Mizoram: Scindia stresses Northeast's strategic importance for India's development
Mizoram: Scindia stresses Northeast's strategic importance for India's development

Aizawl: Union Minister for Communication and Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER) Jyotiraditya M Scindia during his visit to Mizoram on Thursday said that the Northeast must play a crucial role in the dynamic of the country’s growth. 

Scindia, who was on a day visit to Mizoram on Thursday, held a meeting with officials to review and look at the prospect of Mizoram’s growth and development.

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Speaking to reporters after the meeting, the Union Minister said that the Northeastern region occupies a very important strategic location as it is an entry point for all Southeast Asian countries to the Indian subcontinent. 

“The Northeast must play a very very important role in the dynamic of India’s growth and with that in mind the region has received a huge impetus on infrastructure and human resources development in the last 10 years of the NDA government,” Scindia said.

He said that  the region has received government funding of close to Rs. 27,000 crore per annum and government funding of close to Rs. 27,000 crore per annum and 10 percent of the gross budgetary support of 55 line Ministries which receives over Rs. 1,05,000 crore in terms of annual capital expenditure from the Centre in the last 10 years, which means a 4 to 5 fold jump in terms of investment potential. 

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All areas of infrastructures- roads, airports and highways- have developed and the national highways have grown from 10,000 km to 16,000 km in the northeast during the last 10 years, he said. 

The DoNER minister said that the number of airports in the region has risen from 9 to 17 and at least three states have been connected by railways now from one during the same period. 

“Close to 19 railway projects are ongoing and all the northeastern states will be connected by railways in the near future,” he said. 

As far as Mizoram is concerned, Scindia said that the state received only Rs 4,734 crore for development projects during 2004-2014 and in the last 10 years of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government it received about Rs. 33,178 crore from the Centre.

In terms of grant-in-aid, Mizoram received Rs. 41,396 crore in 10 years of NDA government against Rs. 21,359 crore during 2004-2014, he said. 

He said that Mizoram will also receive over Rs. 6,200 crore of tax devolution for the fiscal 2024-2025.

In the areas of road, 910 Km of national highways and close to 600 Km of national highway corridors have been sanctioned with capital close to Rs. 11,465 crore, he said. 

Scindia further said that several major projects, including the Tuirial hydroelectric project in the Kolasib district near the Assam border and the broad gauge railway line up to Bairabi town on the Mizoram-Assam border, have been completed and commissioned in the last 10 years of Modi government.

He said that the DoNER ministry will work alongside Mizoram to ensure inclusive and sustainable development for the state. 

The ministry will also work with the northeastern states to accomplish the PM’s dream of making the Northeast region the growth engine of the country’s economy, Scindia added.