74 union ministers visited NER 157 times from Jan 2023 to Mar 2024
Shillong, Dec 21: Union Minister of State for DoNER Dr Sukanta Majumdar has termed the creation of the Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER) in 2001 a landmark moment in Government of India’s commitment to the North Eastern States.
The MoS was addressing a thematic and technical session on the eve of the 72nd Plenary Meeting of the North Eastern Council (NEC) to be held in Agartala on Saturday.
“Creation of DoNER Ministry is a landmark moment in Government of India’s commitment to the North Eastern States as it understood the need for a dedicated approach to addressing the unique challenges of this region,” Majumdar said on Friday.
DoNER Ministry was created in 2001 by the then NDA government led by Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee.
Meanwhile, the technical session laid a strong base for a successful Plenary to be held under the chairmanship of Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Saturday.
Officials from various central ministries showcased the development agenda in some of the key areas that are fundamental for giving further boost to development of the region.
The MoS while underscoring strategic importance of the North East region, also said the region is not just a geographically significant part of the country, but an epitome of the nation’s diversity, culture, and strategic importance.
“The region’s unique geographical location at the confluence of India, China, Myanmar, Bangladesh, Bhutan, and Nepal makes it a critical bridge for regional connectivity, trade, and diplomacy,” he added.
Acknowledging the crucial role played by DoNER Ministry, the MoS said DoNER has been at the forefront of driving the vision of balanced, sustainable, and inclusive growth for the region.
While enumerating some of the significant policies and interventions of the Ministry of DoNER and Government of India over the past few years, the Minister said under the able leadership of the Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the North Eastern States have seen a significant upsurge in focus and investment over the last few years.
The minister exclaimed that during the last decade, emphasis has been laid to develop the airways, railways and waterways in the region.
“The North East Special Infrastructure Development Scheme provides 100% central funding to the state governments of North Eastern Region for the projects of physical infrastructure relating to water supply, power and connectivity enhancing tourism and social infrastructure,” he said.
“Government of India has taken the specific initiative for improvement of connectivity within the region by programs such as SARDP-NE, Bharatmala-I, etc. and with rest of India through East-West Corridor programme,” he added
Referring to the mandatory visit of a union minister to each NE State in every 15 days under the guidance of the prime minister, he said, “I would like to share that 74 union ministers have visited NER for more than 157 times from January, 2023 to March, 2024.”
These visits are helping in mapping the aspirations and sentiments of the local population and effective implementation of the schemes of government in NER, he said.
Acknowledging challenges faced by the region, he said, “It is only through the collective efforts of the Central Ministries, State Governments, and other stakeholders that we can work towards overcoming these challenges.”
Meanwhile, DoNER secretary Chanchal Kumar, in his address, exclaimed that the presentations by the ministries were informative and crucial to further boost the development of the region.
He also said that concerns raised by various states have been well noted by the ministries concerned and all stakeholders will work together to ensure proper implementation of the government schemes in the region.
NEC secretary Anshuman Dey expressed his satisfaction over the successful actions that have been taken during the last one year by Government of India and state governments in this regard.
Enumerating some of the measures taken in order to position North East as a prime investment destination, he said MDoNER is organising the North East Investor Summit in Delhi around April 2025.
A bipartite MoU between Ministry of DoNER and Invest India for strengthening Investment Promotion Agencies (IPAs) in the eight states of North East has also been signed, he said.
Further, Government of India has formulated New Industrial Development Scheme, UNNATI (Uttar Poorva Transformative Industrialization Scheme), 2024 as a Central Sector Scheme for the development of Industries and generation of employment in the states of North East Region, he added.
While underscoring the potential of Palm Oil production in the region, Dey said the role of the North-Eastern Region is pivotal in achieving Atmanirbharta in edible oil, as the scope for Oil Palm production spans across six NER states, encompassing a vast potential area of 8.4 lakh hectares As of now, more than 30 nurseries have been established in the region with the capacity of 30 lakh planting material, he added.
The session was also attended by members of NEC, chief secretaries of states and senior officials of different ministries of the central government and officials of the state governments of the North Eastern states.
