President Kovind talks about NE; says Modi Govt transformed emotional disconnect with NE

NEW DELHI: President Ram Nath Kovind while addressing a joint session of Parliament on January 31said that apart from the geographical distance of the Northeast with Delhi, it was the emotional disconnect that had disheartened the people of the region. Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government has changed this through intense work in the last five years. “More than the physical distance of the Northeast from Delhi, it was the emotional disconnect that disheartened the people of the region. My government has transformed this situation by working tirelessly during the last five years,” he said.

Kovind also mentioned about the recently signed Bodo agreement that will bring to an end to the five-decade-old problem in the area. “With this agreement, a complex problem, that has claimed more than 4,000 lives, has been resolved. After this agreement, the government will spend Rs 1,500 crore for the development of the Bodo community,” he said.

Kovind also spoke about the agreement signed by Tripura, Mizoram, the Bru community and the Central government which has brought solution to the problem of displaced refugees in the area. The agreement also guarantees a secure life for thousands of people belonging to the  Bru-Reang community.

The President also said work is being done at an unparalleled pace in the Northeast to increase connectivity and strengthen the infrastructure and make people’s lives easier.

As a result of these initiatives of the government, by 2022, the capitals of Sikkim, Mizoram, Manipur, and Nagaland will be connected by  rail network. He said the work on the Agartala-Akhaura rail link is also progressing well. In the year 2022, the construction of the new airport at ‘Holongi’ in Arunachal Pradesh will also be completed.

Besides this, Kovind said, construction of AIIMS in Guwahati, bio-refinery in Numaligarh and sports university in Manipur are also progressing. The President said that recently the government has sanctioned about Rs 9,000 crore for the North East Gas Grid Project. This project will lay the foundation of a gas-based economy in all 8 states of the Northeast.

Also Read: Prime Minister Narendra Modi hails Bodo Accord

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