SHILLONG, Jan 23: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Saturday said the Centre is ready to develop the North East so it can also play an important role in helping the country become a $5 trillion economy.
He said Atmanirbhar Bharat, envisioned by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, is not possible without the North East and hence, asked the states in the region to prepare for this.
“India, as a whole, will be considered developed when there is development of the North East and for the development of the North East, it is necessary that development reaches the people of each and every religion and language,” he said.
Shah said if the North Eastern Council sets a target by 2022 under ‘Ease of Doing Business’ (EoDB) in consultations with every state, it will be a major achievement since it will also help attract investments.
He said the development of any state is not possible by government investment alone. Private sector participation is important so that the pace of development can be increased by speeding up EoDB. The ratio of a state’s share in GDP growth will also rise with EoDB, he said.
“The North East represents the heart of India and we have to take care of it. While undertaking development activities, there is a need to preserve its heritage and natural beauty, promote its culture and protect its dialects,” the Home Minister said.
He said efforts are on to set up paper mills which will increase the consumption of locally-produced bamboo. He said the North East was previously known for insurgency but today along with peace, good news flows out of it.
Insisting on an effort to eliminate drug-smuggling from abroad, he said the Centre has changed its perspective of the NE and hence, the region will also have to change its perception of how it looks up to the Centre.
Shah said under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, all states successfully fought the COVID-19 pandemic. He said 7.75 lakh metric tonnes of foodgrains were provided to three crore beneficiaries under the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Yojana. Also, about 30,000 metric tonnes of pulses and 50 lakh gas cylinders were distributed free of cost.
Under the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Yojana, Rs 553 crore was transferred to the farmers’ bank accounts.
Another Rs 1,707 crore was credited to Jan Dhan Yojana account holders.
Apart from this, Rs 2,530 crore was transferred to the accounts of beneficiaries under different schemes, the Union Home Minister added.
