The Northeast Bankers Conclave 3.0 in Mizoram will focus on expanding institutional finance for micro, small and medium enterprises and farmers, while development projects worth around Rs 350 crore are scheduled to be inaugurated or launched in the state on Tuesday, Union communications and DoNER minister Jyotiraditya M Scindia said on Monday.
Speaking to reporters after arriving at Lengpui Airport, Scindia said the conclave would open new opportunities and accelerate Mizoram’s development. He said the state had significant growth potential across several sectors and an important role in the Centre’s vision of Viksit Bharat 2047.
The minister said the banking-sector meeting would examine ways to improve access to credit for entrepreneurs establishing MSMEs and for farmers. Better access to institutional finance, he said, would help raise production in key sectors. The conclave is expected to bring together banking-sector stakeholders from across the northeastern states to discuss financial inclusion, institutional credit and economic growth.
Scindia also highlighted the potential to expand oil palm cultivation in Mizoram. According to the minister, the conclave will consider measures that could help farmers secure better returns from oil palm production. The report does not specify the financial instruments, lending targets or implementation mechanisms that will be discussed at the meeting.
The minister is scheduled to travel to Tuivamit on the western outskirts of Aizawl, where he will inaugurate and lay the foundation stones for 10 development projects along with Mizoram Chief Minister Lalduhoma. The specific projects and their individual costs were not detailed in the supplied report, although their combined value was placed at around Rs 350 crore.
Scindia will later visit Mizoram University and interact with students, including participants in the Ministry of DoNER’s Ashtalakshmi Darshan Programme. He is also scheduled to inaugurate the Northeast Bankers’ Conclave 3.0 and deliver the keynote address at the university on Tuesday.
The visit is Scindia’s second to Mizoram since he assumed charge of the DoNER ministry. Officials said the two-day programme was intended to reinforce the Centre’s development partnership with the Northeast and create platforms for engagement with young people, civil society groups and financial-sector stakeholders.
For Mizoram, the immediate focus will be on whether the conclave can translate discussions on financial inclusion into greater access to formal credit for local businesses and farmers. The minister is scheduled to leave for New Delhi after attending the conclave on Tuesday.
