I feel privileged to be associated today with the commencement of construction of the Agartala Medical College. I compliment the State Government, its Chief Minister and my colleague, Shri P.R. Kyndiah, for taking up this project to fulfill the aspirations of the people of Tripura.

As you are all aware that this beautiful but far corner of our country has been very close to me. While I have been elected from Assam as a Member of Parliament, I do believe that I represent the aspirations of the entire North-East in Parliament. This enchanting and diverse region and its ancient people are very dear to me. You have all shown me great affection and generosity and I reciprocate this with all my heart.

We are today entering a Knowledge era, an era where the returns to investment in knowledge far exceed returns in any other activity. The growth of economies will be dependent on the quality of their human resource base. The more skilled the people, the greater will be the potential for growth and prosperity. When I meet leaders from across the world, they tell me that they are impressed by the quality of manpower being produced by our higher education system. Decades ago, Pandit Nehru laid the foundations of an expanded technical and professional education system with ambitious goals. The investments then made are now bearing fruit in the form of highly skilled doctors, lawyers and engineers. The world is flocking to India to harvest the skills that are available here.

Whenever I have looked at the problems in the North East, I have always been surprised by the gap in the outstanding resource base in the region and the lack of economic development on a comparable scale. This has partially been because of the physical barriers of distance with the rest of the country compounded by poor connectivity. However, there has also been a lack of investment in the human resource base in the region. Although literacy levels have been high in some parts of the North East, this has not translated into a high level scientific and professional skills. There is a relative shortage of colleges for professional education and even now, students go far distances to other studies to pursue education in the sciences.

This has been true of Tripura as well. I believe that the time has come to make serious efforts to improve the investment and quality of education, particularly in the sciences and professional courses so that the state can catch up with the rest of the country. This medical college offers a chance to do so. I appeal to the state government to initiate many more such projects so that Tripura can become a leader in the knowledge world.

Our Government stands committed to the overall development and progress of Tripura. Tripura has always had a special place in our hearts and minds and I am very happy to be here to participate in two programmes that symbolize our commitment to Tripura's economic and social development.

Earlier today, I laid the foundation stone of a major thermal power project. That project will accelerate the economic development of Tripura and provide energy security. I am now delighted to begin the process of construction of a medical college. This project will contribute to the social development of Tripura.

While the north-eastern States have to still travel some distance to catch up with the pace of economic development in the country, we are all proud of the fact that the region has done well in terms of social development. Tripura's health indicators are better than in many other parts of the country. However, there is scope for further improvement and I hope our Government has been able to make a difference by placing greater emphasis on health and education. I am proud of the fact that the UPA Government has sharply increased spending in these areas. More than the financial allocations, it is the seriousness with which we are addressing the challenge in health and education that gives me reasons for hope. We are committed to making a difference. We will make a difference.

We need new investment in health care, but we also need new approaches to health care. Even as we have some of the world's best medical institutions here, and we talk of medical tourism and telemedicine to serve the global market, at home we are still unable to provid3 comprehensive healthcare for all our citizens. Our government is trying to address this challenge once again through the national Rural Health Mission. This Mission, based on integrated district level planning brings together both government and non-government agencies, including local bodies, and creating a new institutional structure for health care. Tripura too will benefit from this Mission.

I do appreciate the distinct role of tertiary, secondary and primary level institutions. Our medical colleges must link more effectively with the community and address its needs. You must respond to the felt needs of the county at the grass roots. Medical and para- medical personnel have to be imbibed by a sense of welfare of the community they serve.

Premier tertiary level institutions have to be held up as role models for lower level institutions. We need to restore pride in working in public institutions. I am not against the involvement of the private sector in the health care but excessive privatization of health care does trouble me because we are in danger of creating two worlds separated by an insurmountable distance - a world of high class medical care available to a privileged few while the great mass of our people do not have access even to ordinary health care facilities. This we must never allow to happen. It is indeed at a level of state and local government that we need a new commitment to public health and to public institutions in health care.

I must take this opportunity to mention that we are making a major departure in the funding of Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan. DONER will now be providing 15% of the funds to the States of North East. This implies that Tripura"s share of SSA would come down to 10% from the existing 25% . The additional amount would also come as a grant. We hope that this one time dispensation would help implement an important national program in the education sector. I also hope DONER will be able to work more effectively with the state Government of Tripura in completing the construction of the 'State Capital Complex" which has gone on for too long. We will help the State Government to complete this project.

I sincerely believe that the best is yet to come for India, for the north-eastern region and for Tripura. This region is on the threshold of a new era of accelerated development. This is not just because we have stepped up investment in infrastructure, in connectivity, in education and in health care. It is also because we are linking ourselves to the dynamic regions of south-east Asia. The improved air, rail, road and telecom connectivity between north-eastern India and south-east Asia is reviving old trade routes. People and goods have traversed these hills for centuries, carrying goodwill and creating social, economic and cultural linkages. We must revive these relationships so that the creativity and enterprise of the people of this region can find greater expression.

Geographical contiguity is not merely the absence of physical distance. It enables a participative exercise for building a community of prosperity based on goodwill and enterprise. In an era of globalization, inter- connectivity, whether within a region or between regions, has to be comprehensive, covering all dimensions - human, infrastructural, economic, technological and cultural. By building such bridges of understanding and interaction will we increase and widen the circles of prosperity and growth.

Our North-Eastern states are India's gateway to South East Asia. This is true not just in terms of physical connectivity but also in terms of economic outreach and cultural affinities. The development of the North-East and its integration with the larger regional processes is one of the prime determining factors of India's engagement with regional cooperation. This region will benefit from three interacting circles of associations that we are actively engaged in - SAARC, BIMSTEC and ASEAN. India's 'Look East' policy, initiated by the Congress Government in the early 1990s, has brought us closer to our eastern neighbours. Next month I will be in Dhaka to participate in the SAARC Summit. I hope this summit will give a new fillip to economic and cultural integration of our region. A month later I will be in Kaula Lumpur to participate in the East Asian Summit. The early completion of the SAFTA process and of an India-ASEAN free trade agreement will creat! e new trading and investment opportunities. The launching of BIMSTEC has brought India closer to Myanmar and Thailand.

All this augurs well for Tripura and your leadership, both in Government and in civil society and business, must seize these opportunities. Tripura can become an active participant in our "Look East" policy.

I sincerely hope that your educational institutions will generate in your youth the required spirit of adventure, enterprise and creativity so that they can make use of these new emerging opportunities. I hope the Agartala Medical College will be one among many more professional institutions that will open new vistas for the youth of Tripura. I wish you all the best in your endeavours. May your path be blessed.