Aizawl (Mizoram) [India], September 27 (ANI): The Deputy Chairperson of the Rajya Sabha, Harivansh Narayan Singh, participated in the inaugural session of the 21st Annual Conference of CPA India Region Zone, consisting of north-eastern states, in Aizawl, Mizoram, on Friday.
In his address, the Deputy Chairperson emphasised on the focus of Union Government in implementing more infrastructure projects and incentivising economic activity in the region. He also commended the Presiding Officers of the North East for being proactive in discussing various regional issues and meeting regularly.
While underlining that the North Eastern region contributes about 2.83% of the country’s GDP, he added that in coming years it will contribute a lot more to the nation’s economy as more infrastructure projects become operational.
“About Rs. 5 lakh crores have been spent by 54 different Union Ministries since 2014. The North Eastern region is a land of immense economic potential. It has a wide array of opportunities that can contribute substantially towards the Prime Minister’s goal of a Vikasit Bharat by 2047,” he said.
“Eight new airports have come up in the region since 2014 and the total number of airports has increased to 17 in this region. This has also led to significant increase in aviation traffic. As envisioned a few years ago, Guwahati is already emerging as a major hub for aviation. And better connectivity has also increased the tourism in the region,” he said.
“On the Railways front, apart from major projects that are underway, there have been several landmark achievements. In 2022, after a gap of 100 years, Nagaland got its second railway station connecting Arunachal Pradesh and Nagaland. Last year, the first Vande Bharat train was flagged off from Guwahati. In a few months, Aizawl will be the latest capital to be connected by rail network. Since 2014, a total of 1012 kilometres of National Highway Roads have been constructed in the region and another 1982 kilometres of NH roads are under implementation,” he added.
Singh highlighted that, apart from the infrastructure push, the frequent visits of the Union Ministers are helping in mapping the aspirations and sentiments of the local population and effective implementation of the projects of the Government. The Prime Minister has visited the region for over 70 times. He further added that the Parliament too has been proactive in examining the opportunities in the north-east.
“Last year, the Department Related Parliamentary Standing Committee on Commerce undertook a study on how to promote trade in the northeastern region and held extensive consultations with Ministries, experts from trade bodies, and academics to make key recommendations,” he said.
One of the topics to be discussed in the conference is about inclusion of North
East in the India-ASEAN vision for trade and co-operation. ASEAN is one of India’s most important trading partners with a share of 11% in India’s global trade. IndiaASEAN trade had crossed $120 billion last year.
Emphasising on the balance between promotion of trade and addressing regional security issues, he said, “There is little doubt that there is enormous untapped potential for better trade integration and the promotion of economic partnerships with neighbouring countries in the East. However, as a nation, there needs to be better synergy between the security priorities of our nation and the benefits of free trade. The Union Government is particularly sensitive to this and has taken various steps to ensure that both these goals are met with incremental and effective steps.” (ANI)
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