Agartala: Deputy Chairman of the Rajya Sabha, Harivansh Narayan Singh, said in Tripura on Friday that over Rs 6.5 lakh crore has been spent on the development of the Northeastern region.
According to him, the central government has been working wholeheartedly to develop the Northeast as a connecting bridge between India and the emerging markets of South East Asian countries.
“In the last ten years, the Centre allocated funds worth Rs 6.5 lakh crore for the entire Northeast. Even in this budget, announcements have been made for the Northeast,” he added.
Addressing a seminar on “Responsibility and Accountability of Public Representatives to All Sections of the People” hosted by the Tripura Legislative Assembly, Singh said, “The central government is extremely serious about the Northeast. Several initiatives have been undertaken for the region, including promotion of high-value agriculture, preservation and rejuvenation of water bodies, and exploration of tourism potential.”
He said the Northeast has been recognised as a new growth engine of the country. “The responsibility of elected representatives is to ensure that development initiatives reach the last person. The Prime Minister has visited the Northeast more frequently than any of his predecessors.”
Referring to cultural and heritage prospects, he said Buddhist circuits would be developed in the region.
Singh emphasized that elected representatives have a responsibility to ensure equitable distribution of resources and protect the identity of every section of society. “The spirit of democracy requires representatives to work for the entire society. It is our moral and ethical obligation to be inclusive in our approach. We are voted to power to serve society as a whole rather than to serve specific interest groups,” he explained.
Highlighting the principle of cooperative federalism, he said public representatives must strive to achieve optimal results despite limited resources.
Recalling the making of the Constitution, Singh said 308 members of the Constituent Assembly worked for two years, 11 months, and 18 days, deliberating on 2,473 amendments to ultimately draft a Constitution comprising 395 Articles and eight Schedules. “To date, it remains the lengthiest written constitution in the world,” he added.