Guwahati, Sept. 2: "If you are looking for a miracle in the Northeast take a look at the mirror. The miracle is you," founder and chief executive officer of Group Avenues, Mark Laitflang Stone said during a session at NICT conference here today.

Experts have emphasised the need to empower the people in order to build new skills and competencies during the session - Building New Skills and Competencies for a Digital Northeast.

"We have to develop a digitally empowered society to build new skills and competencies for a digital Northeast. Mobile networks have to be made accessible in every nook and corner, broadband service will have to connect all gaon panchayats and we have to provide digital public access points for the people, which will help them to connect digitally with different services," Manjit Nath, consultant, youth affairs, the department of electronics and information technology (DeitY) of ministry of communications and information technology.

"In 20 years' time, information technology will change the way we perceive things. Technology enables us to procure different services easily at the click of a finger. To create new skills and competencies, we have to provide digital infrastructure, device, funds, applications and distribution of IT services on a door-to-door basis. IT should be used to create new employment opportunities for new skilled people of the Northeast," said Bidyut Mazumdar, assistant general manager, business development, JIS Group Educational Initiatives.

Stone spoke about the values that the people of the region carry within them. "It is the core basic human values that allow the region to emerge as a natural pool of potential," the founder of Group Avenues, a pioneering "personal" development organisation (which delivers motivational talks) headquartered in Shillong, said. Stone used the examples of people from the region "who have inspired transformation through individual effort".

He mentioned the Forest Man of India Jadav Payeng's story of "living a life exemplifying choices that outlive us".

"It is the picture of an emerging Northeast that is bold, equal, beautiful in diversity, brave and free. This is a freedom to craft a collective destiny for the next generation."

"The people of the Northeast exist because each of us carries the light of empathy within us. This human connect is built into our tribal heritage but our fears have taught us to doubt. We should not forget childlike values, free spirit and fearlessness," said Stone, to a standing ovation.