Pala slams Centre for ignoring North East Industrial & Investment Promotion Policy
New Delhi, Feb 1: Contrary to the aspirations of a popular election year budget, a confident BJP-led NDA Government did not go for any major announcement for the Northeastern region despite the region being named as “Astalakhmi” by none other than Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
For the Ministry of DoNER, there is almost no increase and the budget share also remains more or less the same at 0.12%. With a paltry increase of only Rs 8 crore this financial year’s allocation remains at Rs 5,900 crore compared to Rs 5,892 crore last fiscal which is a miniscule rise if the promised all round development of the region is to be carried forward.
Reacting sharply to the Interim Budget, Lok Sabha member from Shillong and MPCC president, Vincent H Pala said that despite numerous requests, the BJP government has not restored the North East Industrial and Investment Promotion Policy, which was introduced during the UPA regime.
The exclusive policy was terminated years ago, leaving the landlocked region in a continued stage of disadvantage, he said.
Irrespective of several high-profile visits to the Northeast by the Prime Minister and his ministers, the NDA Government has shown no interest in transforming and connecting the remote region with the rest of the country and its neighbours, Pala stated.
“We need a budget that should be bold, visionary and committed to bridge the gap between the region and its neighbours,” he added.
Departing from the popular belief of an all-sweet election year budget, the interim one presented by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Thursday aligned with what are set to be the themes of Modi’s campaign as he seeks re-election for a third time, months from now. The focus included social justice with a clear emphasis on poor, women, youth and farmers, where neither the Northeast as a region or the tribals as vote banks were accounted for.