Union Home Minister, Minister of Cooperation and NEC, Amit Shah has urged the eight Northeast States to set a target of giving its Lion’s share to make India become a 5 trillion-dollar economy. When the whole of India becomes completely developed and self-reliant in 2047, then our Northeast will also become fully developed and self-reliant, he added.
Amit Shah was addressing the 71st Plenary Session of the North Eastern Council was held at the State Convention Centre in Shillong, Meghalaya on Friday.
The Union Minister said that if Northeast becomes self-reliant in organic products, dairy farming, fishing and egg production,13 lakh people can be given employment in these four sectors alone. He said that development of the region alone is not enough, but along with the region, there should also be development of the individual and for this Industrial production and agriculture are the only options.
Shah further urged all the states to control the Gross Fiscal Deficit and lauded Manipur, Assam, Nagaland and Tripura for making commendable efforts in this direction. Shah also stressed on creating a flood-free and drug-free Northeast and strengthen water management by using North-Eastern Space Applications Centre (NESAC). By creating big lakes to absorb rain water, we can attract tourism and can also strengthen the drinking water and irrigation system, he said.
During the session, Amit Shah also released the first ever NEC Yearbook during the session. The NEC Yearbook 2024 showcases a comprehensive collection of valuable tips, insights, and data related to the North Eastern Region.
Union Minister of DoNER, Kishan Reddy, MoS B. L. Verma, Chief Ministers and Governors of all the eight North Eastern states and the DG of Assam Rifles attended the Plenary session that reviewed the status of different projects in NER, deliberated and expedited the progress of ongoing projects, and planned for the period of the financial year.
During the session, Nagaland Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio affirmed Nagaland Government’s commitment to the “shared vision of a prosperous and harmonious North East by working collaboratively and leveraging the unique strengths of each State.”
He informed on X that he also highlighted that Nagaland Government is pursuing for building airport at Ciethu, Kohima, for better connectivity and also awaiting approval from Ministry of Road Transports and Highways for the construction of the Foothills Road or the Trans-Nagaland State Highway.
“We are also pursuing setting up an Indian Institute of Science Education & Research (IISER) in Nagaland. We have requested the Centre to consider converting the Medical College at Kohima into a Central Institute like AIIMS or a Regional Institute like RIMS”, Rio said.
