Modi govt giving tremendous focus to Northeast: Jitendra Singh

The NDA government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi is giving tremendous focus for the overall development of the Northeastern region including that of infrastructure, Union Minister Jitendra Singh said on Friday.

This was conveyed by Singh when a six-member parliamentary delegation from Germnay, headed by Jurgen Hardt, called on him here.

Singh, the Minister for the Development of the North Eastern Region (DoNER),  said the central government is allocating 10 per cent of its resources to the region despite it having just 3.5 per cent population of the country and 7 per cent area.

He apprised the delegation about the tremendous focus of the NDA government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the overall development of the Northeastern region including that of infrastructure, an official statement said.

Singh said in the last two years major steps were taken for air connectivity and for the rapid development of inland waterways in the region. 

There are 20 inland waterways including the one at mighty Brahmaputra for cheap and easy transportation of goods, he said.

This signifies the priority being attached to the region, Singh said.

The minister briefed the delegation about international collaborative arrangements for the development of the Northeastern region and said Japan is investing in a big way for the construction of roads and bridges there.

Israel is having a project on citrus food parks as well, he added.

Singh wanted to know from German delegation as to how Germany can help in commissioning developmental projects in the region, the statement said.

Secretary of ministry of DoNER Inderjit Singh said India and Germany have a bilateral collaboration in the field of climate change and in December 2019, a pilot project on the subject was concluded.