PM Modi In Shillong: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday inaugurated, inaugurated and laid the foundation stone of various projects worth Rs 2450 crore in Shillong as part of the Golden Jubilee celebrations of the North Eastern Council (NEC). Prime Minister Narendra Modi is on a one-day visit to the North Eastern states. To further boost telecom connectivity in the region, PM Modi dedicated 4G mobile towers to the nation, of which over 320 have been completed and around 890 are under construction.
Inaugurated many projects including IIM Shillong
In his 26-minute speech, the Prime Minister said, "Obstacles like corruption, discrimination, violence and vote-bank politics were removed." He also inaugurated and laid the foundation stones of several projects. The projects that were inaugurated include the Indian Institute of Management (IIM)-Shillong at 'New Shillong Township'. The Prime Minister, who arrived here this morning, first attended the Golden Jubilee celebrations of NEC at the State Convention Centre. Union Home Minister Amit Shah and several other Union Ministers and dignitaries also participated in the event.
Eight states of the region were told 'Ashta Lakshmi'
According to an official statement, Prime Minister Modi also released a booklet 'Golden Footprints' on the contribution of NEC in the development of the North East in the last 50 years on the occasion. A short film on NEC's 50 years journey was also screened. Modi also appreciated the contribution of NEC in the development of the region. Describing the eight states of the region as 'Ashta Lakshmi', he said the government should work on eight foundation pillars for the development of the Northeast. He said these eight 'foundation pillars' are peace, energy, tourism, 5G connectivity, culture, natural farming, sports and affordability. According to an official statement, “The Northeast is the gateway to South-East Asia and can become the hub of development for the entire region. Projects such as the India-Myanmar-Thailand Trilateral Highway and the Agartala-Akhaura Rail are underway to tap this potential of the region.
Number of airports increased from 9 to 16
The Prime Minister said several peace agreements were signed, inter-state boundary agreements were made and incidents of extremism have come down. He said the number of airports in the region has increased from nine to 16 in the last eight years and the number of flights has increased to about 1,900 from about 900 before 2014. He said that several states of the North East have come on the railway map and efforts are also being made to expand waterways. Modi said the length of national highways in the region has been increased by 50 per cent since 2014. He also talked about the potential of hydropower and tourism sectors.
Know about North Eastern Council
NEC is the nodal agency for the economic and social development of the North Eastern Region. The eight states in this region are Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim and Tripura. The North Eastern Council was formed in 1971 through an Act of Parliament. However, it was formally inaugurated on November 7, 1972.