Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday inaugurated, dedicated, and laid foundation stones for various projects worth Rs 2450 crores in Shillong as part of the golden jubilee celebrations of the North Eastern Council (NEC).
Union Ministers Amit Shah and G Kishan Reddy, and Chief Ministers of all northeastern states also participated in the celebrations.
Addressing the event, the Prime Minister highlighted the ‘shift in the mindset’ of the workings of the Centre and said his government has shown a ‘Red Card’ to many obstacles that came in way of the northeast’s development in the last eight years.
“We have transformed the intention with which governments used to work for the development of the North East. We have transformed the work culture,” PM Modi said.
Calling the North East the ‘gateway’ to security and prosperity of the country, Modi said that new opportunities are being created for the youth of the North East region through digital connectivity. “PM-DevINE scheme is going to give a new impetus to the development of North East,” he said.
In a step to further boost telecom connectivity in the region, PM Modi dedicated to the nation 4G mobile towers, of which more than 320 have been completed and around 890 are under construction.
PM Modi also inaugurated the New Campus of IIM Shillong at Umsawli and Shillong-Diengpasoh Road, which will provide better connectivity to the new Shillong satellite township and decongest Shillong. Modi also inaugurated four other road projects across three states- Meghalaya, Manipur, and Arunachal Pradesh.
On the sidelines of the event, PM Modi inaugurated the Spawn Laboratory at Mushroom Development Center in Meghalaya to enhance mushroom spawn production and also provide skill training for farmers and entrepreneurs.
An Integrated Beekeeping Development Centre in Meghalaya was also inaugurated by PM Modi to improve the livelihood of beekeeping farmers through capacity building and technology upgradation.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is on a day-long visit to North-eastern states to inaugurate and lay the foundation stones of projects worth more than Rs 6,800 crore in Meghalaya and Tripura.
Notably, PM Modi inaugurated 21 Hindi libraries in Mizoram, Manipur, Tripura, and Assam.
The Prime Minister also laid the foundation stone of six road projects across the states of Assam, Meghalaya, Manipur, Mizoram, and Tripura.
The foundation stone of the Integrated Hospitality and Convention Centre at Tura and Shillong Technology Park Phase -II was also laid during the event. The Technology Park Phase -II will have a built-up area of about 1.5 lakh square feet. It will provide new opportunities for professionals and is expected to create more than 3000 jobs, an official statement said.
The Integrated Hospitality and Convention Centre will have a convention hub, guest rooms, food court etc. It will provide the necessary infrastructure for promoting tourism and showcasing cultural heritage in the region, it said.
Speaking at the event, Shah said, “If you compare the northeast that existed 8 years ago and the northeast that exists today, you will find that after Narendra Modi became the Prime Minister for the first time the northeast is walking on the path to peace and development.”
He said that in previous governments, the budget was allocated for the northeast but it didn’t percolate. “After PM Modi came to power, with several changes, the budget has reached the villages today and can be seen converting into actual work. This is a major achievement,” the Home Minister added.
Shah further said that incidents of attacks on security personnel have gone down by 60 per cent, while civilian deaths have gone down 89% since the BJP government came to power.
“Around 8,000 youths have surrendered and chosen to join the mainstream. This is a major achievement of PM Narendra Modi,” he said.
“Under PM Modi, the northeast has gone ahead on the path of development. Peace has prevailed in the northeast. Earlier, a lot of demands were made to repeal AFSPA. Now, nobody needs to make demands, staying two steps ahead Govt is taking initiatives to repeal AFSPA,” Shah added.
The Minister further asserted that today, 60 per cent of Assam is AFSPA-free, while in Arunachal Pradesh, only one district remains under the act’s jurisdiction.
“A total of 15 Police station limits in six districts of Manipur are now AFSPA-free. In Arunachal Pradesh, only one district remains covered in AFSPA. In Nagaland, it has been lifted from seven districts and in Tripura and Meghalaya, AFSPA completely lifted,” he said.
