Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed a meeting of the North Eastern Council (NEC) in Shillong on Sunday. The meeting was held to mark the golden jubilee celebration of the North Eastern Council, which was formally inaugurated in 1972.
Apart from the prime minister, home minister Amit Shah, union minister G Kishan Reddy (culture, tourism and development of north-eastern region), and chief ministers of the north-eastern states were present at the event.
Hailing the contribution of NEC in the development of the North East region, Prime Minister Modi said that this golden jubilee celebration of the NEC coincides with the ongoing Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav. Underscoring that he often refers to the 8 states of the region as Asht Lakshmi, he said the government should work on 8 foundation pillars for its development, which are Peace, Power, Tourism, 5G connectivity, Culture, Natural farming, Sports, and Potential.
Prime Minister Modi said that the Northeast is our gateway to South-East Asia and can become a centre for the development of the entire region. And, to realise this potential of the region, work is going on various projects like the Indian-Myanmar-Thailand trilateral highway and the Agartala-Akhaura rail project.
The PM said that for his government, northeast and border areas are not the last corner of the country but the gateways of defence and prosperity. He added that this also ensures national security and trade with other nations also takes place from these places.
The Prime Minister announced a new scheme in this regard for the region, the Vibrant Border Village Scheme. Under this scheme, villages in the border areas will be developed with better facilities.
Referring to how earlier Congress government had said that not developing border areas was a ‘strategy’ saying that developed infrastructure in the border will help the enemy, PM Modi said that due this thinking, border areas of the northeast remained undeveloped and connectivity in the border areas was not developed. But today, the government is building new roads, new tunnels, new bridges, new railway lines, new airstrips at a rapid speed. He said that the border villages which were deserted earlier, now govt is working towards making them vibrant.
The Prime Minister highlighted that the government has gone beyond the conversion of the ‘Look East’ policy to ‘Act East’, and now its policy is ‘Act Fast for Northeast’ and ‘Act First for Northeast.’ Highlighting the success of peace initiatives in the region, he said that many peace agreements with insurgent groups in the region have been signed, inter-state boundary agreements have been done and there has been a marked reduction in instances of extremism. We are stressing on building corridors of development in Northeast, not border of conflicts, he said.
Talking about the importance given to the region by the government, PM Modi said, “When we changed the priorities of the Central government, its positive impact is visible across the country. This year, the Centre is spending Rs 7 Lakh crore just for infrastructure. 8 years back, this was less than even Rs 2 Lakh crore. 7 decades after independence, we reached only up to Rs 2 Lakh crore”.
“In football, when someone plays foul and against the spirit of sportsmanship, they are given a red card. In the same way, in the northeast in last 8 years, we have shown red card to all hurdles like underdevelopment, corruption, political favouritism, and unrest,” PM Modi said using football language.
Discussing India’s commitment towards net zero, Prime Minister said the Northeast can become a powerhouse of hydropower. This will make the states of the region power surplus, help in the expansion of industries and generate a large number of jobs, he said.
Discussing the tourism potential of the region, PM Modi said that both culture and nature of the region are attracting tourists from across the world. He added that tourism circuits are being identified and developed in the region. He also discussed sending students from 100 universities to the Northeast, which will help bring people from different regions closer. These students can then become ambassadors of the region.
Talking about boosting connectivity in the region, Prime Minister Modi said that iconic bridge projects which were pending for several decades have now been completed. In the last 8 years, the number of airports in the region have jumped from 9 to 16, and the number of flights has increased from about 900 before 2014 to around 1900. Many Northeastern states have come to the Railway map for the first time and efforts are being done to expand the waterways also. The length of national highways has increased by 50% since 2014 in the region.
PM Modi said that with the launch of the PM-DevINE (Prime Minister’s Development Initiative for North East Region) scheme, the infrastructure projects in the Northeast have gained more momentum. He added that the government is also working on improving digital connectivity in the Northeast by increasing the optical fibre network.
Taking a jibe at earlier governments, he said for a long time, the parties that were in power had thought of Divide for Northeast, and his government came with the intention of DevINE.
Talking about the development of Aatmanirbhar 5G infrastructure, he said that 5G will help further the development of the startup ecosystem, and service sector among others in the region. He said that the government is committed to making the Northeast not only a centre of economic growth, but also of cultural growth.
Speaking about the agricultural potential of the region, Prime Minister underlined the scope of natural farming, in which the Northeast can play a leading role. He said that through Krishi UDAN, farmers of the region are able to send their products across the country and different parts of the world as well. He urged the Northeastern states to participate in the ongoing National Mission on Edible Oils – Oil Palm. He also spoke about how drones can help farmers overcome geographical challenges and help their produce reach the market.
Discussing the contribution of the region to the field of sports, he said that the government is working towards providing support to sportspersons of the region through the development of India’s first sports university in Northeast. Also, more than 200 Khelo India Centres have been approved in the 8 states in the region, and many athletes of the region are getting benefits under the TOPS scheme.
Prime Minister also discussed India’s G20 Presidency and said that its meetings would witness people from all over the world coming to the Northeast. This will be an apt opportunity to showcase the nature, culture and potential of the region, he said.
PM Modi is also launching a large number of development projects in Meghalaya and Tripura.
