NE can become centre of growth for S-E Asia: PM at NEC golden jubilee

Guwahati: Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said the northeast, which is India’s gateway to Southeast Asia, can become a centre of development of the entire region. He was addressing the golden jubilee celebration of the North Eastern Council (NEC), the nodal agency for the economic and social development of the eight states of the region, in Shillong on Sunday.
“And to realise this potential of the region, work is is progress on projects like Indian-Myanmar-Thailand trilateral highway and Agartala-Akhaura rail project,” he said at the function that was attended by home minister Amit Shah and the chief ministers of the northeastern states.
He said the government has gone beyond the conversion of the ‘Look East’ policy to ‘Act East’, and now its policy is ‘Act Fast for Northeast’ and ‘Act First for Northeast’. Highlighting the success of peace initiatives in the region, he said many pacts have been signed, inter-state boundary agreements drawn up and there has been a marked reduction in instances of extremism.
Modi, while appreciating the work of NEC in last 50 years, also directed the council to prepare a blueprint of all dimensions of development of the northeast in the next 25 years and fix targets.
Modi said he often refers to the eight states of the region as Asht Lakshmi and the government should work on eight foundation pillars for its development — peace, power, tourism, 5G connectivity, culture, natural farming and sports potential.
Discussing India’s commitment towards net zero emission, the PM said northeast can become a powerhouse of hydropower. “This will make the states of the region power surplus, help in expansion of industries and generate a large number of jobs,” he said.
Talking about development of Aatmanirbhar 5G infrastructure, he said 5G will help further development of startup ecosystem, service sector among others in the region. He said that the government is committed to making the northeast not only a centre of economic growth, but also of cultural growth.
Discussing the tourism potential of the region, he said both culture and nature of the region are attracting tourists from across the world. He added that tourism circuits are being identified and developed in the region also. He also discussed sending students from 100 universities to Northeast, which will help bring people of different regions closer and these students can then become ambassadors of the region.