N-E ‘cold vibes’ to Mary puts Centre in fix
9 April 2015 5:42 AM IST
Olympic boxing champion MC Mary Kom has won huge accolades for India, but it seems that the star athlete has failed to garner much fan following in the North-East, forcing the Centre to reconsider its decision of making her the brand ambassador for the North-East.
Mary’s chances of becoming the ambassador received a jolt, after civil societies questioned her merit for the position in the midst of other eminent personalities in the region. They questioned that despite having several other renowned people in Assam, Nagaland, Arunachal Pradesh, Mizoram, Tripura and Sikkim, why Kom (from Manipur) is being pushed for the face of North-East.
According to sources, apart from the issue of not inducting other well-known dignitaries, the inter-community, communal and inter-ethnic issues are also a matter of concern for the government, which has proposed Mary’s name as the North-East brand ambassador. “There are voices coming against the government’s proposal to push for her name. At present, the government has decided to put the matter on hold,” sources said.
Concerned over the issue in the North-East, the area to which Prime Minister Narendra Modi has started giving special attention in terms of development, the government is now planning to set up a committee, comprising representatives from all North-East states. “Let them unanimously decide on who could be an ideal brand ambassador of the north-eastern states and we will announce his or her name,” sources said.
The importance of having a brand ambassador was felt to promote North-East, which was neglected for years. As per recent statistics, the region offers Rs 2.4 trillion opportunity with 45 million people looking to consume goods and services. Not the least, there are plenty of opportunities across several sectors in manufacturing and services segments under both private and public-private partnership (PPP) mode.
“There are some minor issues and we are working on it,” sources in the Ministry of Development of North-Eastern Region said.
Mary is a five-time World Amateur Boxing champion and the only woman to have won a medal in each one of the six world championships.
Mary’s chances of becoming the ambassador received a jolt, after civil societies questioned her merit for the position in the midst of other eminent personalities in the region. They questioned that despite having several other renowned people in Assam, Nagaland, Arunachal Pradesh, Mizoram, Tripura and Sikkim, why Kom (from Manipur) is being pushed for the face of North-East.
According to sources, apart from the issue of not inducting other well-known dignitaries, the inter-community, communal and inter-ethnic issues are also a matter of concern for the government, which has proposed Mary’s name as the North-East brand ambassador. “There are voices coming against the government’s proposal to push for her name. At present, the government has decided to put the matter on hold,” sources said.
Concerned over the issue in the North-East, the area to which Prime Minister Narendra Modi has started giving special attention in terms of development, the government is now planning to set up a committee, comprising representatives from all North-East states. “Let them unanimously decide on who could be an ideal brand ambassador of the north-eastern states and we will announce his or her name,” sources said.
The importance of having a brand ambassador was felt to promote North-East, which was neglected for years. As per recent statistics, the region offers Rs 2.4 trillion opportunity with 45 million people looking to consume goods and services. Not the least, there are plenty of opportunities across several sectors in manufacturing and services segments under both private and public-private partnership (PPP) mode.
“There are some minor issues and we are working on it,” sources in the Ministry of Development of North-Eastern Region said.
Mary is a five-time World Amateur Boxing champion and the only woman to have won a medal in each one of the six world championships.
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