The Union Tourism Minister, Subodh Kant Sahai addressing the Cinematic Tourism Conclave.

The conclave was jointly organized by the Department of Tourism, Chandigarh Administration and Northern India Management Association. The conclave was also attended by Tourism Minister of Punjab, alongwith K.K.Sharma Adviser to the Administrator UT Chandigarh, Ram Niwas, Home Secretary UT, Geetika Kalha, Principal Secretary Tourism, Punjab, Dhanpat Singh, Principal Secretary Tourism, Haryana and Managing Directors of State Tourism Corporations of Punjab, Chandigarh, Haryana and other prominent personalities of Tourism fraternity and Punjabi Cinema.

Mr Sahai also felicitated the winners of excellence honours in the various spheres of tourism like Innovative Travel Agent , Innovative Tour Operator, Innovative Tourist Transporter, Innovative Restaurant, Innovative Tourism Photographer, Innovative Tourist Shop, Creative Travel Writer, Creative Interior Designer, Creative Cultural Event, Creative Theatre Group, Innovative Cinematic Tourism, Innovative Baker & Confectioner, Innovative Medical Tourism, Innovative Golf Tourism Services, Innovative Hospitality Institute, Innovative Tourism & Aviation Institute.

Applauding the efforts of Chandigarh Administration to promote Chandigarh as a cinematic Tourist destination in the region the Minister also highlighted the importance of inbound tourism to increase the foreign exchange earnings and to have mega Tourism projects under public-private partnership so that holding tourists becomes more important than getting tourists into the country and places like Chandigarh which are known for its architecture tourism world over. He also emphasized the need to organize such regional conclaves in the different zones of the country to synergies the efforts being made by the State Governments and the private players connected with the Film and small screen industry.

The statement said that the NECC will be a permanent platform in the national capital for cultural exchange not only among the people of the North East living in Delhi but also with those from other parts of the country.

Mr Handique said, his Ministry had taken up with the Union Ministry of Culture for helping in the establishment of the Centre. Ministry of DoNER and the North Eastern Council will arrange funds for organising a series of events within this financial year 2011-12, through active involvement of the people from North East Region residing at Delhi and NCR.

On the occasion, Mr Ramesh, said that his Ministry would establish two institutions, the National Centre on Wetlands and Marine Biodiversity in Bhubaneswar, National Centre on Olive Ridley and Marine Biodiversity at Gahirmata in Orissa.

On the sidelines of the programme the Minster also inaugurated the Fragrance Garden at the Regional office of the Ministry of Environment and Forests. He announced that this would be developed into a Biocultural park. He also announced that the Ministry would make efforts to get a digital copy of Jardin de Lorixa, considered to be the earliest scientific documentation of traditional/ indigenous knowledge about plants of Orissa, of which only one manuscript is available in Natural History Museum Paris (France).

India has a very rich diversity of wild plants and animals and is considered as one of the mega diverse country out of 17 mega diverse countries of the world. India also hosts four biodiversity hotspots: the Western Ghats, the Himalayas, the Indo–Burma and Sundaland hotspot out of 34 biodiversity hotspots of the world. The Eastern Himalaya hotspot covers Darjeeling hills of West Bengal, Sikkim, Assam, and Arunachal Pradesh and the Indo- Burma hotspot covers all the other Northeastern States.

The forests of North East harbor 40 out of 54 species of gymnosperms, 80 out of 90 species of Rhododendron, 60 out of 110 species of bamboo, 825 out of 1145 species of orchids, 105 out of 286 species of amphibian, 44 out of 201 species of lizards, 102 out of 275 species of snakes, 21 out of 29 species of freshwater turtle and tortoise found in India. The Region is abode of approximately 135 tribes out of 450 in the country.

The lushness of its landscape, the range of communities and geographical and ecological diversity makes North East quite different from other parts of the subcontinent. It is worth to mention that at least 353 new species have been discovered in the Eastern Himalayas between 1998 and 2008, equating to an average of 35 new species finds every year for the last 10 years.

North Eastern region has nearly 163 globally threatened species including the one-horned Rhinoceros (Rhinoceros unicornis), the Wild Asian Water Buffalo (Bubalus bubalis arnee ) and the region is also home to the Himalayan Newt (Tylototriton verrucosus), the only salamander species found within Indian limits. Both plant and animal species are under threat of extinction. Estimates show that about 50 species are being drawn to extinction every day, and at this rate about 25% of present day biodiversity is likely to become extinct during the next 20-30 years if appropriate steps are not taken for its conservation.

Realizing the importance and necessity of creating awareness about the conservation of this precious and pristine biological diversity of these biodiversity hotspots of the country and the role of natural history museum in dissemination of environmental information to the public in general and student community in particular, it was decided in the last advisory planning committee meeting that the Regional Museum of Natural History, Mysore will develop an exhibition on biodiversity of Western Ghats and Regional Museum of Natural History, Bhubaneswar will develop a gallery on North East Biodiversity and it is being inaugurated today. This gallery will be an added attraction along with the already existing gallery depicting the biodiversity of Orissa with exhibits on Similipal Biosphere Reserve, Mahanadi ecosystem, Bhitarkanika Mangroves and Chilika lagoon along with a unique collection of 47ft skeleton of a baleen whale supported by many educational programmes and activities for public and students.

This new gallery on North East Biodiversity is having exhibits depicting Different eco-regions of North East, the course of the mighty river Brahmaputra, Kaziranga –The habitat of one horned Indian Rhinoceros, the endemic and endangered avifauna, rich diversity of non human primates, Orchids and Rhododendron of North East, New species discoveries from Eastern Himalayas, the hills, waterfalls, sacred groves of Meghalaya and the Loktak lake – a unique habitat of Sangai etc.