GUWAHATI: Minister of State for External Affairs V. Muraleedharan on Sunday called on Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal at the latter’s official residence at Brahmaputra State Guest House here.
The duo held a meeting for the successful implementation of Act East Policy and making North East the natural corollary of the benefits of Act East Policy.
Chief Minister Sonowal said that implementation of Act East Policy which is the brain-child of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, needs to be made more proactive by promoting India’s economic cooperation, cultural ties and friendly and strategic relationship with South East Asian countries by consistently harping on continuous engagement at bilateral and multilateral levels taking Assam and North East as the heart of the policy.
Sonowal requested the Union Minister to use this policy as a tool to furthering economic initiatives. He also said that continuous engagements of all the South East Asian countries in the fields of education, cultural exchanges and people to people contact would also go a long way to make Act East Policy more successful.
The Chief Minister also maintained that since connectivity is another core area which can bring different geographic entities closer, he requested the Union Minister to use his good office to fine tune the institutional mechanism for improved airways, roadways, waterways, railways and information ways in the north eastern region. “If this is done North East will really get the real benefits for being the active stake holders of in the country Act East Policy,” Sonowal added.
