DEPUTY Prime Minister L. K. Advani said India’s improved relations with will have a direct and positive impact on Arunachal Pradesh. Mr. Advani also announced development assistance of Rs 250 crore for the State.

“Problem arose in 1962 (when the Sino-Indian conflict took place) but after Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee visited China, our relations have improved substantially,” he told a public meeting in Arunachal. Arunachal Pradesh is far from Delhi but not far from its heart, Mr Advani said. Advani, who was on a two-day visit, said “the progress in Sino-Indian relations in the recent past has had a direct and positive specifically on Arunachal Pradesh”. Though India’s ties with its “western neighbour” (Pakistan) have not shown much improvement as it continues to encourage cross-border terrorism, relations with Beijing have improved considerably, he said. It may be mentioned here that Arunachal Pradesh has a 1080-km long international border with China. During the course of his speech, the Deputy Prime Minister also announced Central financial assistance of Rs 250 crore for development projects in the State and also promised to speak to Finance Minister Jaswant Singh for converting a loan of Rs 200 crore into a grant to help the state come out of financial crisis. Advani also announced that work on providing mobile telephone service to all districts of Arunachal Pradesh would be completed by December end.

Advani stressed the need for changing the mindset among the policy planners about the security requirements saying “we have to provide roads, mobile services and internet especially to people living in remote and farflung areas so as to ensure that the fruits of development reaches them.” “If any North Eastern state can be called violence free, it is Arunachal Pradesh. But two of its districts (Tirap and Changlang) cannot be described as violence free”, he said and hinted that the problem in these two districts was primarily due to Naga insurgency. He said efforts should be made to see that youths do not get awayed into the vertex of violence and militancy. Asserting that in Jammu and Kashmir, local people did not approve of militancy as it affected their economy and daily life, the DPM said ‘our neighbour continue to provoke proxy war’. He said in September alone, terrorists have made as many as 28 attempts to infiltrate from Pakistani side and have been thwarted by the valiant Indian forces. Over 200 terrorists were killed in September alone, he said.

On his part, Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister in a memorandum, enlisted a number of demands, including Rs 100 crore annual grant for ten years to develop infrastructure, Rs 200 crore annual grant for two years to underwrite the debt servicing liability, Rs 50 crore for modernizing the police force as a peace bonus, Rs 40 crore annual grant for five years for adminstrative infrastructure, Rs 600 crore to clear outstanding payments and dues of contractors and Rs 300 crore for completion of incomplete projects, conversion of Arunachal University as a Central university and a Rs 50 crore grant for upgradation of the university. Hinting at the contentious Chakma-Hajong refugees problem, Mr Apang pleaded that these foreigners and outsiders be peacefully settled elsewhere, outside the state, considering the popular demand of the people. Requesting for introduction of border trade, Mr Apang suggested trading points at Jorging, Gelling, Kibithu, Nampeng, Mechuka, Taksing and Tawang sector for free flow of goods in tune with Centre’s look east policy.

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