Prabin Kalita (TNN)

GUWAHATI, Oct 22: An ace IAF fighter pilot from Arunachal Pradesh, who led the first batch of 12 Sukhoi 30 from Russia in 1997 and rose in the ranks to command a squadron of the frontline defence aircraft left the skies to turn the spinning wheel on ground to chase his dream of making the industrially backward northeast self-reliant.

He set up the first mechanised textile factory (power loom/handloom) of the state in 2015 at Pasighat, one year after he suddenly terminated his soaring career in IAF. On November 3, Arunachal chief minister Pema Khandu will inaugurate his apparel and garment unit, which will be the biggest textile industry in the frontier state.

Group Captain (retired) Mohonto Panging told TOI, "If you want to independent, you have to build your own product. This applies even for the defense sector. Northeast people have always looked down upon the idea of doing business. We have to change this mindset. Everything used in northeast is imported from outside."

An alumni of Sainik School Goalpara, Panging, was drawn to the textile industry when he along with his wife visited the textile at Ahmedabad two years before he retired. "I prepared project report and I took the decision. I had to come back to do something for my people and what way could be better than trying make my people self-reliant. If all the educated people stayed outside, away from their own people, how will their people develop," he said.

The apparel and garment unit is being operated by ELAM Industries, owned by Panging will employ at full capacity, over 250 local people and produce about 1000 shirts or 2000 T Shirts per day. "Setting up of manufacturing industries in northeast India will reduce this dependence on other states in addition to providing employment to large number of local people and contribute to development of the region. The central and state governments of the region needs to support these local Industries with preferential buying and pricing policies in addition to incentives like freight subsidy and capital subsidy etc," he said.

With over 3500 hours of flying experience, Panging is the first person from the region to command a Sukhoi 30 squadron and was also posted as Chief Operations Officer of Air Force Station, Tezpur, the Sukhoi base set up with China in mind.

 

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Kenter Joya Riba

(Managing Editor)
      She is a graduate in Science with post graduation in Sociology from University of Pune. She has been in the media industry for nearly a decade. Before turning to print business, she has been associated with radio and television.
Email: kenterjoyaz@easternsentinel.in / editoreasternsentinel@gmail.com
Phone: 0360-2212313

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