‘A team of Pakistan’: BJP tears into Congress over distorted map

New Delhi, May 23 (IANS) Industry leaders on Friday hailed the Rising Northeast Investor Summit as a landmark initiative that could unlock the immense economic potential of India’s northeastern region.

Vineet Nahata, Director at Power Gilt Treasuries, emphasised that the Northeastern region holds vast opportunities for growth and development.

“Thanks to the right policies of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government, the region’s true capabilities are now being realised. The summit aims to accelerate this growth by leveraging the region’s natural resources and skilling potential,” he said.

Adding to the optimism, Tripura royal scion and founder of the Tipra Motha Party, Pradyot Bikram Manikya Deb Barma, said, “If we can develop even 50 per cent of the Northeast’s potential, it could become a major economic hub not just for India, but for the world.”

He noted that recent comments from Bangladesh, suggesting India’s Northeast relies on it for maritime access, have been countered by the strong national support for investment in the region showcased at the summit.

Deb Barma also drew a regional comparison to highlight the strategic importance of the Northeast.

“While the West has countries like Pakistan and Afghanistan with limited development, the East boasts dynamic economies like Malaysia, Singapore, and Thailand. Continued focus on the Northeast could bring a transformational shift,” he added.

Harpreet Singh, President of the Northeast Transport Association, praised the combined efforts of the central government and the chief ministers of all eight northeastern states.

“With focused attention on roads and connectivity, the region is set for rapid development in the coming years,” he said.

The Rising Northeast Investor Summit was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who described the Northeast as India’s ‘Digital Gateway’.

During his address, he also outlined the government’s vision and achievements in education and skill development in the region.

“In the past decade, over Rs 21,000 crore has been invested in the Northeast’s education system. We have built around 850 new schools, 9 new medical colleges, and established a campus of the Indian Institute of Mass Communication in Mizoram. Nearly 200 new skill development institutes have also been set up,” said the Prime Minister.

He underscored the cultural richness of the region, calling the Northeast ‘a vibrant reflection of India’s diversity.’

“From trade to tradition, from textiles to tourism, the diversity of the Northeast is one of its greatest strengths,” he added.

Prime Minister Modi reiterated that India is on its path to becoming a developed nation by 2047, and the growth of eastern India, particularly the Northeast, will play a crucial role in achieving that vision.

–IANS

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New Delhi, April 20 (IANS) Delhi Water Minister Parvesh Verma on Sunday promised an enquiry into alleged wasteful expenditure of Rs 80 crore by the previous AAP government on a defunct sewage treatment and water recharge facility in north Delhi’s Timarpur.

Visiting the proposed site, Verma said this project is a glaring example of corruption under the AAP government as it has not been commissioned despite an expenditure of crores of rupees.

“Around Rs 35 crore were spent on landscaping and grass plantation, and another Rs 40 crore on building ponds, totalling nearly Rs 80-85 crore. Questions are being raised about where this money went, and investigations will follow…,” he said.

He said the proposed project, based on old techniques and concepts, was never started or commissioned.

“The AAP government even had plans to spend more public money on maintenance of this proposed facility, but I have put a stop to wasteful expenditure,” he said.

“We are going to repurpose the site and ensure that its new use is beneficial for people and the department as well,” he said.

Under the project, the AAP government planned to release clean water from the STP into the Timarpur lake. After completion, the stored water was supposed to assist in recharging groundwater and boost water treatment.

Later, Verma visited the Tilak Bridge in central Delhi, which is vulnerable to waterlogging during rains, and inspected the area’s drainage and pumping facilities.

In the morning, the Verma joined Chief Minister Rekha Gupta in flagging off 1,111 GPS-enabled water tankers aimed at easing the water crisis in the national capital.

The 1,111 GPS-enabled tankers are part of a wider effort to improve water access in areas with limited or no piped water supply. The initiative, spearheaded by the Delhi Jal Board, is designed to provide real-time tracking and greater accountability.

Verma, who inspected the rollout site early in the morning, said the move would effectively dismantle the tanker mafia that thrived under the previous regime.

“Under our government’s transparency model, and as India completes 10 years of Digital India under PM Modi, we’ve connected the Delhi Jal Board to a fully digital IT dashboard at our headquarters in Jhandewalan,” Verma said.

“The previous government made Delhi a swamp. We’ve managed to bloom a lotus in that swamp and will continue to do so,” he said.

Verma added that every tanker will be assigned specific routes and destinations, and the public will be able to track them through a mobile app.

“Whether the tanker actually delivers water at the designated point or not will also be tracked, thanks to the sensors we’re installing,” he said.

–IANS

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Agartala, Dec 21 (IANS) Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Saturday said that the Union Cabinet recently decided to establish three semiconductor units in the northeast for the development of the semiconductor and display manufacturing ecosystem which would create 20,000 direct jobs and 60,000 indirect job opportunities.

While addressing the 72nd plenary session of the North Eastern Council (NEC), the Home Minister said that one of the three semiconductor units, Tata Semiconductor Assembly and Test Private Limited, would be set up in Assam with an investment of approximately Rs 27,000 crore, which would be the largest investment so far.

Shah said that keeping this future potential in mind, the Union Ministry of Education is preparing courses in collaboration with universities in the northeast to equip the youth with relevant education and knowledge.

He emphasised that this would generate a large number of jobs for the youth in all eight states of the Northeast.

The Home Minister said that in the last 10 years, due to the unprecedented development of infrastructure in the northeast, not only has the physical distance been reduced, but Prime Minister Modi has also worked to bridge the distance between the people of this region and Delhi.

Shah said that when Prime Minister Modi gave priority to the Northeast himself, it naturally became the priority of the entire central government.

Noting that today the northeast region is on the path of development despite much diversity, he said that 10 years ago, more than 200 tribal groups and more than 195 dialects and languages of the region had become our weakness in a way, causing different kinds of conflicts.

It is Prime Minister Narendra Modi who has done the work of converting that weakness into strength and power and more than 200 tribal groups, due to their cultural diversity, have become the centre of attraction for the entire world, and over 195 dialects and languages have contributed to making the northeast one of the 36 biodiversity hotspots in the world.

The Home Minister said that there are more than 7,500 species of flowers in the northeast alone, along with various types of wildlife and water resources.

The Modi government has made significant efforts over the past 10 years to preserve these natural diversities and transform the region into a preferred tourist destination, he added.

Shah mentioned that during former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s government, the Ministry of DONER (Development of North Eastern Region) was established.

Saying that the Modi government has left no stone unturned in preserving the culture of the northeast, he mentioned that it was the Modi government that worked to include most languages from the northeast in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution.

He noted that now, it is time to give a big push to the country’s efforts to become a 5 trillion dollar economy through the development of the northeast region.

Shah mentioned that for this, the ministries of DONER and the North Eastern Council (NEC) are working to implement the mantra of “Act East, Act Fast, and Act First.”

The Union Home Minister said that over the past 50 years, the NEC has served as an important platform for discussing the aspirations, needs, and potential solutions to challenges, and has worked to become the blueprint for the development of the Northeast.

He stated that in the last 10 years, violent incidents in the northeast have reduced by 71 per cent, and civilian deaths have reduced by 86 per cent.

He added that nearly 10,574 insurgents have surrendered, and due to several peace agreements, the Central Government has succeeded in establishing peace across the northeast.

Shah said that the allocation under the PM-DevINE scheme was approximately Rs 6600 crore, but it would soon be increased to Rs 9,000 crore.

He mentioned that for the development of the northeast, more than 111 projects, including roads, power, education, healthcare services, sports infrastructure, and tourism are being implemented.

He added that from 2014-15, the budget for the northeast has increased by 153 per cent, and through the Bamboo Mission, the government has set an ambitious goal to make the entire northeast prosperous.

Regarding the flood problem in the northeast states, the Home Minister said that by using technology to create pathways in the natural course, the budget for constructing roads could be reduced by at least 30 per cent.

–IANS

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