New Delhi. 27 July 2021. The Union Home Minister, Amit Shah, laid the foundation stone for the Multipurpose Convention Centre and Exhibition Facility of the North Eastern Space Applications Centre-NESAC, in Shillong. He also presided over the high-level review meeting regarding the operation of Space Science and Technology Centre. Union Home Minister chaired another review meeting with the Chief Ministers of all the North – Eastern States to discuss the developmental and security issues.
The Minister in his address, had directed the use of NESAC for flood management in the North Eastern States in the NESAC meeting in January; in today’s meeting he was told that drafts of 110 projects have been prepared in this regard. Expressing happiness over this, Shri Amit Shah directed to store water in big lakes to make the Northeast free of floods.
Union Home Minister added that earlier there was talk of infiltration, terror and corruption in the Northeast but today there is talk of development, connectivity, infrastructure and development. He said that under the leadership of Shri Modi ji, the issues troubling the North-Eastern region for decades have been resolved, which includes the border dispute with Bangladesh, the peace pact with NLFT, resolution of problems of Bru refugees in Tripura and Mizoram and the Bodo Peace Accord
He said that NESAC’s role will be of utmost importance in making the Northeast drugs free and terrorism free and developed. Our plans will get scientific basis through NESAC Society and on this foundation a developed North-East will be made. With the coordination of MHA and NESAC, a single window system will be made so that the states can get real time information about flood management.
Amit Shah assured that there is no limitation on budget for North-East, but there should be proper utilization of expenditure; if targets are achieved, then the Government of India will have no problem in investing. He also added that the location of North-East is geographically remote and challenging, so there is a need to work out a strategy to accelerate the development. He said in the upcoming times, there should be a coordination to reduce disaster risk to zero. There should be a coordination between disaster management and NESAC which can provide warning of lightning about 36 hours in advance.
He also asserted that the Corona period shook the world and came as a big threat to the entire human race, even at such a time, the priority of the Government of India has been Northeast. Whether to send ventilators, oxygen cylinders or provisioning of medicines, priority has been given to North-East and also priority is also being given to the North-East in the vaccination programme. There is a need to increase testing in some states and even if the positivity rate increases, then tireless efforts should be made to reduce the positivity rate
In the meeting with the Chief Ministers of North- Eastern region he emphasized on the importance of making the terrorism free North-East. Appreciating everyone for the remarkable improvement in the security situation in the North-Eastern states in the last few years, Shri Amit Shah asserted for early implementation of the peace agreements. In this context, the Home Minister referred to the solution of decades old problems like Bru resettlement in Tripura and the Bodo agreements in Assam. Shri Amit Shah requested the Chief Ministers to resolve the border disputes of the states expeditiously in a cordial atmosphere by mutual consultation.
He reiterated that the government has taken many far-reaching steps to develop the infrastructure of the North Eastern States under the “Act East” policy. The northeastern states are being linked with the ports of Chittagong in Bangladesh and Sittwe in Myanmar. Important roads of North Eastern states are being upgraded by making them National Highways and hill states like Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Manipur, Nagaland and Mizoram are being connected by rail.
The meeting was attended by the Minister of DoNER, Shri G. Kishen Reddy, Minister of Science & Technology and Department of Space, Dr. Jitendra Singh and Minister of State for DoNER Shri B. L. Verma, Union Home Secretary, Chief Secretaries of all North Eastern States and Directors General of Police and other senior officers.
