Shillong, Jan 19 (PTI) Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday said the last 10 years under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been significant for the development of the Northeast in the 75 years since Independence.
In the last 10 years, not only the distance from Northeast to Delhi and the rest of India has been reduced due to the creation of infrastructure, but the difference of hearts has also reduced, Shah said at the 71st plenary session of the North Eastern Council (NEC) here.
The Northeast, which was struggling with various ethnic, linguistic, border and extremist groups related problems, has also had the beginning of a fresh and durable era of peace in the last decade, he said.
If these 10 years for the Northeast are compared with the 75 years after the country’s independence, then this decade will definitely be considered as the Golden period of the Northeast, the Union minister said.
”We have always considered the Northeast as an important part of India. During the time of Atal ji, by giving it priority, a separate ministry was created for the Northeast and today under the leadership of the Prime Minister, the three mantras of Act East, Act Fast and Act First are being implemented. Along with this, impetus is being given to the Northeast by giving priority to it in all the ministries of the Government of India”, Shah said.
In the 50 years of its establishment, the North Eastern Council (NEC) has increased the pace of development of the region by providing a policy-related platform to all the states and simplifying the solutions to their problems, he said.
”In these 50 years, more than 12,000km of roads have been constructed in this region, 700 MW power plants have been established and many institutes of national excellence have also been established under the guidance of NEC”, he said.
During the last few years, the Modi government has achieved significant success in solving the problems of law and order, insurgency and borders in this region.
Along with this, work has also been done to promote the use of technology in administration by using North-Eastern Space Applications Centre (NESAC), Shah said.
He said the language, culture, food, attire and natural beauty of Northeast will give a great boost to this region in global tourism.
The Modi government has also taken many steps in the last 10 years to establish peace and stability in the Northeast, he said.
The Union Home Minister said from 2004 to 2014, a total of 11,121 violent incidents took place in the Northeast but it declined by 73 per cent to 3,114 from 2014 to 2023. Deaths among security forces dropped by 71 per cent from 458 to 132, while civilian deaths declined by 86 per cent.
He said incidents of insurgency have come down because in the last five years more than 8900 cadres of militant groups have surrendered and have joined the mainstream and this has given a message to the entire country that peace and prosperity are interconnected and without them the states cannot develop.
The Modi government has signed nine agreements and through these, many pending issues related to law and order have been successfully resolved to ensure peace and stability in the Northeast.
He said that except some parts of Assam and Manipur, 75 per cent of the areas covered under Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) in 2018 have been removed from it.
Shah urged all the states to control the Gross Fiscal Deficit with Manipur, Assam, Nagaland and Tripura making commendable efforts in this direction.
The Modi government has allocated Rs 4,800 crore for the year 2022-23 to 2025-26 for the Northeast, which is an increase of about 162 per cent in the budget.
He said the 10 per cent Gross Budgetary Support Scheme has greatly benefited the development of the Northeast. An allocation of Rs 1,500 crore has been made in PM-DevINE (Prime Minister’s Development Initiative for North Eastern Region) for 2022-23 and Rs 6,600 crore for 2025-26.
The Union Home Minister said there should be increased use of NESAC and it can be used to make disaster, water management and administration people-oriented and modern.
During the last 10 years, the Modi government has invested Rs 81,000 crore in railways, Rs 48,000 crore in road connectivity and 5,196 km long roads have been constructed in the Northeast under the Bharat Mala project.
Under the UDAN scheme, eight new airports have been constructed and 71 new air routes have been started in these 10 years, he added. PTI DG JOP DG MNB
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