Speed Post News Network
New Delhi : Union Home Minister Amit Shah on July 24, 2021, laid the foundation for the Multipurpose Convention Centre and Exhibition Facility of the North Eastern Space Applications Centre-NESAC, at Shillong, Meghalaya. President of NESAC, Shah also presided over the high-level review meeting regarding the operation of Space Science and Technology Centre. He chaired another review meeting with the Chief Ministers of all the North – Eastern States to discuss the developmental and security issues.
Shah, in his address, said that the development journey of Northeast in the last six and a half years after Narendra Modi became the Prime Minister in 2014 is far ahead if compared to the development in the last 70 years. PM Modi has worked to connect North-East with rail connectivity, air connectivity, and road connectivity, as well as IT connectivity. The Prime Minister called these group of 8 states as Ashtalakshmi and today all the eight states with mutual cooperation are moving ahead on the path of development.
The Union Home Minister had directed the use of NESAC for flood management in the North Eastern States in the NESAC meeting in January, at July 24 meeting, he was told that drafts of 110 projects have been prepared. Expressing happiness over this, Shah directed to store water in big ponds to make Northeast flood free.
The Union Home Minister said that in comparison to the Thirteenth Finance Commission, 14th Finance Commission provided financial resources of more than 251% to the Northeast and in the upcoming 3 years, developmental works will be done to provide all the facilities to the villages by using it prudentaly.
Shah added that earlier there was talk of infiltration, terror, and corruption in the Northeast but today there is talk of development, connectivity, infrastructure, and development. He said that under the leadership of PM Modi, the issues troubling the North-Eastern region for decades have been resolved, which includes the border dispute with Bangladesh, the peace pact with NLFT, resolution of problems of Bru-Refugees in Tripura and Mizoram, and the Bodo Peace Accord, according to a PIB release.
Shah said that NESAC’s role will be of utmost importance in making the Northeast drug free and terrorism free and developed. Our plans will get scientific basis through NESAC Society and on this foundation a developed North-East will be made. With the coordination of MHA and NESAC, a single window system will be made so that the states can get real time information about floods and other disasters.
He said that there is no limitation on budget for North-East, but there should be proper utilisation of expenditure, if targets are achieved, then the Government of India will have no problem in investing. He also added that the location of North-East is geographically remote and challenging , so there is a need to work out a strategy to accelerate the development. He said in the upcoming times, there should be a coordination to reduce disaster risk to zero. There should be a coordination between disaster management and NESAC which can provide warning of lightning about 36 hours in advance.
Shah also asserted that the Corona period shook the world and came as a big threat to the entire human race, but even at such a time, the priority of the Government of India has been Northeast. Whether to send ventilators, oxygen cylinders or provisioning of medicine, priority has been given to North-East by the Ministry of Home Affairs and also priority in terms of vaccination, priority is given to North-East. In the meeting with the Chief Ministers of North- Eastern region, Shah emphasised on the importance of making the NE terrorism free.
He said that it is a matter of great pride for all of us that Manipur’s daughter Mirabai Chanu won the silver medal for India in the 49 kg weightlifting category at the Tokyo Olympics.
The Union Home Minister said that the Government of India under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi has taken many far-reaching steps to develop the infrastructure of the North Eastern States under the “Act East” policy. The northeastern states are being linked with the ports of Chittagong in Bangladesh and Sittwe in Myanmar. Important roads of North Eastern states are being upgraded by making them National Highways and hill states like Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Manipur, Nagaland and Mizoram are being connected by rail. Shah stressed on the promotion of tourism keeping in view the natural beauty of the northeastern states.