Building bridges

Darjeeling, Nov. 11: In a move which could help the northeastern states come closer to mainstream India, the youths from the region and Darjeeling have joined hands to form a broader platform following the North-Eastern Youth Conference that ended here yesterday.

The joint declaration issued today by the delegates of the youth conference has been aptly christened Way Forward-Resilience and Hope Declaration. The move is significant as delegates from Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya and Nagaland have decided to work with their Darjeeling counterparts to identify forms of good governance, networking and advocacy. The decision comes at a time when most of these states are facing insurgency problems.

Pravat Rana, the convener of Darjeeling NGO Network, a forum of 22 NGOs from Darjeeling, said: “We have decided to form a common forum, which will be made functional through the Internet. All members have agreed to hold discussions through e-groups, which have also been formed during the conference.”

Regional coordinators have already been chosen by the delegates and they will meet again in Nagaland during the Employment Summit slated for December.

During the three-day workshop which concluded yesterday, the youths discussed issues like unemployment, lack of equal opportunity, substance abuse, problems of militancy and insurgency, and the crucial issue of mainland India and the Northeast.

“With the youths coming together, we believed things can change for the better in our region,” said Roshan Rai, a coordinator of the event.

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