GUWAHATI, June 16: DoNER Minister Dr Jitendra Singh on Wednesday said the ministry would, within a week, identify 10 districts of all Northeast states lagging behind in governance and developmental parameters in order to accelerate “ease of living” through smooth delivery of goods and services.
Chairing a high-level meeting with the officials of the ministry and North Eastern Council (NEC), Singh said the aim of the exercise would be to focus on these districts and bring them at par with other developed districts in terms of saturation level, an official statement issued on Wednesday said.
“The main focus will be to accelerate “ease of living” in these districts through smooth delivery of goods and services. These 10 districts will be different from the 14 aspirational districts of Northeast, chosen earlier based on 49 key indicators, of which the status of healthcare was an important component,” the minister clarified.
Singh further reiterated that ISRO (Indian Space Research Organisation) would assist development projects in the Northeast through space technology and contribute by offering optimum utilisation of satellite imaging and other space technology applications for better accomplishment of infrastructural projects in all the eight states of the region.
“Some of the important projects on which work is under progress are the mapping of forest gap areas, expansion of land area for horticulture development, identification and rejuvenation of wetlands and diversion of floodwater, assessment of bamboo resources for livelihood and border disputes management,” he said.
The minister also instructed the officials to prepare a comprehensive database of development projects in each of the eight states of the Northeastern region in the past seven years and showcase the marked improvement in all the sectors in comparison to the earlier 63 years.
“The Prime Minister’s flagship projects and all the foundation laying ceremonies of Narendra Modi in all the eight states must be reflected in the developmental database,” he said.
He also referred to the Atma Nirbhar Bharat Package announced on October 12, 2020, where the government earmarked Rs 200 crore each for the eight Northeastern states as a special interest-free 50-year loan to states under the “Capital Expenditure Boost for States” package.