GUWAHATI: Meghalaya chief minister Conrad K Sangma, while underlining NEDA’s key role in India’s Act East Policy to take the region on development mode, said the youth of Northeast have looked up to the alliance for positive transformation in the region.
“The youth of the Northeast are now looking up to NEDA’s success. It may be a political platform but NEDA has been able to instill trust and hope for ushering in change,” Sangma said, while addressing the 3rd NEDA conclave here on Sunday.
Citing an example, the chief minister said the per capita income of Northeast was the highest in the country in the pre-Independence era because of free trade.
“Now the day is not too far when we see a similar per capita income as Prime Minister Narendra Modi is building trade ties with countries bordering and close to the region on Act East mode. Be it air, road, sea connectivity or people to people contacts, things are moving ahead,” Sangma said, taking turns to speak in both Hindi and English during the course of his 13-minute speech. The NPP leader also took a dig at Opposition members who have belittled the NDA government’s policy of sending ministers to the region every 15 days. “I would say such interaction helps in generating trust and instilling hope among people of a region which has remained backward for long in the past. There is a marked difference now between the Northeast of the present and that of the past,” he said.
On a lighter vein, Sangma also shared a witty discussion on the dais with Tripura chief minister Biplab Kumar Deb.
“He had asked me whether I was younger or older than him. I said that you may look younger than me but I am younger in age,” Sangma said, as the audience acknowledged the disclosure in equal measure.
“But I would say that the Northeast now has a good mix of young and experienced chief ministers in the region,” he added.
