From rxpgnews.com
Bihar global meet finds a sceptic in Lalu
By IANS,
Jan 19, 2007 - 3:51:30 PM
Patna, Jan 19 - If there's one person who is not too enthused about the Global Meet for Resurgent Bihar, it is Railway Minister and former chief minister Lalu Prasad.
The much-hyped meet - which begins Friday and will see 500 participants including NRIs - aims at changing the image of the state and wooing investors. But Lalu Prasad described the meet as 'Sab golmaal hai' -.
'I welcome the meet but I doubt if it will help Bihar in any way. It is nothing but a repetition of what I organised during my tenure as chief minister,' Lalu Prasad told IANS here.
He said he organised a big NRI meet in Patna in 1995 to attract investment in the state. 'It was a mega event but the net result was zero as no NRI investors came forward.
'Look, such a meet is only for big announcements as was the case in 1995. Nothing materialised, I experienced this harsh reality,' Lalu Prasad said.
President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam inaugurated the three-day meet. Nearly 500 people, including NRIs, economists, technocrats and investors from around the world, are participating.
The government wants to discuss development strategies and attract foreign investment in agriculture, health, IT and tourism. Bihartimes.com, a Patna-based news portal, and the New Delhi-based Institute of Human Development have organized the meet with the support of the state government.
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