line for achieving the proposed target. has been incurred on these projects told Rajya Sabha. Sinha said projects worth Rs till March, 2014, an outlay of Rs 337 “Our intention is to connect all state 47,909 crore have been taken up in crore have been provided in 2014-15 capitals of the North-East region with Assam and .. and a provision of Rs 1,113 crore has the Indian Railways,” Minister of “In addition, two doubling proj- been made in the Railways Budget for State for Railways Manoj Sinha said ects having a total length of 278 km 2015-16. (PTI)

MYSTIC EAST | 13 INTERNATIONAL NEWS

LORD OVER THE PEERS’ DINING ROOM WHILE IN LONDON

The Peers’ Dining Room in the House of Lords will open to the public in the run-up to the May 7 general election. Source: ResDiary via Bloomberg

he Peers’ Dining Room in the emanating from the mouths of aris- wine list, this possibly isn’t the best House of Lords will open to tocrats if they spot you picking up restaurant in which to become drunk T the public in the run-up to the the wrong fork or passing the port in as a lord. May 7 general election, as reported the wrong direction. Photography is Advance booking is essential and by the Steeple Times, allowing plebs not permitted, so no #selfies, please. there will be airport-style security like you and me to lunch like a lord. Typical dishes are likely to include searches, according to Parliament’s The three-course menu priced at pressed game terrine with baby leek website. Lunch will be served be- 35 pounds ($51.90) will be served on and dandelion salad; slow-cooked ox tween midday and 2:30 p.m. from weekdays from April 14. The dress cheek with Irish champ mash, her- April 14 to May 8, except for week- code is smart-casual, so feel free to itage carrots, salsa verde, and jus; ends and public holidays. Dinner leave your ermine robes at home. Ti- elderflower summer pudding with bookings won’t be available. Call aras are not required. clotted cream and lavender short- +44-20-7219-3395 or visit www. Don’t expect modern cuisine. The bread. resdiary.com to make a reservation. only foam likely to be seen will be While there’s no word yet on the (Bloomberg)

14 | MYSTIC EAST SERVING AUTHENTIC CHINESE FOOD Since

1965-2015

A unit of Satya Hotels (P) Ltd Hotel | Banquets | Restaurant 3, Waterloo Street, Kolkata 700 069 P +91 33 2248 9577/0442 INTERNATIONAL NEWS

AAHOA Raises the Bar for 2015 Convention and Trade Show It’s been dubbed the premier hospitality event of the year for a reason

Bollywood’s top film producers. Also and Issues From a Legal Standpoint on Saturday, famous graffiti artist • Tomorrow’s Customer: Marketing and best-selling business author Erik to the Millennial Generation Wahl will provide an exciting presen- • Finance Options for Hoteliers tation. • Customer Acquisition Costs are Other speakers include Anthony Rising: Introduction to Net Reve- Melchiorri and Karambir Singh Kang nue Metrics on Friday night. Melchiorri, a lead- • Hotel Site Selection and Develop- ing hospitality expert and host of the ment 2014-2015 AAHOA Officers Travel Channel’s “Hotel Impossible,” • Avoid a Big Lawsuit – Learn Your has invested more than two decades Employment Laws Today! t’s one of the nation’s largest in the hospitality business and is fa- • Guests & Staff of the Future Have trade shows with more than 400 mous for repositioning and redevel- Challenging Technology Needs – I vendors, world-renown speakers, oping hotels. Kang, a famous hotel How Do We Deliver first-class Indian cuisine, dazzling en- executive and general manager of Taj • Keep Government Out of Your tertainment, innovative educational Boston, served as general manager of Pocket! sessions and the best networking op- the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel in Mum- • Leveraging Real Opportunity From portunities in the hospitality indus- bai when the hotel was attacked by Technology try. And it’s all happening April 22 terrorists in November 2008. This year, the biggest hospitality through April 25 in beautiful, exciting On Thursday, attendees can expect event of the year is even bigger. Don’t Long Beach, California. a lively debate from former presiden- miss this exciting opportunity to cel- Why wouldn’t you want to be part tial candidates Howard Dean and ebrate your success alongside the in- of the 2015 AAHOA Convention and Rick Santorum, who will discuss cur- dustry’s top leaders and prepare for Trade Show? rent issues that affect small business an even brighter future. To register, Over the past year, membership owners and the hospitality industry. please visit www.aahoa.com. in the Asian American Hotel Own- Also, Bollywood’s leading performers ers Association has surged, eclipsing will grace the stage every night -- per- ABOUT AAHOA its goals, expanding its outreach and formances that are proven favorites AAHOA has grown to more than increasing its staff. With more than among guests. Top Bollywood singer 12,500 members who together own 14,000 members who own more than Alka Yagnik will showcase her talents more than 20,000 hotels which have 40 percent of all hotels in the United during Saturday’s Gala. a combined market value of almost States, AAHOA is the largest hotel In addition to the enthralling speak- $130 billion and which represent owner association in the world. ers and captivating entertainers, at- more than 40% of all U.S. hotels. The And, this year, the world’s foremost tendees can expect many upgrades association’s members play a sig- hospitality gathering is also reaching to this year’s convention, including nificant role in the American econ- new heights. Taking the stage during networking lounges, photo opportu- omy -- employing almost 600,000 the Gala on Saturday will be legendary nities, Raffles and much more. Edu- people and spending more than $31 Bollywood actor Anil Kapoor. Over cation session topics include: billion annually on operating costs the past 35 years, Kapoor has stared plus another $900 annually on cap- in a plethora of critically-acclaimed • AAHOA Legislative Priorities ital improvements. AAHOA is based films. In addition to his extraordi- • How to Handle the Credit Market of in Atlanta. (SOURCE: HOSPITALI- nary acting career, Kapoor is one of 2015 and Beyond: Industry Trends TYNET)

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FHRAI EC MEETING

FHRAI GOLDEN JUBILEE CONVENTION IN BHUBANESWAR The Golden Jubilee Convention of Federation of Hotel & Restaurant Associations of India (FHRAI) will be held in Bhubaneswar between September 25 and 27. The Mayfair Lagoon Hotel, Bhubaneswar will be the venue for the annual convention. The Executive Committee of the Federation finalized the dates and venue of the forthcoming convention at its EC meeting in Kolkata recently. Sharing the convention details, Sudesh Poddar, Honorary Treasurer, FHRAI said that the EC had nominated Dilip K. Ray, Chairman & Managing Director, Mayfair Group of Hotels as the Chairman of the Convention Organizing Committee. Sudesh Poddar, Pranav Singh, Vinaay Malhotra, and Debashis Pattnaik were appointed chairmen of the Reception, Event, Accommodation, and Technical Committees respectively. The theme of the Golden Jubilee Convention will be ‘Atithi Devo Bhava’, said Poddar. Government of Odisha will be supporting the convention. “We will be approaching the Prime Minister to be the Chief Guest at the Golden Jubilee Convention,” Poddar said. FHRAI is expecting around 1,200 delegates for the convention.

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VERDICT

Telecommunication (Broadcasting and Cable) Services (Second) Tariff Order 2004 (6 of 2004) TDSAT directs TRAI to review tariff guidelines

Dated 9th March, 2015 TRAI introduce mainly three Appeal No.7(C) of 2014 changes; (i) the broadcast- Indian Broadcasting er is no longer allowed to Foundation, New Delhi & Ors. … provide its channels direct- Appellants ly to a subscriber, be it an VS “ordinary subscriber” or a Telecom Regulatory Authority of “commercial subscriber”; (ii) India, New Delhi …Respondent secondly the terms “com- mercial establishment” and Before: “commercial subscriber” are Hon’ble Mr. Justice Aftab Alam, defined elaborately and clas- Chairperson Hon’ble Mr. Kuldip Singh, sified separately from “or- Member dinary subscriber” and (iii) though defined and classified separately from “ordinary N Association of subscriber”, for the pur- television broad- pose of charges for receiving casters (appellant supply of channels, the very no. 1) and two in- large and highly heteroge- Adividual broadcasters (appel- neous body of “commercial lants 2 and 3) filed an appeal subscriber” is en bloc put under section 14A (2) of the completely at par with the Telecom Regulatory Author- “ordinary subscriber”. The ity of India Act, 1997 (TRAI appellants are aggrieved by Act) challenging amendments the amendments in so far as made in the Telecommuni- the commercial subscriber is cation (Broadcasting and Ca- put at par with the ordinary ble) Services(Second) Tariff subscriber and contend that Order 2004 (6 of 2004) dated as a result of the impugned 1 October 2004 (relating to amendments, the tariff or- non-addressable or analogue ders treat as equal, groups systems) and the Telecommu- of subscribers that are inher- nication (Broadcasting and ently unequal and are also so Cable) Services (Fourth) (Ad- recognized in their different dressable Systems) Tariff Or- definitions in the tariff or- der 2010 (1 of 2010) dated 21 ders. July 2010 (relating to address- able systems) respectively. Tribunal judgement Through these amendments Having regard to the submis-

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sions made by the different parties, Association of India and (ii) Hotel of public amusement or entertain- the Tribunal in its judgement (vide Association of India, were added as ment; paragraph 21) framed the following respondents (ddb) “commercial subscriber” questions as arising for its consider- 2 and 3 on the basis of their respec- means any person who receives ation: tive intervention applications. broadcasting services or cable ser- (i) Whether the TRAI having regard to vices at a place indicated by him to a Section 11(2) of the Act has the requi- he two impugned tariff orders, cable operator or multi system opera- site jurisdiction to direct forbearance T as noted at the beginning of the tor or direct to home operator or head in relation to a class of commercial judgment are (i) the twelfth amend- end in the sky operator or Internet consumers; ment of the Second tariff order relat- Protocol television service provider, (ii) Whether the TRAI was justified in ing to analogue transmission and (ii) as the case may be, and uses such ser- treating hotels having the category of the fourth amendment of the fourth vices for the benefit of his clients, cus- three-star and above, the heritage ho- tariff order relating to transmission tomers, members or any other class tels and the hotels above 50 rooms in by addressable systems. The amend- or group of persons having access to a separate category; ments introduce in the tariff orders his commercial establishment;” (iii) Whether the classification is legal elaborate definitions of “commer- It also makes certain amendments and valid. cial establishment” and “commercial in the definition of charges and finally The judgement, however, rec- subscriber”. The impugned twelfth substitutes the third proviso to the ognised that different rates could be amendment in the second tariff order clause by the following proviso: fixed for different consumers and in defines “commercial establishment” “Provided also that in the case of paragraph 45 of the judgement ob- and “commercial subscriber” as un- the commercial subscriber, for each served and held as under: der: television connection, the charges TRAI, in this case, was required to “(dda) “commercial establish- payable by the Ordinary cable sub- “apply its mind more thoroughly as to ment” means any premises wherein scriber under sub-clause (a), shall be whether it was necessary to provide any trade, business or any work in the ceiling: for a regulatory regime be it for their connection with, or incidental or an- Provided also that if a commer- domestic consumers or the commer- cillary thereto, is carried on and in- cial subscriber charges his customer cial consumers.” The Act provides for cludes a society registered under the or any person for a programme of a it but its need and extent was required Societies Registration Act, 1860 (21 of broadcaster shown within his premis- to be considered. The Tribunal order 1860), and charitable or other trust, es, he shall, before he starts providing noted: “One cannot compare selling a whether registered or not, which car- such service, enter into agreement piece of bread in a dhaba with the one ries on any business, trade or work with the broadcaster and the broad- in five star hotel. All selling the same in connection with, or incidental or caster may charge the commercial product may have to spend differently ancillary thereto, journalistic, print- subscriber, for such programme, as on a large number of things including ing and publishing establishments, may be agreed upon between them.” hygiene. There cannot, however, be educational, healthcare or other insti- (emphasis added) any doubt or dispute that different tutions run for private gain, theatres, The upshot of the amendments in rates could be fixed for different con- cinemas, restaurants, eating houses, the tariff orders is that, though de- sumers.” pubs, bars, residential hotels, malls, fined Separately, commercial sub- The present appeal was filed by airport lounges, clubs or other places scriber too is brought under the pro- Indian Broadcasting Foundation(Ap- tective ceiling of charges prescribed pellant No.1), which is a company for ordinary subscriber. This is of registered under section 25 of the course subject to the qualification Companies Act and which describes TRAI has not been able that (i) in case of commercial sub- itself as an association/apex body of scribers charges would be levied for broadcasters in India. Apart from the to produce the tariff each television connection, subject of Foundation, two individual broad- that would satisfy course to the ceiling applicable to an casters are appellants 2 and 3 in this ordinary subscriber and (ii) in case Appeal. The appeal was originally judicial scrutiny. This a commercial subscriber separately filed against TRAI but two different is evidently a highly charged for showing any programme associations of hotels, namely (i) Fed- within his premises, he would enter eration of Hotels & Restaurants anomalous situation into an agreement with the broad-

MYSTIC EAST | 21 VERDICT

caster in which the broadcaster might impugned amendments in the Second charge the commercial subscriber as and Fourth tariff order. Consequent- per the mutual agreement between ly the appellants have filed an appli- them. cation for amending the appeal with “Thus, for all intent and purposes, a view to challenge the restatement in the matter of tariff for broadcasting of the impugned amendments in the services, the very large and disparate fourteenth amendment of the Second body of commercial subscribers is put tariff order. at par with the home viewer of tele- “In the facts and circumstances of vision.” the case, this petition is allowed and “We accordingly find and hold that for the same reasons as discussed the impugned tariff orders, breaking above, proviso 6 and 7 to clause 3 of away from the past reversed the reg- the fourteenth amendment along with ulatory scheme in treating the en- the explanation appended to proviso tire body of commercial subscribers 7 are also set aside. at par with the home viewer. In our “TRAI must now undertake a fresh view, any exercise of fixing tariff for exercise on a completely clean slate. broadcasting services that completely It must put aside the earlier debates disregards the user of the broadcast on the basis of which it has been mak- is bound to lead to unreasonable and ing amendments in the three princi- inequitable results and so have the pal tariff orders none of which has so impugned amendments in the tariff far passed judicial scrutiny. It must orders.” consider afresh the question wheth- The Tribunal observed: “TRAI has er commercial subscribers should be plainly failed to take an indepen- treated equally as home viewers for dent and objective view of the matter the purpose of broadcasting services and as a result the tariff orders have tariff or there needs to be a different come to a state where no distinction and separate tariff system for com- is made between a home viewer and mercial subscribers or some parts of someone who uses the television pro- that larger body. It is hoped and ex- gramme not for personal viewing but pected that TRAI will issue fresh tariff for deriving benefit from it in its trade orders within six months from today.” or business.” On a careful consideration of the dding a caveat, the Tribunal stat- materials on record and the submis- A ed: “TRAI has not been able to sions made on behalf of the contend- can be, and is being circumvented in produce the tariff that would satisfy ing parties, we find the reasons as- a dozen ways by social/sports clubs, judicial scrutiny. This is evidently a signed by TRAI for putting the entire restaurants and similar other sub- highly anomalous situation and to body of commercial subscriber at par scribers,” the Tribunal pointed out in remedy it TRAI must consider wheth- with ordinary subscriber completely its order. “In light of the discussion er to issue an interim tariff order deal- unacceptable, the Tribunal added. made above, we find the two amend- ing with the matter until it takes a final “Further, the provision introduced ments quite unsustainable and we are call on the subject. TRAI should take (vide the second proviso to clause 3) thus constrained to set aside the im- a decision in regard to any interim for protection and enforcement of pugned amendment orders.” arrangement within one month from copyrights, that requires a commer- At this stage it may be noted that today. We, accordingly, expect that cial subscriber who might charge even while the hearing of the present as the whole country is now to come the viewers separately for showing appeal before the Tribunal was under- under the DAS regime, TRAI will un- any television programme within way, on 6 January 2015 TRAI issued dertake a fresh exercise and come out his premises to enter into an agree- the Telecommunication (Broadcast- with a single consolidated instrument ment with the broadcaster at mutu- ing & Cable) Services (Second) Tariff covering broadcasting services. ally agreed charges, completely fails (Fourteenth Amendment) Order 2015 The appeal is allowed but with no the test of workability. The provision (1 of 2015) that inter alia restates the order as to costs.”

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TRIP ADVISOR TRAVELLERS’ CHOICE AWARD, 2015 FOR INDIA’S NO.1 RADHANAGAR BEACH Voted earlier as the best beach in Asia (2004) and the seventh best beach in the world by the Time magazine, the Radhanagar beach, known for its tranquil water and vast stretches of white sand in Andaman & Nicobar Islands, has been recognized as India’s no.1 beach by Trip Advisor. The Radhanagar beach is one of the many beaches of the Havelock Island which is a part of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. Go for long walks, scuba diving, elephant rides and a lot more. Settle down under palm-fringed stretches and soak in the picturesque sunset as you sip coconut water.

FOOD & CUISINE

What makes Indian cuisine distinct from Western cuisine?

team of complex systems experts from IIT Jodhpur who applied data analytics Atechniques on 2,543 recipes from across India have found the an- swer. According to their finding, which has created ripples in the world of food science and gastronomy, com- bining ingredients with very different flavours in one recipe gives Indian cuisine a unique character. In fact, in Indian cooking more the number of common flavour molecules shared by two ingredients, the lesser the chance of them co-existing in a recipe. (Fla- vour molecules give an ingredient the sense of taste and smell peculiar to it.) For example, red chilli powder and cumin share only six flavour mol- ecules but this pair of ingredients can be found 406 times across Indian cui- sine. This research turns the accepted notion in Western cuisines — that

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two ingredients will go well (Cuisines from southern together in a recipe if they Europe and East Asia have share a large number of fla- shown a mild tendency to- vour molecules — on its wards pairing differently head. For example, two flavoured ingredients.) In- pairs of ingredients terestingly, Mughlai cuisine that occur together shows the least tendency to frequently in Ameri- pair vastly different flavour can cooking are but- molecules. But then this ter and milk, which food tradition carries strong share 73 flavour influences from outside the molecules and but- Indian subcontinent. Those ter and vanilla, which ethnically from the subcon- share 32 flavour mole- tinent showed a strikingly cules. strong pattern of negative So why were the computa- pairing. tional researchers dabbling The Indianness of a reci- in kitchen science? Short pe is not sensitive to the re- answer: trying to answer placement of ingredients of a simple question -what any category except for spic- makes Indian food special? es. If we were to replace an Assistant professor Ganesh ingredient of one category Bagler with basic training in with another from the same physics and a PhD in com- category, say one vegetable putational biology along with another, it would not with his students Rakhi NK change the molecular pat- doing a PhD in biomedical tern of the recipe radically. text mining and Anupam But changing a given spice Jain an MTech system sci- with another would destroy ence student started by identifying file they looked at the ‘food pairing’ the negative food pairing. In a list the best repository of Indian recipes, or sharing of flavour compounds in of the top 15 ingredients in terms of which are well curated, formatted Indian recipes and discovered that their contribution towards food pair- and covering several regional cui- more the extent of flavour sharing ing, 14 are spices demonstrating their sines. That happened to be the Tarla between any two ingredients, the key place in Indian cuisine. Dalal’s collection of recipes that in- lesser the chance of them occurring India has a tradition of using food cludes eight regional sub-cuisines — in the same recipe. An average Indi- as medicine as Charaka Samhita and Bengali, Gujarati, Jain, Maharashtri- an recipe contains seven ingredients Bhavaprakasha, important Ayurve- an, Mughlai, Punjabi, Rajasthani and but some can contain up to 40. dic texts, refer to food or natural in- South Indian. A flavour network was created to gredients as medicine. Key molecular From 2,543 recipes, they identified identify pattern of ingredients com- components in spices are reported to 194 ingredients, which were then di- ing together in a recipe. This revealed have various curative properties, one vided into 15 categories — spice, veg- the distinct feature of food with least of the most celebrated among them etable, fruit, plant derivative, nut- overlap in flavours occurring in one being curcumin, a compound found seed, cereal crop, dairy, plant, pulse, recipe. While this is a feature ob- in turmeric. herb, meat, fish seafood, beverage, served in some Asian cuisines, re- While the traditional use of spic- animal product, and flower. Then a searchers found it very pronounced es may not have been based on the database of the flavour molecules in Indian cuisine.This was referred understanding of their molecular present in these 194 ingredients was to as negative food pairing only to properties, using spices for flavour, created. Each ingredient is associ- distinguish it from the already ob- colour and preservation might have ated with a set of flavour molecules served phenomenon in Western cui- led to empirical evidence-based un- which is the taste profile of that in- sines like North American and West- derstanding of their medicinal values. gredient. Based on the flavour pro- ern European of positive pairing. (ToI)

MYSTIC EAST | 27 SPECIAL FEATURE

ODISHA IS GOD’S GRACE

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HE Odisha Tourism ta- gline reads: Serene, Sce- nic, Sublime. One can safely add ‘Divine’ to this line. It will only add val- Tue to the logo! The state is as close to divinity as one can get. Its temples, alone, are living testimony to its cul- ture and religious history. Its ethos remains undiluted and untainted. The Odisha government and its God-fear- ing people have started making all the right noises. Take Nabakalebara 2015 for instance. It is being marketed ag- gressively in the country and abroad. That the Central government has chipped in with all requisite support works to the state’s advantage! Odisha is going all out to create an environment for planned and sus- tained development of tourism by de- veloping and promoting tourist cen- tres like Puri and Chilika as Special Tourism Areas.

Focus sectors for next five years Auto and Auto Components a) Automotive industry has universal- ly emerged as an important driver in the economy. The State has identified Automobiles & Automotive Compo- nents as priority sector to attract auto and auto component industry to Odi- sha, and provide impetus to the sec- tor in the state. Government of Odi- sha intends to leverage the existing advantages of Odisha in raw material availability, proximity to large do- mestic markets in East, Central and South India to attract investments in auto industry. b) In addition, the State shall conduct market assessment and feasibility for auto park demand and identify areas and land requirements for auto parks. The State shall identify and reserve the areas for development of auto parks in Odisha. Upon notification of the areas, IDCO being the nodal agency for development of industrial estates in the State shall initiate es-

MYSTIC EAST | 29 SPECIAL FEATURE

tablishment of auto parks. taken various initiatives to develop c) IDCO shall ensure that the auto cold chain, storage, grading & sorting, parks will be provided with adequate THE STATE INTENDS segregation and packaging infrastruc- connectivity to the expressway and ture for the farm and marine produce. freight corridors connecting to Dham- TO CREATE AN To facilitate growth in this sector, ra,Paradeepand other ports. the state is developing Food Parks at ENVIRONMENT FOR Malipara near Khurda and at Rayga- Downstream and Ancillary PLANNED AND SUSTAINED da which will enhance the value addi- Industries tion within the state. a) Odisha contributes almost20% of DEVELOPMENT OF steel production capacity and 33% of TOURISM BY DEVELOPING IT and ESDM (Electronic iron ore reserves of the country. In System Design and Manu- addition, Odisha contributes about AND PROMOTING facturing) 50%of thealuminium production ca- TOURIST CENTRES AND a) The State shall continue to accord pacity in India. priority to the IT, ITES and ESDM b) In the last decade, the State has IS DEVELOPING PURI Sector in recognition of its potential focused on value addition in the min- AND CHILIKA AS SPECIAL for employment, exports, wealth gen- erals sector. Consequently, Odisha is eration and spin off on the growth of emerging as the mining, metal, and TOURISM AREAS services sector. The State will contin- manufacturing hub of the country. ue to facilitate development of Spe- Investment in this sector has created cial Economic Zones/IT Parks/Cyber vast opportunities for ancillary and Parks/ Software Technology Park downstream industries in the Micro, (STP) and Electronics Manufacturing Small and Medium sectors in the spices. It is a major contributor to the Cluster (EMC) for Electronics, IT/ State. national production of vegetable and ITES and Information & Communica- c) Government of Odisha has also is 4th largest vegetable producing tion and ESDM industry. been promoting downstream and state of India. The state has a good b) The State has taken initiatives in ancillary industries as priority sec- base in the marine and seafood seg- the recent past for facilitating and tor. The State has taken initiatives ment with a coast line of over 480 KM promoting development of IT and to develop a number of downstream and is 9th largest fish producing state ITES and ESDM industries in the state and ancillary parks where in MSMEs of India. It enjoys the location advan- including an IT Investment Region involved in Aluminium Fluoride, tage of its proximity to Eastern and (ITIR) including an Electronic Manu- Calcined Petroleum Coke, Coal Tar Southern India and connectivity to facturing Cluster (EMC) proposed to Pitch, Aluminium& non-ferrous cast- South East Asia through its sea ports. be set up on approximately 40 sq km ing for automobiles, slugs & circles b) There is vast untapped potential of land under the public-private part- powder, rolled products, Hot rolled for food processing industry in the nership model in the Mouza-Andha- coils, Strips, Cold rolling of hot rolled state. In Odisha, only a miniscule rua region near Bhubaneswar and In- products, Cold – rolled strip, Forging 0.7% of the total produce is processed focity-II which is being implemented products, Sheets, Home appliances currently. The National Food Pro- on 600 acres of land at Janla on the and others. d) The establishment of cessing Policy strives to achieve 25% outskirts of Bhubaneswar. these parks shall enable maximum from the current national average of value addition within the state and 6% by 2025. In line with the national Tourism generate high employment through benchmark, the Odisha Food Process- a) Odisha offers excellent opportu- promotion of Micro & Small Enter- ing Policy, 2013 aims to achieve 10% nities in the in-bound tourism sec- prises. of food processing by 2017 and 25% tor. Along with ancient monuments, by 2025 in the state. beaches, religious and Buddhist tour- Agro and Food Processing c) To limit the wastage and increase ist attractions, State also has tourist a) Odisha’s diverse agro-climatic con- value to farm produce, development destinations with Hot springs, wa- dition features 10 agro-climatic zones of food processing enterprises and ter-bodies, forest and wildlife. and 8 major soil types which arefa- adequate post-harvest infrastructure b) In a bid to boost tourism, the State vourable for production of different especially storage and transportation has taken initiatives to rope in private types of crops, vegetables, fruits and facilities is necessary. The State has sector to develop hospitality infra-

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CENTRE TO PROMOTE NABAKALEBARA AS GLOBAL EVENT

Aware of the resentment in Odisha over the absence of a package for the upcoming Nabakalebara festival in the pilgrim town of Puri in the Union Budget, the Centre sought to make amends announcing that it would promote the grand event on the international tourist map in a big way and make available necessary funds for its smooth organisation. A slew of measures to package and promote the once-in-a-generation festival were decided upon at a meeting between Union Petroleum Minister Dharmendra Pradhan and Tourism Minister Dr Mahesh Sharma in which Secretaries of Ministry of Culture and Tourism were also present. Among them were nternational branding and promotion of the Nabakalebara Rath Yatra, a Coffee Table Book and a special documentary on the Rath Yatra by the Ministry of Culture and issue of coins Olive Ridley Turtles and stamps to commemorate the event “Tourism Ministry has already sanctioned structure by developing branded/ ponents, Textiles & Apparel which Rs 50 crore and Centre will also supplement luxury and budget accommodation were in the thrust sector earlier will budgetary support as per the requirements of including hotels in strategic tourist now migrate to the priority sector as the event. The government is committed to make the event glitch-free as lakhs of people locations in Public Private Partici- per the new list would be visiting the Nabakalebara Rath pation mode. 2. With the abolition of the thrust Yatra,” Pradhan said after the meeting. c) The State intends to create an sector, pioneer units will be rede- All the stakeholders, including Odisha environment for planned and sus- fined as “the first five industrial Tourism, tourist guides, people in the tained development of tourism by units of each priority sector which hospitality and travel industry and the Culture developing and promoting tourist commence fixed capital investment & Tourism Ministry of the Government of India will make consolidated efforts to promote this centres and is developing Puri and and go in to production during the even an international tourism event, Pradhan Chilika as Special Tourism Areas. operative period of the new policy” added. 3. The new policy also seeks to ad- Tourism Minister Dr Mahesh Sharma informed Major changes proposed dress the concerns of the hospitali- that his Ministry was making efforts to in draft industrial policy, ty industry by making all industrial utilise the 450-km long coastal belt for 2015 of Odisha units/activities specified in para 6.11 promoting tourism in Odisha. He informed that discussions revolved around making suitable 1. The thrust sector is proposed to be of Odisha Tourism Policy, 2013 eli- arrangements to make this a memorable done away with in the 2015 policy by gible for fiscal incentives under the event. merging it into the priority sector. new industrial policy of the state. Pradhan and Sharma will undertake a two-day Agro processing, ancillary & down- These activities are: • Hotels of star visit to the state on 20-21 of this month to stream, Automobiles & Auto Com- categories. • Heritage hotels, resorts, review the Nabakalebara preparations.

MYSTIC EAST | 31 SPECIAL FEATURE

Chilika health farms and health & wellness spa. • Wayside and public amenities at Two more eco-tourism hubs tourist sites • Theme based entertain- on anvil at Satkosia ment centre, amusement park, aquar- ium, aqua park, multiplexes (cinema BHUBANESWAR: The Satkosia Tiger Reserve (STR) authorities have selected halls) of at least three (3) screens • Ad- two more sites to be developed into eco-tourism hubs. The wildlife wing of venture sports, beach sports and water the forest department is likely to send a proposal to the government within sports, • Art and Craft villages, craft two months in this regard, according to a Times of India report quoting official and souvenir shops at tourist sites ex- sources. cluding manufacturing, development STR field director Anup Nayak said Baliput in Satkosia Wildlife Division and of souvenirs and artisan hubs • Golf Badmul in Mahanadi Wildlife Division would be developed as eco-tourism courses • Camping, Caravan, tents and sites. “We are working on the design and the facilities that will be provided to other temporary accommodation facil- tourists. Since the two sites are located on both sides of Mahanadi river, we will ities developed for tourism purposes • try to introduce boating facilities as well,” said Nayak. Aerial ropeways • Convention centers, The Baliput site is known for its scenic view of the river and a chain of hills on • Adventure tourism projects • Cruise both sides. At present, people visit the spot for picnic and bathing. Badmul is boats, houseboats • Eco-tourism proj- located opposite Baliput and it is also a favourite picnic spot. ects. • Wildlife safari • Medical tourism (only the Joint Commission Interna- STR is, at present, running three ecotourism sites at Tarva, Tikarpada and Anshupa, which are witnessing impressive tourist footfall. tional accredited Hospital) • Other projects approved by the department In November last year, the authorities set up facilities for tent accommodation at of tourism, government of Odisha or Tarva. “Because of eco-tourism activities involving local communities, poaching Ministry of Tourism, Government of and illegal fishing have been checked. The forest dependence of villagers living India. in buffer and core areas has also gone down considerably,” Nayak added. Poaching and illegal fishing are common at Baliput and Badmul. “Our focus will Proposed incentives for be to create eco-tourism facilities and involve the villagers in it so that they will priority sector units start reposing faith in the forest department and stop poaching activities,” said LAND- New industrial units and Anshu Pragyan Das, divisional forest officer, Mahanadi wildlife division. existing industrial units taking up

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of applicable Stamp duty Prior- ity Sector @ 100% of applicable Stamp duty Loan agreements, credit deeds, mortgages and hypothecation deeds executed by the Industrial Units in favour of Banks or Financial Institu- tions shall be allowed 100% exemp- tion from stamp duty.

ENERGY- New industrial units oth- er than in priority sector industries shall be exempted from the payment of electricity duty up to a contract demand of 500 KVA for a period of 5 years from the date of availing power supply for production. New industrial units in the Priority Sector shall be exempted from pay- ment of electricity duty up to a con- tract demand of 5 MVA for a period of 5 years from the date of availing pow- er supply for production. expansion/ modernisation/ diver- ject to a total maximum limit of Industries of seasonal nature like sification will be granted exemption  Rs 10 lakhs for Micro Enterprises; food processing, sugar, salt etc., will under the provisions of clause - C of  Rs 20 lakhs for Small Enterprises; be provided with the facility of tempo- Section-73 of Orissa Land Reforms  Rs 40 lakhs for Medium Enterpris- rary surrender of a part of their con- Act, 1960 from payment of premium, es; tracted demand subject to approval of leviable under provisions of clause - C  Rs 1 crore for Non-MSME Priority OERC. of Section 8 (A) of the OLR Act.1960 Sector Units To encourage energy efficiency and on production of eligibility certificate For units in Kalahandi, Nu- reduce carbon footprint of industries, from the Director of Industries, Odis- apada, Bolangir, Subarnpur, a one-time reimbursement of cost of ha for Large Industries and Medium Koraput, Malkangiri, Rayaga- Energy Audits by Industrial Units Enterprises and G.M / PM, DIC for da, Nawrangpur, Khandamal, shall be provided up to a maximum of Micro, Small Enterprises as follows. Gajapati and Mayurbhanj, the Rs 1 lakh for Micro Enterprises; reimbursement period will be Rs 2 lakhs for Small Enterprises; Micro & Small Sector : 100 % up seven years from the date of Rs 3 lakhs for Medium Enterprises; to 5 Acres commencement of production per unit subject to achieving energy Medium Sector : 75 % up to 25 subject to the aforesaid limit. efficiency/ reduction in carbon foot- Acres STAMP DUTY- In respect of transfer print in the said year. Independent Large Sector : 50 % up to 500 Acres of land / shed by Government, IDCO and credible third party agency must Priority Sector : 50% and Private industrial estate devel- certify energy efficiency and reduc- opers to new industrial units and tion of carbon footprint of Industries. INTEREST SUBSIDY- New industrial existing industrial units taking up units coming under Micro,Small and expansion, modernization and diver- Value added tax, entry tax Medium Enterprise and non MSME sification, exemption on Stamp Duty New Micro, Small & Medium Enter- Priority sector shall be entitled to inter- shall be applicable as follows. prises shall be eligible for reimburse- est subsidy for timely payment @ 5% ment of 75% of VAT paid for a period per annum on term loan availed from Micro & Small Sector @ 75 % of of five (5) years from the date of com- Public Financial Institutions / Banks applicable Stamp duty Medi- mencement of production limited to for a period of five years from the date um Sector @ 50 % of applicable 100% of cost of plant and machinery of commencement of production sub- Stamp duty Large Sector @ 25 % provided that the VAT reimburse-

MYSTIC EAST | 33 SPECIAL FEATURE

a period of 5 years for new Micro and Small units which employ skilled and semi-skilled workers who are domi- cile of the state as regular employees (on payroll). b) 50% reimbursement (in case of male workers) and 100% reimburse- ment (in case of female workers) of expenditure on account of contribu- tion towards ESI and EPF Scheme for a period of 3 years for new Medium units which employ skilled and semi- skilled workers who are domicile of the state as regular employees (on payroll). c) 100% reimbursement of expen- Bhitarkanika diture on account of contribution towards ESI and EPF Scheme for a ment shall be applicable only to the additional cost of plant and machin- period of 3 years for New Industrial net tax paid ery acquired units in Micro , Small & Medium En- New industrial units in Priority Reimbursement of Entry Tax shall terprises and Priority Sector which Sector shall be eligible for reimburse- be available to eligible industrial units employ skilled and semi-skilled ment of 100% of VAT paid for a peri- as follows: workers who are domicile of the state od of seven (7) years from the date of and have been displaced due to the commencement of production, limit- i. Plant & Machinery establishment of the said Industrial ed to 200% of cost of plant & machin- New Micro, Small & Medium Enter- Unit as regular employees (on pay- ery in a tapered manner over a period prises and Priority Sector units shall roll). of seven years be eligible for 100% reimbursement d) 100% reimbursement of expendi- Existing Micro, Small & Medium of Entry Tax on acquisition of plant & ture on account of contribution to- Enterprises taking up expansion/ machinery for setting up of industrial wards ESI and EPF Scheme for a peri- modernisation/ diversification as units till the date of commencement od of 5 years for New Industrial units defined in this IPR shall be eligible of production. in Micro , Small & Medium Enterpris- for 75% reimbursement of VAT paid es and Priority Sector which employ for a period of five (5) years from the ii. Raw Materials skilled and semi-skilled Persons With date of commencement of production New Micro, Small & Medium Enter- Disabilities workers who are domicile subject to the condition that it shall prises and Priority Sector units shall of the state as regular employees (on be applicable only on increased pro- be eligible for 100% reimbursement payroll). duction over and above the existing of Entry Tax on purchase of raw mate- e) New Industrial units and Exist- installed capacity limited to 100% of rials for a period of five years from the ing Industrial units in Micro , Small additional cost of plant and machin- date of commencement of production & Medium Enterprises and Priority ery acquired subject to a total maximum ceiling of Sector taking up Expansion/ Modern- Existing industrial units in Priori- 100% of cost of plant and machinery- ization/ Diversification which wish to ty sector taking up expansion/ mod- and work shed / production shed. avail the above incentives must em- ernisation/ diversification as defined This para will be suitably replaced ploy people who are domicile of Odi- in this IPR shall be eligible for 100% after GST is introduced sha in the following ratio in vacancies reimbursement of VAT paid for a pe- in the following categories of jobs: riod of seven (7) ) years from the date Employment Cost Subsidy Unskilled and Semiskilled: A min- of commencement of production a) 75% reimbursement (in case of imum of 90% of total requirement subject to the condition that it shall male workers) and 100% reimburse- Skilled: A minimum of 60% of total be applicable only on increased pro- ment (in case of female workers) of requirement Supervisory Managerial: duction over and above the existing expenditure on account of contribu- A minimum of 30% of total require- installed capacity limited to 200% of tion towards ESI and EPF Scheme for ment

34 | MYSTIC EAST March - April 2015

EVOLUTION OF LAND BANK SCHEME

LAND BANK SCHEME 2007 LAND BANK SCHEME 2015

Concessional Industrial Concessional Industrial Zone Location Zone Location Rate in Rs lakh/acre Rate in Rs lakh/acre Urban areas coming under the juris- Rates to be fixed by Rev- Urban areas under the jurisdiction 125 lakh/ Acre diction of Bhubaneswar Municipal enue/ G. A. Department of Bhubaneswar Municipal Corpo- Corporation, Cuttack Municipal in consultation with ration area. Zone A Corporation, Rourkela Municipality, Industries department Zone A Berhampur Municipality, Sambalpur Municipality and Paradeep NAC.

Revenue Sub- Divisions of Angul, Municipal / NAC Area- Urban areas under the jurisdiction Cuttack – Rourkela- 60 Athagarh,Balasore, Berhampur, Zone -B -@ Rs 5 lakh / of Development Authorities of Lakh / Acre Berhampur, Champua, Cuttack, Dhenkanal, Ac, Zone- C-@ Rs 3 lakh Cuttack, Rourkela, Berhampur, Sambalpur, Paradeep, Zone B Jagatsinghpur,Jajpur , Jharsuguda, / Ac, Zone- D @ Rs. 1.5 Zone B Sambalpur, Paradeep, Puri, Angul Puri, Angul – 30 Lakh Keonjhar, Khurda, Panposh,Puri, lakh/ Ac Other than Mu- and Jharsuguda / Acre Sambalpur, Talcher nicipal / NAC AreaZone -B -@ Rs 2 lakh / Ac, Revenue Sub- Divisions of Ban- Zone- C -@ Rs 1 lakh / Revenue Sub-Divisions of Bhu- Municipal/NAC area – 15 ki, Baripada, Bhadrak, Baragarh, Ac, Zone- D @ Rs. 0.5 baneswar, Khurda, Angul, Cuttack, lakh / Acre other than Zone C Bolangir, Chhatrapur, Jeypur, Koraput, lakh / Ac Zone-C Jharsuguda, Panposh, Puri, Municipal / NAC Area :6 Raygada, Sundergarh Sambalpur lakh / Acre.

Zone D Revenue Sub- Divisions - Anandpur, Revenue Sub-Divisions of Athagarh, Municipal / NAC area 10 Athamallik, Balliguda, Bamangha- Balasore, Berhampur,Chhatrapur, Lakh / Acre Other than ti, Bhanjanagar, Bhawanipatana, Champua, Dhenkanal, Jagatsingh- Municipal / NAC Area – Birmaharajpur, Bonai, Boudh, pur, Jajpur, Keonjhar, Talcher 4 lakh / Acre Deogarh, Dharmagarh, Gunupur, Hindol, Kamakhyanagar, Kaptipada, Zone-D Kandhamala, Kendrapada, Kuchinda, Malkangir, Nayagarh, Nuapada, Nilagir, Nabarangapur, Padampur, Pallahara, Panchpir, Paralakhemundi, Patnagarha, Rairakhol, Sonepur, Titilagarh. Revenue Sub-Division of Banki, Municipal / NAC area: 6 Baripada, Bhadrak, Baragarh, Bol- Lakh / Acre Other than Zone-E angir, Jeypur, Koraput, Rayagada, Municipal / NAC Area- 2 Sundargarh lakh / Acre

Revenue Sub-Divisions – Anandpur, Municipal / NAC area – 3 Athamalik, Baliguda, Bamanghati, Lakh / Acre Other than Bhanjanagar, Bhawanipatna, Birma- Municipal / NAC Area – harajpur, Bonai, Boudh, Deogarh, 1 lakh / acre Dharmagarh, Gunupur, Hindol, Kamakshyanagar, Kaptipada, Kand- hamala, Kendrapada, Kuchinda, Malkangiri,Nabrangpur,Nayagarh,N Zone-F ilagiri,Nuapada, Padampur, Palla- hara, Panchpir, Paralakehemundi, Patnagarh, Rairakhol, Sonepur, Titilgarh

Ground Rent @ 1% of the land value

MYSTIC EAST | 35 SPECIAL FEATURE

consolidated efforts to promote it as an international tourism event. Naturally, the state administration is working overtime to make this event a grand success and elaborate arrange- ments are being made to ensure that pilgrims and tourists are not inconve- nienced during their stay in Puri town. A Business Standard report in- forms that Odisha Chief Minister, Mr Naveen Patnaik has “deployed an army of senior bureaucrats to oversee the progress. He has asked the Puri district administration to gear up for the event and come out with standard operating procedures in case of inci- dents like stampedes, fires and dis- eases that may arise because of the massive congregation. Health Minis- ter Atanu Sabyasachi Nayak says the Renowned sand artist SudarsanPattnaik has created a sand sculpture on Nabakale- state government has planned at least bara at Puri beach of Odisha on March 28, 2015 500 additional beds in different hos- pitals in and around Puri, 100 first aid centres and 120 ambulances. In addi- ODISHA’S ACE, INDIA’S tion, over 900 paramedic staff will be deployed to provide health services to the devotees. It is going to be a test of TRUMP CARD Patnaik’s administrative skills.” The newspaper adds that the au- SUDESH PODDAR showcase to the world the matchless thorities have decided to provide assets of Odisha. It is an event which a five-layer security cover for Puri. ABAKALEBARA 2015 has is expected to set in motion a virtuous Close-circuit televisions will be in- gone viral. Odisha and its cycle of tourism-led growth and devel- stalled at strategic locations in the N people are treating this fes- opment of the state on multiple fronts. town like Grand Road (the venue tival as a godsend to woo domestic The mood of businessmen is un- of the Rath Yatra), the bus termi- and international visitors with a killer derstandably upbeat as they sense an nal, railway station, pilgrim shelters storyboard to prove that the state is exciting opportunity to expand their and parking lots. A central security indeed the “Soul of Incredible India”. reach. Even the government at the unit will be deployed for the festival. Through the eyes of the visitors, the Centre has quickly grabbed this op- This unit will be equipped with bul- world will discover and experience portunity to leverage this festival and let-proof four-wheelers and satellite the sublime culture and heritage of promote “Incredible India”. phones, besides sophisticated arms the state and its exquisite natural re- The Union Ministry for Culture and ammunitions. For effective crowd sources. proposes to produce a coffee table management, 30 large digital screens Nabakalebara is a religious ritual book on Nabakalebara and also make will be installed at various points in performed every 12-19 years at the a special documentary on the Rath the city and a traffic control unit will Jagannath Temple where the deities Yatra. Coins and stamps will also be operate from a special facility at the leave their old form and assume new issued to commemorate the yatra. all Kumbharpara police station complex. ones. It was last celebrated in 1996 the stakeholders including Odisha I think the event will be a case when footfalls touched 2 million. Es- State Tourism, Tourist guides, hospi- study, if successful, in promoting timates suggest that this year the vis- tality industry people, travel industry our heritage properties and precious itor count is likely to cross 5 million. and the Culture & Tourism Ministry tourism assets. Let’s hope for the Nabakalebara is the platform to of the Government of India will make best.

36 | MYSTIC EAST March - April 2015

er, there seems to be deficit of quality accommodations to meet the likely NABAKALEBARA 2015 - A demand of visitors which has made it incumbent on the existing players in the sector to increase their capacity BLESSING IN DISGUISE FOR and upgrade their infrastructure. Mayfair Hotels and Resorts have 4 HOSPITALITY INDUSTRY properties, 2 each in Puri and Bhu- baneswar which are fully geared up to cater to the hospitality needs a new one. Lord Jagannath, whose of the inbound tourists. Flagship divine sport (Leela) represents the property of Mayfair group at Bhu- human aspect of the divine, goes baneswar- Mayfair Lagoon is well through an elaborate process of rit- set to welcome guests with its ele- uals spread over months culminating gant boutique of services. Adjudged in His reincarnation. one of the best hotels in the country, The festival casts deep influence the Lagoon boasts of best in class in- on the collective psyche of the people frastructure to provide unmatched of Odisha in particular and Hindus experience to the visitors. The royal in India in general, who throng the ambience, accentuated by exquisite Holy city of Puri in huge numbers interiors and embellished with intri- to witness this grand spectacle. The cate artworks, will delight connois- function of Nabakalebara is taking seurs for sure. place this year after 19 years spark- Complementing the Lagoon is ing huge interest in the general pub- Mayfair Convention, which awaits lic and attracting massive media at- the guests with a spruced up look. tention. Never ever in the history of Although meant for hosting business Nabakalebara such interest was seen meetings, the facility has 20 well fur- in the festival which is evident this nished rooms to cater to the high end year. This could now be largely at- hospitality needs of the visitors. tributed to the proliferation of media However, in the context of Na- channels and the emergence of social bakalebara the twin properties - media of late. Mayfair Waves and Mayfair Heritage SOUVAGYA MOHAPATRA The wide attention that Nabakale- at Puri are the most relevant for the bara has garnered this year has huge upcoming grand festival.. The event ABAKALEBARA, a symbolic implications for the hospitality in- of Nabakalebara is going to have a ritual to mark the transfigu- dustry. Approximately 5 million peo- salutary long term impact on the N ration of Lord Jagannath, the ple are expected to arrive in the city tourism revenues of the state. The presiding deity of the holy Srimandir in and around the time of Nabakale- event will amplify visibility of the of Puri has enormous significance in bara from different parts of India holy city of Puri and the temple city the socio-cultural life of Odisha. Puri, and abroad. The visitors’ profile is of Bhubaneswar on the global tour- one of the four sacred pilgrimages likely to be varied and diverse and a ism map. This will whet the appetite of Hindus, houses the sacred shrine substantial chunk of them are likely of global tourists to visit these sites of Shri Jagannath which draws in to be from abroad as the festival has and result in increased tourist in- droves pilgrims from across the globe got wide publicity, courtesy the pro- flow. Hospitality industry will be the on functions associated with the leg- motional efforts of the government ultimate beneficiary from this grand end of Lord Jagannath. Nabakaleb- of Odisha and the ongoing discussion exercise as tourism and hospitality ara, which is performed periodically in the social media. are closely intertwined. on a special occasion marking a par- The event has scooped out good Nabakalebara may well be a har- ticular conjunction /configuration of opportunities for the hospitality sec- binger of a new, revived hospitality stars is the ritual of the Lord shed- tor in the state which is bracing up for sector in the state if things pass off ding his old body for acquisition of the forthcoming mega show. Howev- smoothly.

MYSTIC EAST | 37 SPECIAL FEATURE Chhau needs a ‘Nabakalebara’

he entire Seraikella-Kharswan region was buzzing with activity during a week-long Chhau festival organized separately by the T royal family at the 17th Century Seraikella Palace Courtyardand the Jharkhand government at the Birsa Munda stadium. Besides Chhau, local folk were regaled with an eclectic mix of classi- cal and contemporary dance at the Chhau Nritya Mahotsave organized recently by the art, culture, sports and youth affairs department of the state government. Among the key performers at the Mahotsav were Mamata Shankar’s troupe and reality TV India’s Got Talent winner and Kathak exponent Ragini Makkar and her group. Veteran BJP MP from Khunti, Kariya Munda, inaugurated the Mahotsav. For those passionate about Chhau, the Mahotsav was a rare treat as Seraikella, Manbhum and Mayurbhanj forms were demonstrat- ed on one stage followed by folk dances like Bihu, Kalaripayattu(Kerala) and Gotipua(Odisha). The Srikalapith, es- tablished in 1941, which organizes Chaitra Par- va every year, presented Chhau rituals to visitors and local folk alike. Chief guest at Chaitra Parva 2015 was former chief minister and BJP general secretary Arjun Munda. Students of Srikalapith, a dance school run by the royal family participated in a dance competition along with other dance groups of the region. This dance competition is in memory of Padmashree Rajkumar Sudhendra Smita Raj Parikh Narayan Singh Deo. The final day, April 13th, of Chaitra Parva 2015 was dedicated to legendary flautist Late Pandit Pannalal Ghosh. Jharkhand CM Raghubar Das was present on the final day to encourage the per- forming artists and take this celebrated dance form, recognized by Une- sco as an intangible heritage of India. The festival this year is not only about spreading awareness of our cultural heritage but also a medium to convert a passion into a livelihood option. Smita Raj Parikh, vice president, HRAEI and director, Fortune Hotel Centre Point, Jamshedpur was instrumental in devising an attrac- tive accommodation and transport package for visitors to the Chhau Ma- hotsav this year. The cost of stay was fixed by the Jamshedpur Hoteliers Association at Rs 6000 (between April 11-April 13) with free transfers from Jamshedpur to Seraikella, the venue of the Mahotsav, Ms Parikh informed. Chhau must not only survive. It must flourish and without any further delay. Chhau needs a unified voice, a new approach and last but not the least international presence. Nothing short of a ‘Nabakalebara’ will do.

38 | MYSTIC EAST March - April 2015

MYSTERY CALLED CHHAU With origins shrouded in mystery, the Chhau dancer communicates inner emotions and themes through cadences of body flexions, movements and kinetic suggestions. The word Chhau is interpreted differently by scholars. ‘Shadow’, ‘Disguise’ and ‘Image’ are the most common interpretations due to the extensive use of masks in this dance form. The martial movements of Chhau have led to another interpretation of the word as mean- ing ‘to attack stealthily’ or ‘to hunt’. Three styles of Chhau exist born from the three different regions of Seraikella (Bihar), Purulia (West Bengal), and Mayurbhanj (Orissa) Martial movements, strong rhythmic statements and dynamic use of space are characteristic of Chhau. INTERVIEW Seraikella Chhau flourished under royal Anil Kumar Singh, Director patronage. Its vigorous martial character (Art, Culture, Sports & made it suitable only for male dancers. The princes were not only patrons but also Youth Affairs), government dancers, teachers and mask-making experts. of Jharkhand, reveals some The Seraikella masks are similar to those used interesting plans, projects in the Noh dance of Japan and the Wayang and events which will give Wong of Java. Jharkhand a much needed Purulia Chhau uses masks which is a highly developed craft in the region. The barren shot in the arm to take land with its tribal inhabitants and multi-lay- its rich cultural heritage ered influences of Vedic literature, Hinduism to heights that will dwarf and martial folk-lore have all combined to the achievements of its shape the Purulia Chhau dances which have only one message - the triumph of good over predecessors. Here are evil. (source: http://www.brscollege.com/Art- extracts from an interview and-Culture/dance-forms-India) with Dheer Kumar Kothari, editor, Mystic East.

MYSTIC EAST | 39 SPECIAL FEATURE

al tourism proposed are Deoghar-Ba- sukinath-Sahibganj and Kolkata-Ghat- shila-Jamshedpur-Seraikella-Ranchi for tourists coming from Kolkata. For those coming from New Delhi the trip would commence in reverse order from Ranchi. We have tied up with National School of Drama for setting up Rabin- dra Bhawan in Ranchi at an estimated cost of Rs 15 crores for promotion of art and culture. It will be jointly fund- ed by NSD (60%) and Jharkhand gov- ernment (40%).

On promotion of tribal/folk dances We are also in talks with the Lalit Kala Akademi for opening of a regional art centre to promote study, research and survey of folk, tribal and tradi- tional arts and crafts techniques, pre- serve and project their art forms and to organize regional surveys of and to encourage surviving indigenous craftsmen, painters and sculptors. This centre will enjoy the support and involvement of the Eastern Zone Cul- tural Centre. We expect to open this centre by March 2016.

On recent controversy over neglect of terracotta tem- On priorities of the new will be promoted by us at national lev- ples in Maluti town government el and from next year we will promote The historic temples of Maluti, near Our government has given new impe- them internationally. These melas in- Shikaripara in Dumka district, are on tus to promotion of art, culture, sports clude the Seraikella Chhau, Chatra Itk- top of our priority projects in hand. and youth affairs in its budget present hori Mahotsav, Sahibganj Maghi Mela, The Archaeological Survey of India in February this year. We have pro- Deoghar’s Shravan Mela, and Basuk- (ASI) is working on restoration of 10- vided Rs 53 crore for art and culture inath Shravan Mela. 12 temples out of 65 temples which promotion in 2015-16. We conducted will ultimately be restored. Resto- roadshows in Kolkata, Delhi, Raipur, On other initiatives of art ration work will start as soon as the Durgapur, Purulia and Mayurbhanj and culture department ASI study is completed and the esti- as a curtain-raiser of the Chhau Ma- and integrating it with tour- mated cost finalized and approved. hotsav. For the just concluded Chhau ism programmes The Central government has prom- festival, BSF unit at Meru, Hazaribagh We area in advanced negotiations with ised all support for this project. We prepared a special composition. We the Bihar government to develop Bud- will establish connectivity with Maluti propose to conduct an international dhist circuit which would connect pil- Chhau show next year. grims visiting Bodh Gaya in Bihar with and other tourist destinations of the Our government has declared five Itkhori in Chatra, Jharkhand. Among state and also provide training in ter- melas as State Festivals. These festivals other major circuits for religious/cultur- racotta work for artisans.

40 | MYSTIC EAST March - April 2015

1 2

3 1 & 2. Different forms of Chhau, Mayur and Radha Krishna respectively being performed by local artists at the 17th Century Seraikella Palace Courtyard on the final day of the Chhau festival.

3. Chief minister of Jharkhand Raghubar Das releasing the 2015 Souvenir of Srikalapith (The Royal School of Chhau). Seen from left to right are Rani Arunima Singh Deo, Raja Pratap Aditya Singh Deo, CM of Jharkhand, CEO of Srikalapith, S.N. Singh among other distinguished guests.

4. Raja Pratap Aditya Singh Deo engaged in serious discussion with the Jharkhand CM 4 Raghubar Das.

MYSTIC EAST | 41 TRADE & COMMERCE

Act East countdown has begun CLMV is the launchpad; ASEAN is the goal

42 | MYSTIC EAST March - April 2015

HE allocation for a Proj- strategic relations in South-East ect Development Fund Asia. India’s trade with ASEAN was Exim Bank eyes Saarc for to oversee investments USD 74.6 billion in 2013-14 and ac- project exports in the CLMV (Cambodia, counts for about 10 percent of In- TLaos, Myanmar and Vietnam) man- dia’s total trade. ASEAN, as a bloc, The Exim Bank sees huge potential for project ex- ufacturing hubs in this year’s Union has become one of India’s largest ports in the South Asian Association for Regional Budget might appear to be a measly trading partners in recent years. Cooperation (Saarc) region. With Rs 1,300 crore sum in a region where the potential India’s four major trading partners capital from the government, Exim Bank will be to absorb funds is gargantuan. For from ASEAN are Singapore, Indone- fully leveraging its debt limit next fiscal to raise starters, however, it is a bold move sia, Malaysia and Thailand, account- Rs 13,000 crore for financing export projects and overseas investments. The bank expects a if seen in the context of value that it ing for more than 80 percent of In- growth of Rs 6,000 to Rs 12,000 crore in its book can unlock by attracting private cap- dia’s trade with ASEAN. size this year. ital flows from India into the region The ASEAN-India Trade in Goods “Interconnectivity between Saarc countries is a in a host of industries, including Agreement, which was signed in big infrastructure development opportunity for tourism, which could unleash rapid Bangkok on 13 August 2009, en- Indian companies. The prime minister too had economic development of the ASE- tered into force on 1 January 2010. expressed his interest in establishing seamless connectivity in the region during the last summit. AN region and shared prosperity of The ASEAN-India Agreement on We have started working on a feasibility study on its constituent economies. Trade in Services and Investment private investments in Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar India has consciously chosen to re- was concluded in 2014 and will be- and Vietnam (CLMV). inforce economic partnerships with come operational from 1 July 2015. “The budget had proposed plans to catalyse Southeast Asia under an “Act East” It provides business certainty to ser- private sector investments and set up manu- policy by prioritizing investments in vice providers from both India and facturing hubs in CMLV,” said David Rasquinha, deputy MD, Exim Bank of India. CLMV economies. It is also an ac- ASEAN countries and is expected to knowledgement of the long standing strengthen business and commercial Projects executed in Saarc region currently accounts for 25-30 per cent of Exim bank’s busi- industrial cooperation between In- relations between ASEAN and India. ness and largest chunk of its financing goes for dia and the CLMV countries. It will also open up opportunities the projects in war-ravaged Sri Lanka. Projects in The new foreign trade policy, of movement of both manpower the emerald islands account for commitment of 2015 announced by the government and investments between India and $2.5 billion followed by Nepal with commitments states explicitly: “India’s trade rela- ASEAN. of $1.4 billion. tions with its immediate neighbours The India-Singapore Comprehen- While developed markets like Europe are going through rough times, project exports for Africa in South Asia are a special focus area sive Economic Cooperation Agree- and Saarc have been growing well in the recent for the government, with a larg- ment (CECA) became operational past. Africa accounts for 40 per cent of Exim er goal of building regional value from 1 August 2005. The second re- bank’s project exports. chains in different sectors such as view of CECA is underway. A Com- Some investments financed in markets like textiles, engineering goods, chemi- prehensive Economic Cooperation Europe, especially in automotive, chemical and cals, pharmaceuticals, auto compo- Agreement was signed with Malay- pharmaceutical sector and textiles have resulted nents, plastic and leather products. sia on 18 February 2011. A Compre- in a growth of non-performing assets (NPAs) of the bank from one per cent to three per cent. An added advantage of such inte- hensive Free Trade Agreement is be- However, Exim Bank finds that the NPAs have gration will be an expanded role for ing negotiated with Thailand. not moved to an alarming rate. North East India in regional trade Trade between Indian and CLMV Meanwhile, the bank has been earmarked capital with its consequent development countries grew tenfold from $1.1 bil- of Rs 1,300 crore for 2015-16. With a leverage outcomes. A better connected South lion in 2004 to $11.2 billion in 2013. ratio of ten times of the capital, it will be raising Asia can provide additional trade In terms of FDI, approved Indian Rs 13,000 crore in the form of debt from the government. “China has a leverage ratio of 75 routes to South East Asia and Cen- foreign investment in CLMV coun- times of capital as they are aggressive in pushing tral Asia.” tries stood at $40.9 million in 2013 business. We are profitable at this leverage India has developed multi-faceted with bulk of the flows directed into ratio,” said Rasquinha. relationship with ASEAN countries Vietnam (54.9% of total flows into The bank expects its books to grow between both bilaterally and multilaterally. the CLMV region). Total FDI for Rs 6,000 and Rs 12,000 crore this fiscal from Taking this to the logical next phase, the ASEAN region as a whole stood Rs 9,000 crore last year. It also has been seeing the “Act East” policy of the Govern- at $1.3 billion in 2013. In January the value of overseas projects increasing in the recent times. (Source: Financial Chronicle) ment of India endeavours to cul- 2015, there are a total of 84 projects tivate wide-ranging economic and funded by Indian investments in

MYSTIC EAST | 43 TRADE & COMMERCE

MYANMARVIETNAM LAOS

THAILAND

CAMBODIA PHILIPPINES

MALAYSIA

INDONESIA

SINGAPORE

Vietnam. The Export-Import Bank of Besides being a preferred region for sharing 1,643 km of common border India has created 20 Letters of Credit manufacturing, CLMV countries are in the north-eastern region” where worth US$ 1 billion in CLMV coun- also large potential markets for Indi- Mizoram, Manipur, Nagaland and tries towards power, irrigation, and an products. The region has a popula- Arunachal Pradesh share internation- manufacturing projects. tion of 165 million, growing incomes, al border with Myanmar. India and the CLMV countries and a rapidly expanding middle class. The first CLMV summit was held share similar economic characteris- In Vietnam alone, the middle class is in November 2004 in Vientiane, Lao tics when it comes to prospects for expected to increase from 2 million PDR, with the adoption of the Vien- manufacturing. Abundant natural in 2014 to 33 million by 2020. A re- tiane Declaration on enhancing eco- resources and cheap labour are its cent Exim Bank of India study of the nomic cooperation and integration major assets. CLMV countries are CLMV economies titled “Enhancing among CLMV countries. The Vien- competing with India in manufactur- India’s bilateral ties with Cambodia, tiane Declaraion outlined seven areas ing with their presence in integrated Lao PDR, Myanmar, Vietnam: A Brief of cooperation which include trade value chains in Southeast Asia. For Analysis” states that border trade and investment, agriculture, industry instance, the phone manufacturer between India and CLMV countries and energy, transport, information Nokia moved its operations from In- (through Myanmar) has special sig- technology, tourism and human re- dia’s Chennai to Vietnam’s BacNinh nificance and there is immense po- source development. province in 2013-14 to reap benefits tential to enhance bilateral economic A survey by the Japanese External of cheaper operational costs in the relationship due to the geographical Trade Organization (JETRO) in De- region. continuity with India and Myanmar cember 2014 showed that base month-

44 | MYSTIC EAST March - April 2015

ly salaries for manufacturing employ- Kher, Union commerce secretary. He content in it,” Kher added. ees of Japanese-invested companies in informed that the government would Explaining it further, he said: CLMV countries were lower than those set up a mechanism within the next “If you have a SEZ say in Vietnam in India. While base monthly salaries three to four months to create a project -- get your yarn exported there, get in India were reported at US$239, development firm under the Exim Bank apparel made there and then access those reported for CLMV countries to channelize investments into Cambo- the American market through the were US$113 in Cambodia, US$112 dia, Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam. TPP route and take advantage of the in Laos, US$127 in Myanmar, and The mechanism will operate through duty and standard benefits”. The US$176 in Vietnam. India is also keen a SPV which the EXIM Bank will form Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) is a on accelerating cooperation with cities in collaboration with a private sector proposed regional free trade agree- within each country. In one such case, company. The SPV will have a project ment among 12 countries: Australia, textiles, pharmaceuticals, tourism and development fund (PDF). “The PDF Brunei, Canada, Chile, Japan, Ma- high-tech agriculture have been iden- will be funded by the government laysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, tified as sectors for Indian investment which in turn will invest in (one of Singapore, the United States, and into Can Tho, Vietnam. (www.asean- these countries) say in acquiring land Vietnam. “It is a simple financing briefing.com). or a SEZ and then develop it and start mechanism of Indian government Recently, the government of India has allocating it to business entities in In- till the point private sector comes in taken some concrete steps which were dia against payment. It is essentially a and pays back. It is also a short term disclosed to the media by Mr Rajeev trade facilitation measure with capital credit facility,” he added.

INDIA, THAILAND TO BOLSTER STRATEGIC CO-OPERATION the new government’s “Act East” competitiveness, labour skills etc. policy. Gen Prayut also confirmed full Thailand is very positive about India support for the 7th Thai- Indian and the leaders think India is a suc- Joint Commission Meeting to be cess story, a big story, Ajit Doval, hosted by Thailand in June this year National Security Advisor (NSA) to to conclude many pending issues Prime Minister Narendra Modi, said such as FTA, academic and trade here after calling on the Thai premier cooperation. Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha and meeting The Thai premier also expressed other top ministers. his readiness to invite his Indian The Thai premier said India was counterpart to visit Thailand in due seen by investors as one of the most course. attractive markets, particularly in Thailand and India, as well as industrial manufacturing, construc- Myanmar, are pushing to complete tion, food processing, etc. the Trilateral Highway by next year Thailand is ready to expand cooper- that will link India’s Northeast region ation with India in various sectors, to Southeast Asia. The Association BANGKOK: India and Thailand have especially in tourism. The Thai gov- of Southeast Asian Nations (ASE- agreed to bolster their defence and ernment is focusing on improving AN)’s mainland members would be strategic cooperation, maritime its national infrastructure, especially able to connect to the Delhi-Mumbai security and counter-terrorism, with railways, to promote linkage with Industrial Corridor and the Chennai top Thai leaders strongly supporting neighbouring countries and boost Bangalore Economic Corridor. (PTI)

MYSTIC EAST | 45 TRADE & COMMERCE Shillong roundtable on Indo-ASEAN connectivity

titude, proper technologies should be introduced to help the aircrafts operate without facing much diffi- culties arising from risks related to extreme weather conditions. The 100 per cent FDI may be allowed for the development of greenfield airports in NER. Guwahati and Imphal airports shall be connected with international destinations with the help of private airlines. More flying routes within In- dia as an option of 5th Freedom Right may attract foreign airlines to fly in NER. 4. Considering the need and urgen- cy of development of connectivity, it has been suggested to speed up the process of fund disbursement and easing the operational hindrances. 5. Connectivity within NER is es- sential to have an effective connec- tivity with ASEAN. Apart from de- velopment of forward linkages, it is essential to develop backend connec- IMPORTANT ing facilities are also not widely lo- tivity in the region, which will facili- RECOMMENDATIONS cated in NER. It was suggested that tate the infrastructure development 1. NER is not adequately linked in border trade formalities should be process. NER should not be seen as a the Look East Policy (LEP) or Act East reconfigured and simplified at Moreh. mere transit point. Connectivity proj- Policy (AEP). Neither, it participates At the same time, border trade shall ects are plenty, but we need to prior- in large way in trade with ASEAN. be treated as most favoured nation itise the implementation of the proj- Out of 62 items allowed for border (MFN) trade. ects. trade with Myanmar at Moreh, only 2. Dawki and Moreh Integrated 6. It has been suggested that a 9 items have been traded so far. An- Check Posts (ICPs) are being planned think-tank for NEC may be set-up for other 22 items were added in the list in NER in the first phase. ICP at Agar- effectively implementing the steps for of tradable items recently. Out of 32 tala has been started working few regional growth laid out in “Vision Land Customs Stations (LCSs), only 3 months back. Single border post be- 2020” Report and designing the poli- LCSs have been notified to allow trade tween Bhutan and India for the sake cy measures for the region’s economic with Myanmar. Therefore, steep rise of handling international trade is be- engagement with ASEAN. Secretary of informal trade has been witnessed ing mooted. of NEC also declared that NEC would between India and Myanmar at the 3. There is also a need to develop all be happy to host such think-tank at border. On top, non-tariff measures Tier-II and Tier-III airports in NER Shillong. (NTMs) prohibit trade between In- and modernise them to empower in 7. A regional master plan to pro- dia and Myanmar. For example, port landing and operational facilities. mote industries in NER and a tourism restriction does not allow import of With most of the airports located in master plan are ongoing. NEC shall livestock through Moreh. Food test- hilly terrains and regions on high al- undertake another study going be-

46 | MYSTIC EAST

TRADE & COMMERCE

Growth Potential of CLMV countries COUNTRIES GROSS DOMESTIC PRODUCT PER CAPITA GDP Actuals(2010) Targets(2030) Actuals(2010) Targets(2030) US $bn US $bn Average annual US $bn US $bn No. of times growth % Increase over 2010-30 2010-30 Cambodia 11.3 61.6 8.5 753.0 3356.0 4.5 Lao PDR 6.5 32.3 8.0 1004.0 4015.0 4.0 Myanmar 45.4 231.3 8.1 742.0 3337.0 4.5 Vietnam 103.6 478.6 7.7 1174.0 4694.0 4.0 ASEAN-10 1871.1 6732.0 6.4 3117.0 9435.0 3.0 ASEAN-6 1704.4 5928.1 6.2 3969.0 11492.0 2.9 CLMV 166.7 803.9 7.9 976.0 4067.0 4.2 Source: ADB (Supporting Equitable Economic Development in ASEAN, February, 2013) yond Vision 2020. generate employment but also bring trading community should be ade- 8. It is discussed that with develop- political peace. To promote tourism quately trained on use of financial ment of roadways in NER would help between ASEAN and NER, Visa on Ar- instruments in carrying out the trade in tapping a much larger market at rival (VoA) may be extended to ASE- across borders. More banks should be Myanmar, Lao PDR, Cambodia and AN tourists, when they arrive at NER allowed to officially deal with trade Vietnam, which till date remains un- airports or border and vice versa. The between NER, Myanmar and Bangla- explored. Alongside of physical con- current temporary entry arrangement desh. nectivity, development of digital con- between Manipur state and Myanmar 14. The Kaladan Multimodal Tran- nectivity with ASEAN would result in should be replaced by VoA scheme at sit Transport Project (KMTTP) will stronger regional growth and integra- Moreh-Tamu border, particularly in connect Kolkata and other ports of tion. connection with health treatment of India’s east coast with Sittwe port in 9. Focusing on border trade, it Myanmar patients in Imphal. Myanmar. With the completion of the has been felt that there is an urgent 12. An approximate value of Rs. Dawei deep-sea port in Myanmar, we need to develop the border trade in- 3000 crore have been spent by med- will have a much shorter sea route to frastructure to facilitate easy and ef- ical tourists in NER, out of which Rs. the Southeast Asian region as com- ficient trading practices, thereby re- 500 crore have been spent in Manipur pared to the Straits of Malacca. Ship- ducing trading time and cost. alone. Since the infrastructure is yet ping Corporation of India is about to 10. Owing to NER’s rising trade with to be developed in health sector, it is start on a trial basis, direct fortnightly Bangladesh and Myanmar, provision suggested that there is a need of more shipping services from India’s east of special incentives is necessary to doctors, beds, nurses and other relat- coast to Yangon, which would cut build connectivity projects in NER. ed facilities. It is also suggested that down shipping time by one-third. Feeder highways are required to be Imphal Ring Road should be built, 15. With transport agreement be- built in every NER state, which will which would facilitate the growth of tween India and Myanmar on anvil connect the major towns of one state heath industry. Multi-product Special and development of industrial parks to the other, thereby facilitating inter- Economic Zone (SEZ) is coming up and townships in Manipur and oth- and intra- state trade and commerce. at Tobal in Manipur. Development of er NER states under progress, bilat- 11. Tourism is an area, which has adequate human resources, accredi- eral trade between the two countries high trade potential between NER tations of degrees, political stability, is likely to increase in days to come. and ASEAN. About one million tour- ensuring accessibility and affordabil- Moreh LCS in Manipur will emerge as ists from Thailand visit Myanmar ity are some of the additional mea- a potential growth centre, and there- every year. If we succeed in bringing sures, which will help in developing fore it should be equipped with all even a small one per cent of such vol- this sector in NER. modern facilities to handle increased ume in NER, tourism industry in NER 13. With support of financial in- trade and economic activities. Timely will revive again, which will not only stitutions including banks, local completion of ICP at Moreh will not

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only strengthen the trade capacity but Country-wise India’s trade potential (US$ billion) also generate exports from NER. 2015 2018 16. It is suggested that competitive Partner 2000 Actual 2009 Actual 2012 Actual Potential Potential trade routes can be developed to in- crease trade volumes significantly. Brunei 0.003 0.511 1.002 2.897 4.022 We need to promote both land and sea routes. Multimodal connectivity be- Cambodia 0.009 0.045 0.121 1.983 3.875 tween ASEAN and India is essential. TuraJamalpur-Dhaka road, Imphal- Indonesia 1.308 10.736 20.261 43.439 50.328 Silcar-Karimganj-Silhet road, trilat- eral highway, etc., have to be opened for commercial use at the earliest to Lao PDR 0.005 0.021 0.168 1.439 3.023 facilitate NER’s trade and investment with ASEAN and Bangladesh. With Malaysia 1.957 8.387 14.171 34.435 38.825 completion of Yargi and Monywa sec- tion of trilateral highway (in Myan- Myanmar 0.227 1.405 1.875 8.983 11.559 mar), transportation between Man- dalay and Imphal can be completed in Philippines 0.249 1.017 1.610 11.032 13.011 8 to 10 hours. Rih-Tidim road project may be undertaken to give access to Singapore 2.308 12.769 22.487 31.122 35.276 Mizoram to trilateral highway. Myan- mar – Bangladesh – India gas pipe- Thailand 0.845 4.276 8.966 21.002 25.635 line shall also be renegotiated. 17. Indian Railways is presently con- Vietnam 0.220 2.149 5.599 12.983 16.230 structing broad gauge railway line between Jiribam and Tupul, which is likely to be completed by 2016. By ASEAN 7.131 41.316 76.261 169.315 201.784 2018, Imphal will be connected with Indian Railways network. Railway China 2.207 38.995 68.878 125.902 148.232 line between Imphal and Moreh is also being planned. It has been rec- Japan 3.783 9.572 19.202 40.542 45.111 ommended that the Railways should take up the Imphal-Moreh section Korea 1.446 11.589 17.894 43.992 49.652 along with the Jiribam-Imphal sec- tion so that both are completed simul- ASEAN+3 14.567 101.471 182.234 379.751 444.779 taneously. 18. Development of mega food parks, Source: RIS SEZs and industrial parks are some of the initiatives on the anvil. Inte- grated tourism master plan, develop- region. Regular interactions between creasing their interests, involvement ment of master plan to increase sec- the industry associations of ASEAN and awareness in the development ac- toral competitiveness and provision and NER would pave the way for tivities, thereby making it more inclu- of transport subsidy are some of the strengthening business relations. sive. We may learn from the success measures through which the develop- 19. Commerce Ministry may com- of Mekong subregion model. ment process can be circulated across mence the development of the SEZs 21. Skill development, capacity the region. It is also sought that po- and the states should have a plan to building and training are some of tential of every NER state should be develop the export-oriented sectors the areas where private sector of In- considered individually rather than so that it matches with the corridor dia and ASEAN countries can be in- considering them as a single entity. development time frame. volved. Frequent interactions with business 20. Additionally, benefits from trade 22. Develop implementation strategy people of NER and ASEAN would and development should ideally be with strict timeline. Actionable strate- help in attracting investments in the transferred to local people for in- gy on Act East Policy (AEP) is needed.

50 | MYSTIC EAST A.V.HOTEL

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Ujjayanta Palace, Agartala

TRIPURA: UNRIVALLED HERITAGE

ESIDES being an attractive Hindu and Buddhist sites. The State Tourism assets tourist destination, Tripura has also has rich flora and fauna. There is Heritage Park, Agartala B rich and unparalleled cultural also great potential for development The Heritage Park, spread over twelve heritage. Tripura’s history is incom- of tourist circuits, involving all the NE acres of land, is on the northern side plete without mention of the sterling states and if possible, Bangladesh as of Raj Bhawan on the Agartala-GBP contributions of two legendary Indian well. All this offers attractive opportu- Hospital Road. Entrance to the park artists - Rabindranath Tagore who en- nities for the hospitality industry. In has an imposing gate depicting the rich joyed complete trust and faith of the Tripura, hotels have been considered cultural heritage of Tripura, both trib- monarchy and Sachin Deb Barman as industry, with a view to promote al and non-tribal. The park has three (an awesome musician who also had tourism. Hence, all incentives avail- parts: (i) mini-Tripura located in about a brush with royalty). able to other industrial units are also three acres of land at the entrance, (ii) There are a number of historical available for setting up hotels. central area being raised as natural

52 | MYSTIC EAST March - April 2015

forest, and (iii) a plain table land with medicinal plants, herbs and shrubs. There is a walking track of 1.1 km run- ning along the periphery of the park.

Purbasa, Agartala Tripura is noted for its exquisite and beautiful bamboo, cane and wooden handicrafts including cotton, silk, poly- ester. Visitors can watch the craft per- sons at work and end up shopping at ‘Purbasa’ and any of the Handloom and Handicrafts Sales Emporium in any of the tourist centres, including Agartala.

Ujjayanta Palace This royal house, which stands in Agartala was built by Maharaja Rad- ha Kishore Manikya during 1899- 1901. It is a two storied mansion, hav- ing a mixed type of architecture with three high domes, the central one be- ing 86’ high. The magnificent tile floor, curved wooden ceiling and beautifully craft- ed doors are particularly notable. The palace is set with huge Mughal style Tea Garden, Tripura gardens, beautified by pools and gar- dens. Flood lighting and fountains have also added to its beauty. State industrial policy frastructure (hotels, malls, multiplexes In view of their greater competitive- etc.) are some potential activities. Jampui Hills ness, industrial units based on local- Trade continues to be an important It is situated about 200 Km. away ly available raw materials are being driver of Tripura economy. The state’s from Agartala and is the highest hill encouraged. These sectors include locational advantage, surrounded on range in the state bordering Mizoram. primary produce such as natural rub- three sides by Bangladesh with over This permanent seat of eternal spring ber, bamboo, tea, herbal aromatic and 830 km of mostly plain border, is be- is situated at an altitude of 3000’ medicines, food processing including ing leveraged for long term benefits. above sea level. jackfruit, pineapples and cashew nut, The state government offers a pack- The hill range has 11 villages inhab- spices etc. and mineral resources such age of incentives for setting up of in- ited by Mizo (Lushai tribes) and also as natural gas and sand etc. dustrial units, which is comparable with by Reang tribes. Population of the hill The sectors where the State’s own other states. Besides, the North East range is about 8,000 and the main market or that of neighbouring states Industrial and Investment Promotion occupation of the villagers is orange and Bangladesh afford viable demand Policy (NEIIP), 2007 declared by the cultivation. size and growth also are being sup- government of India for the north-east The sunrise and sunset in the hill ported. Construction-related inputs region is available to industrial units. range offer a delightful sight . The and services, inputs for major infra- natural beauty, the pleasant weather, structure projects in the state / re- State Package of Incentives various species of trees, orchids and gion (such as bridges, roads, power under Tripura Industrial orange gardens, hospitable people projects), transport-related areas in- Investment Promotion In- and rich cultural heritage make it an cluding vehicles and aviation-related centive Scheme, 2012:- ideal destination for the tourists. services, hospitality and recreation in- 1. Capital Investment Subsidy @

MYSTIC EAST | 53 STATE SURVEY

finished goods, subject to overall ceil- ing of Rs 50 lakhs per enterprise per annum. The subsidy shall be given to an eligible enterprise for 5 years from the date of commercial production. 4. Partial reimbursement of power charges to the extent of 15% of the power charges actually paid by the enterprise, subject to a ceiling of Rs 12 lakhs per enterprise per year. This incentive is for 5 years from date of commercial production. 5. Partial reimbursement of interest on term loans actually paid to banks/ financial institutions to the extent of 3% of the term loans availed by the enterprise, subject to a ceiling of Rs 1.50 lakhs per enterprise per annum. This incentive is for 5 years from date of commercial production. 6. Full reimbursement of standard certification fees /charges / other expenses on account of obtaining a standard certification. 7. Partial reimbursement @ 20% of floor space rentals actually paid by IT enterprise, subject to a maximum of Rs 12 lakh per annum. 8. Provides State Transport Subsi- dy for covering the portion for which Central Transport Subsidy is not available. 9. 85% exemption from the payment of earnest money and security depos- its on tenders floated by state govt. department / agencies.

Purbasha Other Benefits 1. 90% subsidy on air freight from Agartala to Guwahati/ Kolkata, on 30% and additional subsidy @ 2.5% price is within 15% of the price quoted transport of fruits/fruit products for for enterprises of ST, SC, & women by the lowest bidder from outside the export individuals on Fixed Capital Invest- state, subject to the condition that the 2. Tripura Industrial Development ment, for land and civil works subject local unit agrees to supply by match- Agency (TIDA), as single window for to a ceiling of Rs. 50 lakh per unit. ing the price offered by the first lowest facilitation of necessary clearances 2. Procurement preference @ 15% bidder outside the state. and other assistance to entrepreneurs on purchases on tendering process 3. Industrial promotion subsidy equal 3. Prompt and regular clearance of by the state government department to the net amount (net of input taxes) incentives and subsidy claims; State / agencies subject to at least 30% val- of the Tripura value added tax, central is up-to-date in payment/reimburse- ue addition within the state. The pro- sales tax (CST) and any other com- ment of incentives and subsidies curement preference shall be avail- modity tax actually paid by an enter- 4. Transparent, efficient and respon- able to local enterprises whose quoted prise to the state government of sale of sive administration.

54 | MYSTIC EAST March - April 2015

TRIPURA’S PRIDE-RABINDRANATH AND SACHIN KARTA

OBEL laureate Rabindranath out that “Tagore wanted to make the Sachin Dev Barman’s oeuvre is best N Tagore’s affinity with Tripura’s Native States citadels of Indian culture summed up in his own words: “There royalty is well documented as also his and their rulers champions of social is a saying about Tripura that in its pal- notable influence on its finance and reforms. According to Tagore: “Reform ace, the king, the queen, the princes administration. Although the associa- cannot be effected by a multitude of and princesses and even the servants tion of the Tagore family with Tripura men. Diverse men have diverse inter- and maids, everyone sings. No one reached its zenith during the times of ests and diverse minds. Concurrence born there is devoid of musical talent. Rabindranath, its seeds were sown of all or even a majority is a far cry. In In its paddy fields the ploughman much earlier by king Ratna Manikya that case the opinion and the influence ploughs and sings, the boatman can- (1464-68), a liberal patron of Bengali of one who is supreme in the country not steer his boat in the rivers without language and culture. can bring the desired effect.” singing, the fisherman throws his net Later, king Krishna Kishore Manikya Rabindranath graciously acknowl- with a song on his lips, the weaver contacted Dwarkanath Tagore during edged his familial relations with the working on his looms weaves his own a political crisis and received timely monarchy in his maiden letter to king music and labourers find solace in assistance. Bir Chandra Manikya (1862-1896). singing in the midst of their toils. This In his book, Tripura Administration: He later based his novel ‘Rajarshi’ prevalence of music in all aspects of The Era of Modernisation,1870-1972, and plays ‘Visarjan’ and ‘Mukut’ on its life is God-given. I am a son of that Banikantha Bhattacharyya has pointed Tripura’s history. soil of Tripura.” (Sargamer Nikhad)

MYSTIC EAST | 55 STATE SURVEY

TRIPURA GOVERNMENT ACCOMMODATION

Name Address & Phone Geetanjali Tourism Guest House Agartala, West Tripura district; Ph- 0381 2410009/2410016 Sagarmahal Tourist Lodge Melaghar, Sepahijala district, Ph- 0381 2524418 Comilla View Tourist Lodge Kamalasagar, Sepahijala district, Ph- 0381 2916014 Gomati Yatri Niwas Udaipur, Gomati district, Ph- 03821 223478 Gunabati Yatri Niwas Matabari, Gomati district, Ph- 03821 267939 Pilak Tourist Lodge Jolaibari, South Tripura district, Ph-03823 263836 Eden Tourist Lodge Vangmun, Jampui Hill, North Tripura, district; Ph- 03824 290888 Juri Tourist Lodge Dharmanagar, North Tripura, District; Ph- 03822 231921 Unakoti Tourist Lodge Kailashahar, Unakoti district, Ph- 03824 223635 Sagarika Parjatan Niwas Amarpur, Gomati district, Ph- 0381 2524418 Muhuri Parjatan Niwas Belonia, South Tripura district, Ph- 03823 222032 Longtharai Parjatan Niwas Manughat, Dhalai district, Ph-03824 211962 Mahamuni Tourist Lodge Manubankul, South Tripura, district; Ph- 0382 3275382 Dhakshinayan Tourist Lodge Sabroom, South Tripura, district; Ph-0382 3270940 Dhalai Tourist Lodge Ambassa, Dhalai district Saima Tourist Lodge Gandacherra, Dhalai district

PRIVATE ACCOMODATION Hotel Ginger Airport Road, Khejur Bagan, Barjala Mouja, Agartala, West Tripura; Ph- 0381 2411333 Hotel Rajdhani B.K Road Agartala, West Tripura; Ph- 0381 2223387/6317 Hotel Ambar Sakuntala Road Agartala, Tripura; 0381 2383587 Hotel Madhusree Masjid Road, Agartala, Tripura; 0381 2384281/0802 Hotel Mars VIP Road Buddha Mandir, Agartala, Tripura; 0381 2308930 Hotel Plaza Maszid Road,Santipara, Agartala, Tripura; 0381 2380876 Hotel Somraj Regency HGB Road, Swasti Bazar, Agartala,Tripura; 0381 2382069,2385172 Hotel Welcome Palace HGB Road, Agartala,Tripura; 0381 2384940/3380 Hotel City Centre HGB Road, Agartala,Tripura; 0381 2385270/ 5258/5092 Hotel Radha International Central Road, Agartala, Tripura; 0381 2384530/2615 Hotel Executive Inn 9, Mantri Bari Road, Agartala, Tripura; 0381 2325047 Hotel Galaxy Gandhighat, Agartala, Tripura; 0381 2323893 Hotel Raj Palace Sundaram Hotel Battala, Agartala, Tripura; 9436122845, 9436560972 Hotel Overseas Mansion HGB Road, Agartala,Tripura; 0381 2382783 Hotel Heaven HGB Road, Agartala,Tripura; 0381 238011/2205737 Hotel Star N S Road, Agartala, Tripura; 0381 2383661 Green Touch Hotel & Resort Durgabari, Lembucherra, Agartala, Tripura; 0381 2397742 Royal Guest House Palace Compound, Agartala, Tripura; 0381 2225652/5539

56 | MYSTIC EAST

SINCLAIRS RETREAT KALIMPONG The Sinclairs Retreat Kalimpong, spread over five acres of luxuriantly landscaped greens, becomes the sixth prized property in the Sinclairs chain. The hotel provides an idyllic setting for tourists seeking repose in a distraction-free environment. It is a killer combo of the mighty Himalayas and a verdant, densely forested valley vying with one another to soothe the frazzled nerves of the harried and travel-weary visitor.