Vice-President Naidu asks NEC to accelerate development of Northeast

Vice-President M Venkaiah Naidu on Monday advised the North-Eastern Council (NEC) to propel the region on a resurgent phase of accelerated development by quickly resolving issues that have been impeding its progress.

The NEC is the nodal agency for the economic and social development of the North-eastern region comprising eight states – Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim and Tripura.

Addressing a workshop on “Changing Role of North-Eastern Council in the Development of North-Eastern Region” here, the Vice-President said India’s progress cannot be complete if there is uneven progress in various regions.

“If the northeast region progresses, India progresses. If the region lags behind, India lags behind…. India should work as Team India- Centre, states and local bodies working together on developmental issues to find solutions,” Naidu said.

Lauding the NEC for its achievements, he said “We cannot merely rest on our past laurels. We certainly have many miles to go”.

He said this is the right time to revisit the approaches of the NEC as it braces up to meet the challenges of the winds of change that need to be harnessed in the interest of the region and its people.