Today in Delhi, an All-Party delegation of Northeast MPs, led by former Speaker of the Lok Sabha, Shri P A Sangma met the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi here today and handed over a memorandum to him in the presence of Union Minister for Development of Northeast Region (DoNER), Dr Jitendra Singh.
Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, who is taking a personal interest in the development of Northeastern region, gave a patient hearing to the delegation and enquired about the observations made by the MPs on a wide range of issues.
Union DoNER Minister Dr. Jitendra Singh said that Northeast is a part of Prime Minister’s India Vision and enjoys high priority for the present Government. He referred to PM’s recent visits to Northeast during which he inaugurated the first ever rail link to Meghalaya and also declared the launch of high power hydro-electric projects. Recognizing the aspirations of the youth of Northeast, Shri Narendra Modi has also announced a Sports University for Manipur and six Agricultural Colleges, he added.
The Prime Minister is keen to bring Northeast at par with the rest of India, said Dr. Jitendra Singh and informed that under PM’s directions, Government of India has prepared a roster wherein eight Union Ministers will be travelling to different Northeast States every fortnight which, in other words, means that there will be one Union Minister in each of the Northeast States in every fortnight. The PM has also emphasized on specialized areas like organic farming, he added.
Dr. Jitendra Singh also referred to the recently introduced new innovative programme called “DoNER at Door-step” wherein a Secretariat Camp of DoNER Ministry will be held every month by rotation in each of the eight different States of the region.
The memorandum handed over by Shri P A Sangma to the Prime Minister described at length the various potential projects which could be taken up in each of the eight States in the near future. It broadly refers to a “10 – Point Action Agenda” envisaging strengthening of institutional frameworks, maintaining peace to achieve prosperity, enabling growth through road, rail and aviation connectivity, strengthening power generation and transmission, managing natural resources, empowering Northeast youth, creating jobs through industry entrepreneurship and tourism, harness of geological and cultural richness, realising the “Act East” vision and ensuring better healthcare.
Prominent among the MPs who were part of the delegation included the Minister of State for Home Affairs Shri Kiren Rijiju, S/Shri Neiphiu Rio, P D Rai, Hishey Lachungpa, Kamakhya Prasad Tasa, Shankar Prasad Dutta and C L Ruala.
