Guwahati, Sept. 1: Acknowledging Assam as a rising IT power in the east, Union minister P.R. Kyndiah today hoped that the biggest information and communications exposition in the Northeast would turn the entire region into a “mini information technology hub”.

Inaugurating NICT 2005, Kyndiah, the Union minister in charge of northeastern affairs, described the two-day exposition organised under the banner of Nasscom and The Telegraph as a “landmark event” for the region.

“Assam is doing fairly well in the IT sector. It is progressing very well,” he said, encouraging other states to use the event as a launch pad for productive IT activity.

Turning to representatives of corporate houses, he then said: “It is for you and us to make it happen. We can make it happen.”

He said the region had an inherent affinity for IT with “its adaptability to new technology and the large pool of English-speaking youth”. He pointed out that a large section of the region’s youth was already working in call centres in the major cities.

Often departing from his prepared speech, the Union minister from Meghalaya said Delhi was preparing a Vision Document 2020, giving IT prominence.

Assam minister of state for planning and development Himanta Biswa Sarma said NICT 2005 was just the beginning of a long-term partnership.

Highlighting the state’s efforts to take the benefits of information technology to the common man and the impediments, Sarma said the lack of high-speed telecom connectivity was hampering the government’s efforts. “Guwahati was one among the first cities in the country to have a call centre. But, unfortunately, it had to be closed down because of several factors.”

Seeking the private sector’s assistance, he said the government was ready to provide all help in building a vibrant IT industry based in Assam.

Aniruddha Lahiri, managing director of ABP Pvt Ltd, hoped that the two-day exposition would provide the much-needed push to the Northeast in the field of IT.

“The event is aimed at harnessing the strength of IT to change the quality of our lives,” he said.

However, he said, the region carried a “baggage of history” ? a reference to the rest of the country’s perception of the Northeast as a troubled zone ? which is why “we have to change this perception”.

Nasscom president Kiran Karnik also referred to the Northeast’s preoccupation with “bandhs” and urged the region to change its priorities. “Stop this,” he said.