I am not anti-Assamese: Nitish Kumar

NOT long ago, students from North-East had demanded the resignation of Railway Minister Nitish Kumar for failing to provide security to the passengers from the region. Following the attack on the railway passengers from North-East in Bihar in last November, there were ethnic clashes in Assam in which several Hindi-speaking people were killed. Launching his party’s campaign in Assam for forthcoming Lok Sabha polls, Railway Minister Nitish Kumar said he was not ‘anti-Assamese’ and committed to the development of the North-East. “It is during my tenure as railway minister that the use of regional language has been introduced in   the Railway Recruitment Board examinations and 46 per cent of the candidates have written their   papers in Assamese during the recent examination,’’ the Railway Minister said.

The Minister said it was also during his tenure that work on the 500-km Rangia-Mokokchung line at an estimated cost of Rs 1,000 crore and construction of the Rs 1,007 crore Bogibeel Bridge began. Mr. Kumar said the Centre had earmarked Rs 20,000 crore for remote rail connectivity programme in the North-East. The Minister said the NDA government was working for the progress of the country and if they fail to return to power, then ‘’the corrupt’’ Congress would return to power and the people would suffer. North East trade fair in Delhi from March 18 NORTH East Trade Expo (NEXPO-2004) showcasing unique products and items from the North-East will be organised in New Delhi from March 18 to boost trade in the region. The will be the first such opportunity for the North-Eastern craftsman to exhibit their products in the capital. The four-day NEXPO will be organised jointly by the Department for Development of the North Eastern Region and India Trade Promotion Organisation.

NEXPO will be an annual event seeking to open new avenues for trade, commerce, business expansion, joint ventures and investment opportunities in the North-East. Along with the eight states from the region, Union Ministries, Central Public Sector Units, Chambers of Commerce and private investors will also participate in the  annual event. The timing of the fair is particularly significant considering that South Asian Preferential Trade Agreement will provide trade opportunities in the neighbouring countries and the North-Eastern states have proximity to South and South-East Asian markets of Bangladesh, Myanmar, Nepal, Bhutan, Singapore, China and Thailand. The event has been planned in accordance with the Centre’s policy to accelerate efforts for speedy socio-economic development in the North East.

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