GUWAHATI: 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 plane left the skies to turn the spinning wheel on flooring to chase his dream of constructing the industrially backward northeast self-reliant.
He arrange the first mechanised textile factory (power loom/handloom) of the state in 2015 at Pasighat, 12 months after he terminated his hovering occupation in IAF. On November 3, Arunachal chief minister Pema Khandu will inaugurate his attire and garment unit, which would be the greatest textile trade in the frontier state.
Group Captain (retired) Mohonto Panging advised 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 trade when he together with his spouse 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 mentioned.
The attire and garment unit is being operated by ELAM Industries, owned by Panging will employ at complete capacity, over 250 local other folks and produce about 1000 shirts or 2000 T Shirts in keeping with 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 mentioned.
With over 3500 hours of flying revel in, Panging is the first individual from the region to command a Sukhoi 30 squadron and was additionally posted as Chief Operations Officer of Air Force Station, Tezpur, the Sukhoi base arrange with China in thoughts.
He arrange the first mechanised textile factory (power loom/handloom) of the state in 2015 at Pasighat, 12 months after he terminated his hovering occupation in IAF. On November 3, Arunachal chief minister Pema Khandu will inaugurate his attire and garment unit, which would be the greatest textile trade in the frontier state.
Group Captain (retired) Mohonto Panging advised 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 trade when he together with his spouse 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 mentioned.
The attire and garment unit is being operated by ELAM Industries, owned by Panging will employ at complete capacity, over 250 local other folks and produce about 1000 shirts or 2000 T Shirts in keeping with 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 mentioned.
With over 3500 hours of flying revel in, Panging is the first individual from the region to command a Sukhoi 30 squadron and was additionally posted as Chief Operations Officer of Air Force Station, Tezpur, the Sukhoi base arrange with China in thoughts.
From flying Sukhoi to making textile: Story of an ace IAF fighter pilot from Arunachal
![From flying Sukhoi to making textile: Story of an ace IAF fighter pilot from Arunachal]()
Reviewed by Kailash
on
October 23, 2017
Rating:
