GUWAHATI, 9 Oct: Financial discipline of the Northeastern states is essential to make the Indian economy the second largest in the world, union Home Minister Amit Shah said on Sunday.
Addressing the 70th plenary session of the North Eastern Council (NEC) here, Shah said that insurgency, lack of connectivity, and failure of previous governments to focus on the Northeast hampered the region’s development for decades.
“Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government tried to understand the core problems and evolved ways to permanently solve the issues to take the region to the path of development,” he said.
During the last eight years of the Modi government, many efforts were made to bring peace to the region, enhance connectivity and give priority to development, he added.
Shah, the chairperson of the NEC, asked the chief ministers of the region to ensure financial discipline of their states, which, he said, is essential to make the country’s economy the second largest in the world.
He also urged the states to make full use of the North East Space Application Centre (NESAC) for flood control, irrigation, tourism, afforestation, and agriculture.
“All the chief ministers of the region must appoint a nodal officer for NESAC in their respective states, so that its maximum and better utilisation can be done,” he said.
Chief ministers, governors and officials of the eight Northeastern states were present at the meeting that was held at the Administrative Staff College here in Assam.
Shah said that the Centre is giving priority to organic farming, use of digital technology in the field of agriculture, and certification of natural products.
“The Centre under the leadership of Modi is also committed to flood-free and drug-free Northeast,” he said.
He urged the chief ministers to keep the states free from single-use plastics.
Referring to hydropower projects in the region, he said that their purpose “is not only to generate energy but also can be used in flood prevention.”
Shah said that the rest of India considers the languages, cultures, cuisines and attires of the Northeast as its heritage, and the Centre is striving to preserve and promote the identities of the region.
“The prime minister is of the firm belief that the all-round development of the country is possible by taking all the languages of the country together, and a provision has been made in the new National Education Policy to ensure that primary education is given in the mother tongue only,” he said. (PTI)
