Itanagar: Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu on Monday urged the Centre for a development package for the border areas of the state.
“The state shares three international borders and the state government is focusing on development of the border areas to provide people with all basic amenities to lead a better life so that the tendency of migration can be checked,” he said while addressing a gathering on the occasion of the 31st Statehood Day at Indira Gandhi Park here.
Despite having huge natural resources, the state was lagging behind due to lack of policies to tap the resources, Khandu said urging the Centre to help the state in that direction with a development package for border areas. The Chief Minister also submitted a memorandum in this regard to Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Monday.
Development of the North East is essential for the country’s economic development, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh said on Monday while criticising the previous UPA regime at the Centre for neglecting the region for years. “But no one had taken care of it even after several decades since Independence,” he said.
He added thet the Centre was keen on development of Arunachal which is “strategically located sharing international borders with China, Bhutan and Myanmar”, and assured full support to the state for its all round development.
Singh, who was accompanied by Minister of State for Home Affairs Kiren Rijiju and BJP national secretary Ram Madhab, said, “Arunachal Pradesh is in its full youthfulness and interestingly the Chief Minister is also the youngest in the country. He has the vision and will power to lead the state to the zenith of development.”
“I am confident that under Pema Khandu, Arunachal Pradesh will shine among developed states of the country,” he said.
He added the Centre has sanctioned a special package for strengthening the security in three eastern districts of Arunachal to tackle the insurgency problem.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday greeted the people of Arunachal Pradesh and Mizoram on their statehood day. “Statehood Day greetings to the citizens of Arunachal Pradesh. May the state scale new heights of development…,” Modi said in a tweet. “On their Statehood Day, my greetings to the people of Mizoram. I pray that Mizoram progresses immensely in the years to come,” he said in another tweet. (Agencies)
