Guwahati, Aug 8 : Union Minister Jyotiraditya M Scindia said infrastructure projects in the north-east should be mapped on the PM GatiShakti Portal for better planning of future initiatives and urged all the states in the region to update their logistics policies as per the metric prepared by the DoNER Ministry, a statement said on Friday.
Scindia, the minister for Communications and Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER), virtually attended a high-level task force meeting on ‘Logistics, Infrastructure Connectivity in NER’ on Thursday.
He also asked all the states in the region to develop industrial clusters along transport corridors for the rapid economic growth of the north-east.
“The Union minister added that all the infrastructure projects in the northeastern region (NER) should be mapped on the PM GatiShakti Portal for better planning of future projects.
“He urged all the NER states that they should update their state logistics policies as per the metric prepared by the ministry based on the best practices throughout the country, preferably before the next NEC Plenary session,” a statement said, quoting Scindia.
The central minister also outlined five suggestions for bridging the gaps in infrastructure and connectivity.
These include convergence of NER infrastructure grid by preparing a regional master plan, establishment of a monitoring mechanism for priority projects, policy push for multimodal logistics park by way of offering various tax and other concessions, boosting cross-border connectivity to promote international trade with neighbouring countries and enhancing digital connectivity and power transmission.
The meeting was chaired by Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma.
Arunachal Pradesh CM Pema Khandu, Mizoram Minister of Public Health Engineering & Rural Development Prof Lalnilawma and Sikkim Minister of Commerce and Industries Tshering Thendup Bhutia, along with DoNER officials, were present at the meeting.
The Assam CM emphasised the strategic importance of the North Eastern Region as a gateway to Southeast Asia.
He pointed out that since 2014, the government has taken several steps to boost infrastructure connectivity in the northeastern region, but high transportation cost for goods remains a major bottleneck that needs to be addressed.
He also stated that the execution of the Kaladan Multimodal Transit Transport Project (KMMTTP) has been expedited, and it will connect the NER to the Sittwe Port in Myanmar.
Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister highlighted that due to the high geographical spread and sparse population distribution in the state, there are a large number of villages that lack road connectivity. (PTI)
