Play proactive role in development: DoNER minister to NE MPs

The government today asked the MPs from north-eastern states to play a proactive role in various initiatives and development projects launched by the Centre for the area in last 14 months.
MPs from north-eastern states should play proactive role in various development projects initiated by the Centre, Union Minister Jitendra Singh told the Legislators here today during a luncheon meeting hosted by him in Parliament House Annexe for over 40 MPs, including former Speaker and President of the Northeast MPs Forum, P A Sangma.
He said soon after taking over the charge of the Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER), he started the process of regular interaction with the MPs from northeast in order to keep them on board in every decision-making, because they were important stakeholders for anything that was planned for the region.

Singh urged the Members of Parliament from the eight North Eastern states -- Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Mizoram, Nagaland, Meghalaya, Tripura, Sikkim and Manipur -- to play a proactive role in the various initiatives and development projects launched by the Narendra Modi government during the last 14 months, an official release said.
He said the various plans under the North-Eastern Council (NEC) and Non-Lapsable Central Pool of Resources (NLCPR) take into cognisance the priorities laid down by the State Government and therefore, in order to avoid any possibility of miscommunication and also to ensure wider involvement, the process of regular and exclusive interaction with the MPs of the region has proved highly fruitful.

"This becomes all the more imperative considering the fact that across the party lines, the region has a huge number of MPs who, regardless of their political affiliations, share certain common views which are of great significance for the development of the region," said Singh.

Referring to some of the innovative programmes in the offing, he said, the Organic Farming Mission, inspired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, is already in the pipeline and after going through the process of inter-ministerial consultation, it will be placed before the cabinet.
An amount of Rs 125 crore has been earmarked for this mission in the current financial year, the Minister said. This initiative will also reinforce "Act East Policy" initiated by the Prime Minister.

Singh informed the MPs that a new initiative called "DoNER at Doorstep", wherein the officers from the Ministry of DoNER every month hold Camp Secretariat on rotation basis in each of the eight states has proved highly popular.
It has also sent out a positive signal that for redressal of their grievances, people of Northeast need not travel to Delhi but on the other hand, DoNER can also travel to their doorstep, he said.
Singh said the Prime Minister in his "Man-ki-Baat" radio broadcast on July 26, had made a special mention with appreciation for this initiative.