Northeast on course to become growth engine of 21st century: Arunachal Deputy CM

Itanagar, Jun 10 (PTI) Arunachal Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Chowna Mein on Tuesday asserted that the northeast witnessed massive development after the BJP-led government came to power at the Centre in 2014, projecting the region as the “engine of growth of the 21st century”.

The northeast, “neglected for decades by the previous Congress regime”, has received attention from the Centre in the past 11 years, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi focusing on a roadmap for holistic development of the states in the region, he said.

Mein was speaking at a function here to celebrate 11 years of the Modi government at the Centre.

“The Congress framed the Look East Policy, but didn’t implement it on the ground. PM Modi transformed the concept through policies like Act East, Act Fast and Act First, for rapid and inclusive development in the region,” he said.

Mein claimed that after the BJP came to power at the Centre, ‘bandh’ culture and insurgency declined significantly, with a 71 per cent drop in violent incidents, and an estimated 86 per cent reduction in civilian casualties.

“Over 10,500 insurgents have surrendered in the last decade, bringing lasting peace in the northeast. The border issue between Assam and Arunachal Pradesh is nearly resolved except for a few areas, while the same between Assam and Meghalaya has been settled in six of the 12 disputed areas,” Mein said.

The deputy chief minister said under the NDA regime, more than 5,000 km of national highways are under construction in the northeast, while several major bridges, pending construction for years, have been completed.

Ten new greenfield airports have also been constructed in the region over the last 11 years, he pointed out.

Referring to development initiatives of the state government, Mein said the 1,390-km Trans Arunachal Highway has been completed, while out of 1,308 sanctioned PMGSY roads in the state, construction of 1,239 are complete. An amount of Rs 966 crore has been invested under the Chief Minister’s Comprehensive State Road Development Programme (Phase I) to construct 393.57 km of roads, Mein said, adding that in Phase II of the ambitious project, Rs 3,000 crore has been earmarked.

He said an investment of Rs 2,000 crore would be made over the next four years under the Chief Minister’s State Rural Road Development Programme, and another Rs 2,000 crore under the Chief Minister’s State Power Development Programme, in convergence with central funds.

The deputy chief minister also informed that under Mission Shikshit Arunachal Pradesh, an amount of Rs 3,000 crore has been announced in this year’s budget.

“The ‘Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav’ gave us an opportunity to unearth our history and identify unsung heroes in the region. Accordingly, 220 such heroes were identified,” he added. PTI UPL RBT