North-East to be country's development engine, says Scindia; cites Rs 5L cr investment in 11 years

Indore, Jul 7 (PTI) Union Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia on Monday said the Narendra Modi government is moving towards making the north eastern region the country's development engine.

Total investments of Rs 5 lakh crore have been made in this region, comprising Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Tripura and Sikkim, in the last 11 years, the Union Minister for Development of Northeast Region told reporters here.

"We are moving towards making the Northeast region the engine of the country's development as per the resolution of PM Modi. Investments of Rs 5 lakh crore has been made in this region during the last 11 years. Based on this, the eight states are moving ahead with new intensity in infrastructure, social development and other areas," he said.

"The country's growth rate is between 6-7 per cent, while this rate remains between 11-13 per cent in the eight states of the Northeast region. Investment proposals worth more than Rs 4 lakh crore were received in the 'Rising North East' investor summit held during May. We hope eight states will bring development not only for India but for the entire Global South," he asserted.

Speaking on the upcoming Bihar polls, Scindia said the BJP and its allies will retain power.

He, however, refused to answer questions on the ongoing Hindi-Marathi row in neighbouring Maharashtra. PTI HWP MAS BNM