4 min readGuwahati, ImphalJan 6, 2023 10:22 PM IST
First published on: Jan 6, 2023 at 08:24 PM IST
Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday said the Centre’s vision of bringing the Northeast to mainstream has borne fruit as all the eight states of the region are going through stages of development. He said that in the last eight years, the Narendra Modi government spent Rs 3.45-lakh crore in the Northeast, which equals the cumulative spending in the 25 years before that.
Shah was in Manipur and Nagaland during the day and inaugurated a number of projects and laid foundation stones of numerous others. He asserted that peace has returned to the Northeast that was once synonymous with insurgency.
At a virtual inauguration of five projects totalling Rs 52 crore at Chumoukedima in Nagaland, Shah said he has “full faith” that the Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party-Bharatiya Janata Party alliance in the state will form the government again with “absolute majority”.
“There was a time when the entire Northeast was known for insurgent groups, but today its known for peace and progress through connectivity and development, not just physical connectivity of roads, but also the emotional connect with different parts of India,” said Shah.
He said the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) in Nagaland is being lifted gradually. “As compared to the UPA era from 2004-2014, the funds allocated to Nagaland increased by four times during the NDA rule from 2014 to 2023. Compared to 2014, there was a 74% decrease in the number of terror incidents in 2021. Deaths of security personnel and citizens have decreased sharply,” he added.
The five projects he inaugurated on Friday in Nagaland included virtual reality labs in 42 government secondary and higher secondary schools; Atal Tinkering labs in nine districts; a trekking route and base camp at Mt Saramati; and an RCC-2 lane bridge across the Doyang river.
Shah also inaugurated 12 projects worth Rs 300 crore in Manipur and laid the foundation stones of nine schemes worth Rs 1,060 crore.
Addressing a gathering at Moirang (Manipur), Shah mocked the Congress, saying the party coined ‘Look East’ term and kept on looking. “The Modi government has adopted the ‘Act East Policy’ and we are working day in and day out to develop and bring about peace in the Northeast,” he said.
“We promised the people of Manipur before the election that if a BJP government is formed, we will liberate the state from bandhs, blockades, curfews and insurgency. Six years have passed by and no such incidents have taken place here,” he added.
Recalling that it was Moirang where Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose-Ji’s Azad Hind Fauj had unfurled the Tricolor, Shah said, “It was an emotional moment for me today to hoist the tallest Tricolor there.”
He also said that Churachandpur Medical College built at a cost of Rs 46 crore that he inaugurated [on Friday] hosts 100 medical students of whom 22 are from other states. “There was a time when students of Manipur used to leave the state to avail of education. But now it is just the opposite; students from other states have come here to study. This is a moment of pride for Manipur,” he said.
Shah also said that the Modi government signed peace accords with the NLFT in Tripura, Bodo and Karbi Peace Accords in Assam, and Bru settlement accord in Tripura to ensure peace in the region.
He also vowed to make Manipur drug-free before the next elections.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah addressed a gathering after inaugurating 12 projects worth Rs 300 crore and laying foundation stones for nine schemes worth Rs 1,060 crore in the state. (Twitter/ @AmitShah) 
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