President A P J Abdul Kalam stresses on speedy development in North-East in his speech to joint session of Parliament. “A new industrial policy for the North East will be announced shortly. A North East health package is also being developed and will be put in place at the earliest.”

North East News Agency

For a change, it was not the security scenario in the North-East but development which was the focus of President’s speech to a joint session of  Parliament.

Inaugurating the Budget session of Parliament, President A. P. J. Abdul Kalam stated that, “My Government has taken a number of measures for the welfare of the people in the North-East. Almost Rs. 10,000 crore of investment is being made at Bongaigaon, Dibrugarh and in Tripura in thermal power projects using local coal and gas. Particular emphasis will be given to the border areas in this region, especially Arunachal Pradesh, for infrastructure and road development. The accelerated North-East Road Development project is under consideration, which will provide connectivity to state capitals and district headquarters in the North-East, and include up gradation of such other stretches of national and state highways which are critical for the economic development of the region.”

The President further revealed that “My Government is actively engaged in reviewing and streamlining of procedures under the Non-lapsable Central Pool of Resources for the North East. A new industrial policy for the North East will be announced shortly. A North East health package is also being developed and will be put in place at the earliest. In order to address problems faced by students and working women from the North East while living in the national capital, a 500-bed girls’ hostel in the Delhi University and a 500-bed hostel for working women have been approved. My Government will set up a National Institute of Technology in Tripura, a central Institute of Technology at Kokrajhar and an Indian Institute of Management in the North East. The proposed North Eastern Water Resources Authority is expected to ensure effective utilization of hydro-power generation capacity in the region, especially in Arunachal Pradesh. The North-Eastern Council has been revitalized and work on fencing along the India-Bangladesh border is being speeded up.

The President has also mentioned that the region has registered a decline in insurgency related incidents.

The President has also revealed that his government is willing to talk to all political groups to address their grievances, real and imaginary. But at the same time he stressed that the Government is steadfast in its resolve to combat terrorism, militancy and extremism.

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