18-Dec-2022: PM addresses meeting of North Eastern Council in Shillong

Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi addressed the meeting of North Eastern Council (NEC) in Shillong earlier today. The meeting marks the golden jubilee celebration of the North Eastern Council, which was formally inaugurated in 1972.

Hailing the contribution of NEC in the development of the North East region, Prime Minister said that this golden jubilee celebration of the NEC coincides with the ongoing Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav. Underscoring that he often refers to the 8 states of the region as Asht Lakshmi, he said the government should work on 8 foundation pillars for its development, viz. Peace, Power, Tourism, 5G connectivity, Culture, Natural farming, Sports, Potential.

Prime Minister said that the Northeast is our gateway to South -East Asia and can become a centre for development of the entire region. And to realise this potential of the region, work is going on the projects like Indian-Myanmar-Thailand trilateral highway and Agartala-Akhaura rail project. Prime Minister highlighted that the government has gone beyond the conversion of the ‘Look East’ policy to ‘Act East’, and now its policy is ‘Act Fast for Northeast’ and ‘Act First for Northeast.’ Highlighting the success of peace initiatives in the region, he said that many peace agreements have been signed, inter-state boundary agreements have been done and there has been a marked reduction in instances of extremism.

Discussing India's commitment towards net zero, Prime Minister said Northeast can become a powerhouse of hydropower. This will make the states of the region power surplus, help in expansion of industries and generate a large number of jobs. Discussing the tourism potential of the region, he said that both culture and nature of the region are attracting tourists from across the world. He added that tourism circuits are being identified and developed in the region also. He also discussed sending students from 100 universities to Northeast, which will help bring people of different regions closer. These students can then ​​become ambassadors of the region.

Talking about boosting connectivity in the region, Prime Minister said that iconic bridge projects which were pending since several decades have now been completed. In last 8 years, number of airports in the region has jumped from 9 to 16, and the number of flights have increased from about 900 before 2014 to around 1900. Many North eastern states have come to Railway map for the first time and efforts are being done to expand the waterways also. The length of national highways has increased by 50% since 2014 in the region. He said that with the launch of the PM-DevINE scheme, the infrastructure projects in the Northeast have gained more momentum. He added that the government is also working on improving digital connectivity in the Northeast by increasing the optical fibre network. Talking about development of Aatmanirbhar 5G infrastructure, he said that 5G will help further development of startup ecosystem, service sector among others in the region. He said that the government is committed to making the Northeast not only a centre of economic growth, but also of cultural growth.

Speaking about the agriculture potential of the region, Prime Minister underlined the scope of natural farming, in which Northeast can play a leading role. He said that through Krishi UDAN, farmers of the region are able to send their products across the country and different parts of the world as well. He urged the North eastern states to participate in the ongoing National Mission on Edible Oils - Oil Palm. He also spoke how drones can help farmers overcome geographical challenges and help their produce reach the market.

Discussing the contribution of the region to the field of sports, he said that the government is working towards providing support to sportspersons of the region through development of India’s first sports university in Northeast. Also, more than 200 Khelo India Centres have been approved in the 8 states in the region, and many athletes of the region are getting benefits under the TOPS scheme.

Prime Minister also discussed India's G20 Presidency and said that its meetings would witness people from all over the world coming to the Northeast. This will be an apt opportunity to showcase the nature, culture and potential of the region, he said.

17-Dec-2022: North Eastern Council (NEC) makes significant contributions to the socio-economic development of the North Eastern region

North Eastern Council (NEC) is under the administrative purview of Ministry of Development of the North-Eastern Region (MDoNER). Established by an Act of the Parliament in 1971 (Act No. 84 of 1971), NEC was formally inaugurated on 7th November, 1972 at Shillong, Meghalaya, marking the beginning of a new chapter of concerted and planned endeavor on the part of the Government of India for the North Eastern Region. Originally consisting of the seven states of Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland and Tripura, Sikkim was included as the eighth member state through the NEC (Amendment) Act, 2002 (68 of 2002).

NEC has made significant contributions to the socio-economic development of the North Eastern region, as an Advisory body and as a Planning body. Some of the most iconic Institutions of the North Eastern Region such as the Regional Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS), Imphal; North East Police Academy (NEPA), Shillong; North East Region Institute of Water and Land Management (NERIWALM), Tezpur; North Eastern Space Application Centre (NESAC), Shillong; Dr. Bhubaneswar Borooah Cancer Institute (BBCI) Guwahati etc. have been set up with NEC support. Besides, NEC has supported significant capital and infrastructure development investment – over 11,500 km of Roads have been constructed, 694 MW of power generating capacity installed, approximately 9,000 Ckt-km of transmission and distribution lines erected. NEC has also taken up the improvement of connectivity infrastructure – 5 major airports in collaboration with the Airport Authority of India (AAI) and 11 Inter-State Bus Terminus (ISBT) projects and Four Inter-State Truck Terminus (ISTT) projects – across different States in the NE Region, to ease out interstate trade and movement of people.

NEC has created valuable capital and social infrastructure, especially in critical gap areas across Education, Health, Sports, Water Resources, Agriculture, Tourism and Industries etc. sectors, in all the States of the Region. This has greatly benefitted the North Eastern Region and built immense goodwill for the Council among the local population. A third-party evaluation of the Schemes of NEC conducted in 2019-20 indicated that over all the projects are planned and conceived well in keeping with the needs and demands of the place it is to be implemented and that a majority of the on-going projects are delivering or will deliver the intended and planned results/ objectives.

The policy deliberations at the NEC are conducted at the Plenary meetings of the Council. Since 1972, the NEC Plenary has been held in various North Eastern States and the national capital on seventy occasions. The deliberations of the Plenaries, which include suggestions and recommendations by the Governors and Chief Ministers of the North Eastern States, have informed and influenced policies and interventions by both the Central and State Governments. Following the deliberations of the 65th NEC Plenary Session at Shillong in 2016, NEC has taken steps to setup a state-of-the-art resource centre, equipped with the necessary resources, knowledge and skills, to augment the efforts of the States and the implementing agencies to plan and execute projects, promote research & innovations and provide strategic policy vision for the region. The APJ Abdul Kalam Centre for Policy Research and Analysis was set up under IIM-Shillong in October 2016, and the North East Resource Centre in the NEC in December 2021. 

As per the decision at the 70th Plenary meeting held at Guwahati in October 2022, the Golden Jubilee of the NEC is being now celebrated in a befitting manner in Shillong on the 18th December 2022 – where an official meeting of the NEC and another public meeting are being organized. The official internal meeting of the Council and selected invitees to be held at the State Convention Centre Auditorium, Shillong, will be graced by the Hon’ble Prime Minister as the Chief Guest. Later on the same day, approximately 10,000 people, including prominent persons, achievers, representatives of Self-Help Groups and Farmers’ Groups and common citizen from all the eight NE States, are expected to join the public meeting to be held at the Polo Grounds, Shillong.

On this momentous occasion, a commemorative volume chronicling NEC’s contribution towards the development of the North Eastern Region over the last fifty years will be released by the Hon’ble Chief Guest. It will document the journey of the NEC and its role in the development of the Region in 12 chapters, capturing its ongoing interventions and including a chapter on the vision of the NEC.

For promotion of Hindi, NEC has taken up the initiative to support State Universities and Government Colleges in the North Eastern states for setting up and strengthening of Hindi Sections in Libraries in their own campuses. The 21 Hindi Libraries being supported in 5 states in the first phase are planned for inauguration during the Golden Jubilee celebrations. Apart from the above, infrastructure and development projects with a total cost of nearly 2500 crore are either being inaugurated or foundation-stone being laid by the Hon’ble Prime Minister during the Golden Jubilee celebrations.

9-Oct-2022: Day 2 of The Plenary Session of North Eastern Council Concludes with A Strategic Roadmap Ahead

The Plenary meeting of North Eastern Council that had started on the 8th October, 2022 concluded on a high note under the Chairmanship of the Union Minister for Home Affairs & Co-operation and Chairman of NEC, Shri Amit Shah.

The eminent dignitaries included Hon’ble Minister for MDoNER, Tourism and Culture & Vice-chairman of NEC, Shri G. Kishan Reddy, Hon’ble MoS and Member of NEC Shri B.L. Verma, Hon’ble Governors & Hon’ble Chief Ministers of North Eastern Region, Deputy CMs, Key Officers from Central & State Departments. All the eminent dignitaries were felicitated by Secretary, NEC, Shri K. Moses Chalai.

Hon’ble Governors from NER States put forward their suggestions and feedbacks that would further bolster the roadmap of development in North Eastern Region.

Hon’ble CMs & Deputy CMs from NER also graced the Plenary and spoke on further galvanizing the partnership between Centre & State for the collective growth and prosperity of the Nation.

The Day 2 meeting focused on confirmation of the Proceedings and Tabling of the Action Taken Report of the 69th Plenary meeting that took place in January 2021 and Report on Progress of Afforestation in North Eastern States.

The Plenary meeting reviewed the status of different ongoing social & developmental projects in North Eastern Region. State Governments and Central Ministries working hand in hand to create a strategic roadmap ahead.

Secretary, MDoNER, Shri Lok Ranjan shared the deliberations & discussions that was shared on Day 1 of the Plenary. it included:

1. Vision and Strategy for North Eastern Region as Growth Engine.
2. Presentations on 'Priorities & Success Stories' of their respective states and deliberated upon important themes such as 'Regional Planning for-Telecom, Broadband & Internet Connectivity’s Primary Sector Development and Tourism'.
3. Empowering the MSME Sector & SHGs, Agriculture, Horticulture & Industries with the vision to fulfill Aatmanirbhar Bharat
4. Collaboration between NGOs & Private Stakeholders in the field of Education & Healthcare Sector.

Secretary, NEC, Shri K. Moses Chalai said that North Eastern Council has completed 50 years and proposed the golden Jubilee Celebrations in NER.

Speaking on the occasion, Shri G. Kishan Reddy said that the Development of North East India is pivotal to the Development of our Country. Be it railways, roadways, waterways, airways and telecommunications, North East India is developing across every sector and Government of India under the visionary leadership of PM Shri Narendra Modi Ji has prioritized the development of North East India on every front. The Union Council of Ministers have been regularly visiting NER to bridge the distance between Citizens & Governance. Shri Reddy said that all stakeholders that the Centre and State will come together in this developmental roadmap and MDoNER will support them in every effort towards the development of the region.

Encouraging the young brilliant minds in North East India, Hon’ble Dignitaries felicitated the winners of Class 12th Board Examinations with NEC Netaji Awards.

On the occasion, Shri Amit Shah launched NEHHDC Mobile Application that is dedicated to the artisans & weavers of North East India. Through this mobile application, NEHHDC can register its artisans and weavers online, collect authentic data. It will provide training through specially designed online courses & help them with redress grievances. The app will apprise them on important Government schemes, initiatives & upcoming events.

In his speech, Hon’ble Home Minister Shri Amit Shah said that under the leadership of PM Shri Narendra Modi Ji, Government has worked with a focused approach towards ensuring peace and boosting Connectivity in the region over the last 8 years. Special measures are being taken that initiatives, schemes or services from the Centre reaches the last citizen of North East India. He assured all stakeholders and partners from all the 8 states that their suggestions and feedbacks would be taken for the milestone delivery of various schemes to every last citizen of North East India. Talking about NESAC, Shri Amit Shah underlined its crucial role in the development of North East India as key focus areas like tourism, agriculture, connectivity will get significant boost with Space Science & Technology.

Concluding the Session, C.H. Shri C.H. Kharsiing, Planning Adviser, #NEC gave the vote of thanks to all of the eminent dignitaries.

“India will only gain if the North East gains. Yeh Bharat ke bhagya ko badalne ki ashta lakshmi hai: With this vision of Hon'ble PM Shri Narendra Modi Ji, Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region is actively working towards strengthening the unlimited potential of '#AshtaLakshmi*, our 8 North Eastern States.

8-Oct-2022: Day 1 of the 70th Plenary Session of North Eastern Council Concludes on a Positive Note.

The 70th Plenary Session of North Eastern Council (NEC), is being held in Guwahati, Assam on 8th & 9th October, 2022. The session was chaired by  Minister for Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER), Tourism & Culture, Shri G. Kishan Reddy, MoS for DoNER & Co-operation, Shri B.L. Verma and members of NEC consisting of  Governors and Chief Ministers of the 8 North-Eastern states and other members. The other dignitaries would include Senior Officials from the Centre, key Ministries of the GoI & States and Chief Secretaries of the 8 states.

Minister, MDoNER, Shri G. Kishan Reddy along with MoS Shri B.L. Verma, Respected Secretary, MDoNER, Shri Lok Ranjan, Respected Secretary, NEC, Shri K. Moses Chalai reviewed the preparedness and modalities for the 70th Plenary Session of NEC in Guwahati.

During the two-day session there will be presentations from the Ministry of DoNER, NEC, the State Governments as well as selected Central Ministries on various developmental initiatives and future plans for the North East Region. The Plenary is expected to review the status of different projects in NER, deliberate and fastrack the progress of ongoing projects, confirmation of the proceedings of the 69th Plenary meeting, outlays by Central Ministries in the North Eastern Region and plans for the period of the financial year 2022-23 & beyond.

The Day 1 meetings focused on a variety of aspects related to the development of North Eastern Region, followed by addresses by Dignitaries. There were sessions on Vision and Strategy for NER as Growth Engine, Aligned Vision along with the plan of NEC & its organizations.

 State Chief Secretaries from all over NER made their presentation on 'Priorities & Success Stories' of their respective states and deliberated upon important themes such as 'Regional Planning for-Telecom, Broadband & Internet Connectivity, Primary Sector Development and Tourism.

The post-tea part of the event included sessions on Off Farm Livelihoods, Community Capacity & Services, Village Level Planning and Saturation and Comprehensive Overview of Financing the development in the Region. The Day 1 Session was wrapped up after taking note of key takeaways and feedback by the government representatives. This was followed by a Cultural Program and Dinner.

Addressing senior officials from all the eight North Eastern States and central ministries, Minister Shri G. Kishan Reddy highlighted that efforts are underway in the visionary leadership of PM Shri Narendra Modi Ji, who is working relentlessly to bring peace & prosperity in the North Eastern Region. He underlined that North East India has entered its ‘Amrit Samay’ and all of the stakeholders, be it Centre or State need to take complete advantage of this and awaken all possibilities of growth and development within the region.

Secretary, MDoNER, Shri Lok Ranjan welcomed all the dignitaries to the Plenary Session and made his presentation on 'Vision and Strategy for NER as Growth Engine of our Country' highlighting the recent reforms undertaken and the focus sector for sustainable and accelerated development of the region.

22-Dec-2021: Development of Horticulture at East Garo Hills, Meghalaya by North Eastern Council (NEC), to ensure employment

Horticulture Development at Nokrek Region, East Garo Hills, Meghalaya by North Eastern Council (NEC), MDoNER to ensure direct and indirect employment to the villagers and surroundings areas.

In order to ensure, direct and indirect employment to the villagers and surroundings areas North Eastern Council (NEC), MDoNER have implemented a project for Horticulture Development at Nokrek Region, East Garo Hills, Meghalaya through Department of Horticulture, Govt. of Meghalaya at a total cost of Rs. 439.94  lakhs with State Contributing Rs, 44 Lakhs out of the total project cost. The project got completed on 4th March, 2020.

The Project aims to provide direct and indirect employment to the villagers and surrounding areas. By practicing multiple cropping there will be increased in the cropping intensity which results better land use and increased productivity. The hi-tech green house and drip irrigation system will be introduced in the area. It will promote agriculture entrepreneurship thereby reducing series of middleman in marketing. Hence, it envisages providing direct and indirect income generation among the farmers.

7-Oct-2021: NERCRMS bringing Waves of Transformation in North East Region of India

North Eastern Region Community Resource Management Society (NERCRMS) is a registered society under the aegis of North Eastern Council, Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region. The society is dedicated towards the transformation of far flung rural areas of North Eastern Region (NER) of India through different livelihood initiatives. The society, so far has covered four states of NER viz. Arunachal Pradesh (Changlang, Tirap and Longding districts), Assam  Karbi Anglong and Dima Hasao districts), Manipur (Ukhrul, Senapati, Churachandpur and Chandel districts ) and Meghalaya (West Garo Hills and West Khasi Hills districts). The society, since 1999, has formed 8,403 SHGs (Self Help Groups) and 2,889 NaRMGs (Natural Resource Management Groups) in 2,532 villages benefiting 1,18,843 households through its project- North Eastern Region Community Resource Management Project (NERCORMP).

The society adopted a holistic approach of development with two broad focus areas i.e. (i) social mobilization, organization and capacity building to tap and realize the great latent potential of the communities by employing time tested their traditional value systems and culture, and (ii) Intervene with the economic and social activities and infrastructure with predominant thrust on income generating activities to achieve economic transformation.

The strategy adopted to achieve the goals is:

1. Capacity building of communities and participating agencies: Institutional strengthening of community-based organisations (CBOs) and strengthening the capacity of participating agencies viz. NGOs, line depts. etc. on participatory planning, organisational and financial management, technical training on farm and non-farm activities, monitoring etc.
2. Economic and livelihood activities: Promote viable income generation activities (IGAs) for poor households through production of field crops, horticulture, forestry, livestock, fisheries, and non-farm activities using sustainable and environmentally friendly practices. Also to support communities with introduction of new technologies, credit/revolving fund to CBOs for internal lending etc.
3. Social sector development: The specific objective of this component was to provide communities access to safe drinking water and improved sanitation. This was to be achieved by constructing drinking water storage tanks, piped supply of water from a nearby spring or stream and construction of low cost toilets (LCL) with community participation.
4. Rural Roads and Rural Electrification: With the objective to enhance communities’ access to markets, health services, education facilities and energy, the component sought to construct common facility centres (CFCs), inter village roads, culverts and suspension bridges and provide home solar lighting systems.
5. Community-based Bio-diversity Conservation & Communication: The specific objective is to protect and preserve the unique natural resources and rich bio-diversity of the region. The sub-components to achieve this objective were: (i) bio-diversity conservation and research aimed at promoting community conserved areas (CCAs) as sacred groves, protected catchment areas and sanctuaries, (ii) forestry development to promote and demonstrate environmentally sustainable non-timber forest products (NTFP) and forestry production systems, and (iii) communication and knowledge management to facilitate information and knowledge sharing on good practices and production systems between communities.

5-Oct-2021: Ministry of DoNER organises a workshop on “The Changing Role of North Eastern Council in the Development of North Eastern Region (NER)” in Shillong

Shri G Kishan Reddy, Union Minister for Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER), Culture and Tourism was on a two-day official visit to Meghalaya and Assam. As a part of the Meghalaya leg of his visit, the Union Minister reviewed several development works and ongoing projects of the North Eastern Council (NEC) and North East Road Sector Development Scheme (NERSDS). He attended the review meeting at the NEC Secretariat in Shillong, Meghalaya along with Minister of State Shri B.L Verma, Secretary Ministry of DoNER Shri Lok Ranjan, Secretary North Eastern Council Shri Moses Chalai and other officials and dignitaries.

Union Minister G Kishan Reddy also attended a workshop titled “The Changing Role of North Eastern Council in the Development of North Eastern Region (NER)” organised at the Conference Auditorium of the NEC, Shillong. The chief guest of the event was Hon’ble Vice President Shri M. Venkaiah Naidu. The event was also attended by the Governor Shri Satya Pal Malik, the Chief Minister of Meghalaya Shri Conrad Sangma, Minister of State DoNER Shri B.L Verma, Secretary DoNER Shri Lok Ranjan, Secretary NEC Shri Moses Chelai and other dignitaries of the North Eastern States, the academic fraternity and other officials. During his address G Kishan Reddy on behalf of the Ministry of DoNER thanked the Vice President Sri M. Venkaiah Naidu for taking time out from his busy schedule and constitutional responsibilities to travel to the Ashthalaxmi states for an entire week. He said, “Sir, it is a great pleasure to have you amongst us and this passion to be with people makes you one of the most active Vice Presidents that this country has seen. Even as a Cabinet Minister you have always worked towards the development of the North Eastern Region”.

“Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi ji’s commitment to the North Eastern Council is well known through his actions. In 2016 he was the first Prime Minister in 40 years to attend the Northeast Council meetings when he addressed the 65th plenary”, the Union Minister added. During his address G Kishan Reddy ji also stressed on the initiatives undertaken by the government to enhance infrastructure and connectivity through better roads, railways and air in the North East. He said “As a part of the Capital rail connectivity project, cities of 3 North East States of Assam, Arunachal Pradesh and Tripura are already connected with the main Indian Railways network.  The work of connecting the remaining 5 capitals is under progress. As a part of air connectivity 2 major capital greenfield air connectivity projects are also being undertaken in NER”. The Union Minister also spoke about the agriculture push that the Government is giving in the NER. He said “The two recent cabinet decisions of the National Mission on Edible Oils for Oil Palm and the revival of the North Eastern Regional Agricultural Marketing Corporation (NERAMAC) will provide a major boost to the agriculture sector of the North East Region.

G Kishan Reddy also lauded the efforts of the North Eastern Council and said “In its 50 years of existence the North Eastern Council has played a key role in the development of the NER. The NEC has taken rapid strides in realising the vision of Shri Narendra Modi Ji. Hence today’s workshop is an important event for all of us. The Changing role of NEC will be shaped by what we aspire for the North East Region”.

The Union Minister along with Hon’ble Vice President of India Shri  Venkaiah Naidu ji, Governor Shri Satya Pal Malik and  Chief Minister of Meghalaya Shri Conrad Sangma ji attended a cultural programme showcasing the traditions, culture & folklore of Meghalaya at Raj Bhavan, Shillong.

4-Oct-2021: Vice President asks North-Eastern Council to propel the NE region on a phase of accelerated development

The Vice President, Shri M Venkaiah Naidu today advised the North-Eastern Council to propel the NE region on a resurgent phase of accelerated development by quickly resolving issues that have been impeding its progress.

Addressing a Workshop on "Changing Role of North-Eastern Council in the Development of North-Eastern Region" at Shillong, the Vice President pointed out that India’s progress cannot be complete if there was uneven progress in various regions. “If the northeast region progresses, India progresses…If the region lags behind, India lags behind”, he observed.

He suggested to the North Eastern States to share best practices in various fields and derive mutual benefit. “India should work as Team India- Centre, States and Local bodies working together on developmental issues to find solutions”, Shri Naidu said.

While lauding the NE Council for its creditable achievements, he said “we cannot merely rest on our past laurels. We certainly have many miles to go”. He said this was the right time to revisit the approaches of the Council as it braces up to meet the challenges of the winds of change that need to be harnessed in the interest of the North-Eastern Region and its people.

Stating that the government led by Prime Minister Narendra Bhai Modi has embarked on a path of reform in all spheres with a view to improve performance and productivity, Shri Naidu said that ease of doing business and ease of living are key objectives. “Working with a sense of urgency has become the norm”, he added.

He said that from conceptualization of a policy or programme to its implementation, clear processes and timelines are drawn for meeting the goals in time and ensuring the delivery of intended benefits to the targeted. Citing various initiatives including Swachch Bharat Mission and ‘Housing for All’ in this regard, the Vice President expressed confidence that the North-Eastern Council will also be guided by this new ethos and policy environment.

“We cannot afford to go slow. We cannot be satisfied with poor quality. We have to constantly strive to be better than the best”, he exhorted.

In this context, the Vice President stressed the need for ensuring accountability & transparency in every programme and said that schemes like Direct Benefit Transfer would go a long way in ensuring benefits reach to every intended beneficiary.

As the country celebrates 75 years of independence and plans for the next 25 years, he stressed the need to eliminate extreme poverty, reduce disparities, narrow rural-urban development gaps, revamp the education system and ramp up public health infrastructure, while building a healthy, educated, skilled and inclusive Atmanirbhar India.

The Vice President said, “Ours is an aspirational India. And the vibrant northeast region, with a population of around 45 million, has its own dreams to be realized”. The North East Council can be an effective instrument to bring coherence to these dreams, strategize, plan, catalyze and coordinate the implementation in conjunction with the State governments, he added.

Terming the creation of the Council as a seminal landmark redefining the approach towards the development of the North-Eastern Region, he listed out some of its achievements, including the construction of more than 11,000 KMs of Roads; 10,340 KMs of power transmission and distribution lines and setting up of iconic institutions, among others.

Expressing his happiness over the perceptible change in the economy of the region over the past six-seven years, he said the Per Capita Net State Domestic Product of all the states has grown significantly.

While there has been overall progress in the economic and human development profile, Shri Naidu wanted the Council to focus on bridging the gaps in respect of socio-economic development and said the North-Eastern Region Social Development Goals Index, 2021-22 released by the Niti Aayog provides clear direction in this regard. The Index is an effective tool for monitoring progress and identifying necessary interventions. The Council should analyze the data and recast its plans to address the current and emerging challenges.

Maintaining that insurgency and the attendant violence that proved to be the bane of the region for a long time is on the decline, he reiterated that peace is absolutely necessary for fast tracking development of North Eastern Region. “Dialogue is the only way forward to resolve any problem. We are one country, states should be in constant dialogue to resolve any issues”, he added.

He said the youth of the region, like their counterparts in other parts of the country, are keen to write a new chapter in the history of our country. They have to be given opportunities and encouragement through concrete actions, he remarked.

Recalling that the 69th Plenary meeting of the Council held in January this year had identified two key issues of resolving inter-state border disputes and attracting private investments, the Vice President said private investment needs to be promoted through encouraging entrepreneurship, venture funds, start-ups and skill development.

Later, the Vice President attended a cultural program at Raj Bhawan, followed by an interaction with achievers in various fields from the state of Meghalaya.

Shri Conrad Sangma, Chief Minister Of Meghalaya, Shri G. Kishan Reddy, Minister, Ministry Of DoNER, Shri B.L. Verma, Minister Of State, Ministry Of DoNER, Shri Lok Ranjan, Secretary, Ministry Of DoNER, Shri K. Moses Chalai, Secretary, North Eastern Council and other dignitaries were present at the event.

24-Jan-2021: 69th Plenary of the North Eastern Council concludes

The 69th Plenary of the North Eastern Council which was inaugurated by the Union Home Minister Shri Amit Shah on 23rd Jan, 2021 came to a successful conclusion today.

The two-day NEC Plenary focussed on all-round developmental plans for the North-Eastern Region and discussed about the progresses made so far of the various projects that have been implemented in the region. Augmenting investments and improving rankings on ease of doing business also got deliberated upon prominently. In various technical sessions, discussion centred on the developmental projects related to livelihood, entrepreneurship, infrastructure, connectivity and other related areas in the North-East.

Addressing the valedictory session, Union Minister of State (Independent Charge), Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER), MoS PMO, Personnel, Public Grievances, Pensions, Atomic Energy and Space, Dr Jitendra Singh reiterated Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of developing the Northeast region and bringing it to the level of the other developed States.

Dr Jitendra Singh acknowledged that the Northeast has been put on a fast track of development under the leadership of the Prime Minister during the last six-seven years and this bears evidence in the form of the unanimous opinion across the country that Northeast has been put on a very fast track. He also added that the expectation is very high and the Prime Minister wanted to achieve more than what have been achieved so far. He expressed his belief that with the dedication of all the states and the different Ministries, Northeast will be able to overcome all challenges in the near future. He said that he takes pride in having been able to walk the talk and live up to the expectations, in fact, rising above all other expectations with the help of the DoNER Ministry’s colleagues and all the stakeholders.

Dr Jitendra Singh patiently heard the presentations that were made by the senior officials of various ministries and departments of the Central Government and requested the Secretaries of the Ministries to offer all possible assistance to the states of the North East.

Dr Jitendra Singh added that the North Eastern Region will lead the growth story of India, when the rest of the world is looking for economic resurgence through trade in post-pandemic times. Dr Singh also said that the North-Eastern region will be one of the favourite business destinations of India post-COVID-19 and bamboo is going to be the key pillar of the economic activities. He however asked all the states to equip themselves up to make optimum use of the favourable condition that the North East will have during the Post COVID period.

The Minister urged all the states to utilise the funds that have been allotted by various ministries so that the benefits of the schemes reach to the last person. The Minister said that the rate of utilisation of funds under NEC has been encouraging and hoped that funds under other ministries allotted to the region shall also be brought to optimum utilisation.

25-Jun-2019: Dr Jitendra Singh releases 3rd issue of Newsletter of North Eastern Council

The Union Minister of State for Development of North Eastern Region (I/C) Dr Jitendra Singh released the third issue of Newsletter of North Eastern Council (NEC) Shillong, Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER). The Secretary, NEC, Shri Ram Muivah and Secretary (DoNER) Dr Inderjit Singh were also present on the occasion. The Newsletter released today highlighted some of the initiatives taken by the North Eastern Council during July, 2018 to March, 2019. The Newsletter is to be uploaded on the NEC website at www.necouncil.gov.in.

While releasing the newsletter, Dr Jitendra Singh complimented the officers and staff of M/o DoNER and NEC for their efforts to improve the living condition of North Eastern States of the country. He said that under the leadership of Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi, the development of NE states has been on the priority of the Government. He added that the newly sworn-in Government is also committed to continue with the legacy of the development efforts of the last five years and work in the direction of improving infrastructure and living standards of NE people. In July, 2018, the NEC has been restructured through the nomination of the Home Minister as Chairman, NEC and the MoS (I/C) DoNER as the Vice-Chairman, NEC.  Dr Jitendra Singh disclosed that Union Minister Shri Amit Shah will chair the plenary session of NEC on 3rd and 4th August in Guwahati.

The North Eastern Council (NEC) was established by North Eastern Council Act, 1971 initially as apex level advisory body for securing balanced and coordinated development and facilitating effective co-ordination amongst seven States of North Eastern Region. Subsequent to the amendment of NEC Act in December, 2002, Sikkim was added as 8th Member State, and NEC was mandated to function as a statutory Regional Planning Body for the North Eastern Region.

Over the last forty-seven years, NEC has been instrumental in setting up various iconic Institutes in the Region such as NEPA, NEEPCO, NERAMAC, NERIST, RIPAN, NERIWALM, RIMS etc.

Some of the major achievements of NEC are as under:

• Since its inception, NEC has focused on improving connectivity of the region which has been a major bottleneck for all developmental activities. In its endeavour, the Council has contributed immensely towards the improvement of the inter-state connectivity in the Region. A total of 10,911 kms of roads have been constructed with the NEC funding and handed over to the States for maintenance.
• NEC has till date supported the installation of 694.5 MW of power plants and construction of 9202 circuit km of transmission & distribution lines.
• NEC has also undertaken development work in various sectors like education, healthcare, agriculture, horticulture, tourism, industries etc.
• Eleven Inter-State Bus terminus (ISBT) projects have been taken up across different States to ease out inter-state movement of people. Nine of these have been completed and two are under construction in Meghalaya and Manipur. To facilitate movement of essential goods, three numbers of Inter State Truck Terminus (2 in Assam and 1 in Nagaland) have been completed.
• Since inception, NEC has contributed for the up-gradation/strengthening of the infrastructure of the existing Airports in the region. Improvement of the infrastructure in 5 major airports of the Regions namely, Guwahati, Dibrugarh, Jorhat, Imphal and Umroi have been taken up in collaboration with Airport Authority of India on 60:40 (60% by NEC and 40% by AAI) basis. Out of these, the work for construction of 3 number of Hangers and Apron at LGBI Airport, Guwahati and Extension of Apron at Jorhat Airport have been completed.
• The restructuring of NEC was undertaken with a view to have a forum to discuss issues such as boundary disputes, drug trafficking, smuggling of arms and ammunition, etc. which are usually discussed in the other Zonal Councils. The NE States are not part of any Zonal Council.

The Council is normally expected to meet at least twice in a year. The first Plenary Meeting of Restructured NEC (67th  Plenary since inception) was held under the then Home Minister & Chairman, NEC on 8-9 July, 2018 at Shillong. The next Plenary meeting of NEC will be held in Guwahati (Assam) in August this year.

13-Jun-2018: Cabinet approves Repositioning of North Eastern Council

The Union Cabinet has approved the proposal of Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER) for the nomination of the Union Home Minister as ex-officio Chairman of North Eastern Council (NEC) - a statutory body with Governors and Chief Ministers of all the eight North Eastern States as its Member. The Cabinet also approved that Minister of State (Independent Charge), Ministry of DoNER would serve as Vice Chairman of the Council.

Impact: NEC implements various projects through the State and Central agencies. Under the new arrangement with Home Minister as Chairman and Minister of DoNER as Vice Chairman, NEC and all the Governors and Chief Ministers of North Eastern States as Member would provide a forum for discussing inter-state matters more comprehensively and also consider common approaches to be taken in future.

NEC can now also perform the tasks undertaken by the various Zonal Councils to discuss such inter-State issues as drug trafficking, smuggling of arms and ammunition, boundary disputes etc.

This repositioning of NEC will help it to become a more effective body for the North Eastern Region.

The Council shall, from time to time, review the implementation of the projects/schemes included in the project; recommend effective measures for coordination among the state Governments for these projects etc. The Council shall have such powers as may be delegated to it by the Central Government.

Background: NEC was established under the North Eastern Council Act, 1971 as an apex level body for securing balanced and coordinated development and facilitating coordination with the States. Subsequent to the Amendment of 2002, NEC has been mandated to function as a regional planning body for the North Eastern Area and while formulating a regional plan for this area, shall give priority to the schemes and projects benefiting two or more states provided that in the case of Sikkim, the Council shall formulate specific projects and schemes for that State.