India will lag if Northeast lags behind: VP Venkaiah Naidu
During his visit to Shillong on Monday, Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu advised the North-Eastern Council to steer the North-Eastern region into a phase of accelerated growth revival to expeditiously address the issues that hinder its progress. are putting.
Addressing a workshop on “The Changing Role of the North-Eastern Council in the Development of the North-Eastern Region”, the Vice President said that India’s progress cannot be complete if there has been uneven progress in various sectors, as per a press statement. stated in. Vice President’s Secretariat.
“If the Northeast region progresses, India moves forward, if the region lags, India lags behind”, he said.
He suggested the North Eastern States to share best practices in various sectors and achieve mutual benefit. “India should work as Team India – the Centre, states and local bodies should work together on development issues,” Naidu said.
Appreciating the North Eastern Council for its remarkable achievements, he said, “We cannot rest only on our past achievements. We definitely have many miles to go.”
He said that this is the right time to revisit the approaches of the Council as it is ready to face the challenges of the winds of change, which need to be harnessed in the interest of the North East region and its people.
Stating that the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government has started on the path of reforms in all sectors with a view to improving performance and productivity, Naidu said ease of doing business and ease of living are the prime objectives. “Working with a sense of urgency has become the norm”, he said.
He said that from the conception of a policy or program to its implementation, clear procedures and time-frames are devised for timely completion of goals and intended benefits to the target people. Citing various initiatives in this regard including the Swachh Bharat Mission and ‘Housing for All’, the Vice President expressed confidence that the North Eastern Council would also be guided by this new ethos and policy environment.
“We can’t afford to go slow. We can’t be satisfied with poor quality. We have to constantly strive to be better than the best”, he encouraged.
In this context, the Vice President stressed the need to ensure accountability and transparency in every program and said that schemes like Direct Benefit Transfer would go a long way in ensuring benefits reach every intended beneficiary.
As the country celebrates 75 years of independence and plans for the next 25 years, he has worked to eliminate extreme poverty, reduce inequalities, narrow the rural-urban development gap, reform the education system and build a healthy While stressing the need to augment the public health infrastructure. Educated, efficient and inclusive self-reliant India.
The Vice President said, “We have an aspirational India. And the vibrant Northeast region with a population of about 45 million has our own dreams that have to be realized.” He said that the North East Council can be an effective tool for realizing these dreams, strategizing, planning, catalyzing and coordinating the implementation together with the State Governments.
Describing the creation of the Council as an important milestone in redefining the approach towards the development of the North East region, he listed some of its achievements, which include the construction of more than 11,000 km of roads; 10,340 km of power transmission and distribution lines and establishment of reputed institutions, among others.
Expressing happiness over the visible change in the economy of the region in the last six-seven years, he said that there has been a significant increase in the per capita Net State Domestic Product of all the states.
While there has been overall progress in the economic and human development profile, Naidu wanted the Council to focus on bridging the gap with respect to socio-economic development and the North-Eastern Region Social Development Goals Index, 2021-2022 released by the policy. . The Commission provides clear directions in this regard. An index is an effective tool for monitoring progress and identifying necessary interventions. The Council should analyze the data and rework its plans to address current and emerging challenges.
Reiterating that the long-time curse of the region’s insurgency and its violence is on the decline, he reiterated that peace is absolutely essential for the rapid development of the North-East.
“Talks are the only way to solve any problem. We are one country, states should be in constant dialogue to resolve any issue,” he said.
He said that like their counterparts in other parts of the country, the youth of this region are keen to write a new chapter in the history of our country. He said that they should be given opportunities and encouragement through concrete actions.
Recalling that the 69th Plenary Meeting of the Council held in January this year had identified two key issues of resolving inter-state border disputes and attracting private investment, the Vice President said that entrepreneurship, venture funding, start – Up and skill development.
Later, the Vice President participated in a cultural program at the Raj Bhavan, followed by an interaction with the achievers in various fields of the state of Meghalaya.
Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad Sangma, Donor Ministry Minister G Kishan Reddy and other dignitaries were present at the event.
(with inputs from ANI)
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