Blitz Bureau
NEW DELHI: The Government aims to develop the northeast region into India’s growth region by including all eight states together, Union Minister for Communications and Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER), Jyotiraditya Scindia, has said.
In a meeting to promote investment in the region with industry leaders here, the Scindia emphasised the Government’s strategic vision to position northeast as a new growth engine for the country, said the Ministry of Development of North-East Region in a statement on May 1.
“The goal is to integrate the eight states into one unified development goal as India’s growth engine,” Scindia said, underlining the role of public-private partnerships in accelerating sustainable development in the region. He held a series of meetings in Mumbai with leading industrialists, including Mukesh Ambani (Reliance Industries), Kumar Mangalam Birla (Aditya Birla Group) and N. Chandrasekaran (Tata Sons).
The meetings were part of the ongoing engagement ahead of the Investment Summit.
Scindia further shared with the industrialists some of the key initiatives undertaken by the ministry, which included the formation of a High-Level Task Force with the Chief Ministers of all eight northeastern states, the establishment of Investment Promotion Agencies (IPAs) in each state, among others. Dharmvir Jha, Statistical Advisor in Ministry of DoNER, presented key investment opportunities spanning all eight northeastern states.
The interactions focused on region-specific growth sectors, including agro-based industries, textiles, and tourism.
Meanwhile, the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, chaired by PM Modi, had approved the proposal for the development, maintenance, and management of a 4-lane greenfield access controlled 166.80 km National Highway from Mawlyngkhung (near Shillong) in Meghalaya to Panchgram (near Silchar) in Assam on hybrid annuity mode as a high-speed corridor at a total capital cost of Rs. 22,864 crore.
Of the total 166.80 km highway project, as much as 144.80 km lies in Meghalaya while the remaining stretch of 22 km falls in Assam. The corridor will improve connectivity between Assam and Meghalaya and will spur economic development, including the development of industries in Meghalaya, as it passes through the cement and coal production areas of Meghalaya.