NEW DELHI: The Government under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi has made multiple efforts during the last eight years to bring peace, enhance connectivity and give priority to the development of the Northeast region. Stating this, Union Minister for Home and Cooperation Amit Shah, emphasised that for decades there have been three major roadblocks to the development of the Northeast – violence by extremist groups, lack of rail, road and air connectivity and lack of thrust on development. Shah was presiding over the 70th Plenary Meeting of the North Eastern Council in Guwahati. He said everyone in the country considers the languages, cultures, cuisines and costumes of the Northeast as their heritage and the Modi Government is striving to preserve and promote the identity of this region. After finding the root-cause of the problems afflicting the region, the Centre has made many efforts to solve them, he said.
Shah urged the chief ministers of the N-E states to make full use of the North Eastern Space Applications Centre (NESAC) for flood control, irrigation, tourism, afforestation and agriculture. The Government, he said, believes that all-round development of the country is possible by taking all the languages of India together and a provision has been made in the new National Education Policy that primary education should only be in the mother tongue.
The minister said financial discipline by the North Eastern states is essential to contribute in making Indian economy the second largest in the world. The Government, he said, was committed to campaigns like flood-free and drugfree Northeast. He also emphasised on keeping the region free from the use of single-use plastic for environmental protection.
Highlighting the importance of natural farming and digital farming, Shah said these are matters of priority for the Government and the process of forming a multi-state cooperative society by merging Amul and five other cooperatives for certification of natural products has also started.
