NEW DELHI: A week-long cultural festival ``Octave'' to showcase the diverse and rich heritage of the North-East will be inaugurated by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh here on March 7.

Organised by the Ministry of Tourism and Culture, the festival, first of its kind to be held here, will see the participation of about 600 artistes of different streams of art forms, ranging from folk, tribal and traditional music and dance to theatre and pop groups and bands.

Briefing reporters here on Saturday, Union Tourism and Culture Minister Ambika Soni said the effort would be to make the festival a regular annual feature. She said several organisations such as the Sangeet Natak Academy, the Sahitya Akademy, the Lalit Kala Akademy, the National School of Drama, the East Zone Cultural Centre, the North East Zonal Cultural Centre and the Information and Broadcasting Ministry, besides Chief Ministers of the North Eastern States, and others will participate in the festival.

Ms. Soni said UPA Government had focussed on the development of the North-East region and the Ministry had already requested the Home Ministry to ease restrictions on giving special area permit to tourists. She said efforts were also being made to provide ``visa on arrival'' and long term visas to foreign tourists who regularly visit India.

She disclosed that her Ministry had written to UNESCO for declaring Majuli island in Assam as the ``World Heritage Site.''

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