PM accords highest priority to northeast states, J-K, Ladakh: Jitendra Singh

Prime Minister Narendra Modi accords highest priority to the northeastern states and the newly created Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh, Union Minister Jitendra Singh said here on Sunday.

At a high-level meeting between the Ministry for Development of the North Eastern Region, led by Singh, and the Nagaland government, headed by Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio, the Union minister said over the last five years Nagaland has undergone huge transformation and make-over.

"Nagaland today has emerged as an example of peace and development taking precedence over all the bitter experiences of the past and seeking to move forward at the same pace as some of the more developed states of India," Singh said.

The Union minister said right from the day Narendra Modi took over as prime minister in 2014, he has been emphasising the importance of bringing far-flung states such as Nagaland to the same level of development as other states and Nagaland has distinctly lived up to this endeavour.

The prime minister accords highest priority to peripheral regions, including the eight states of the northeastern region and the newly created Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh, Jitendra Singh said.

While discussing the issue of a new airport for Kohima and the feasibility of upgrading Dimapur airport, Singh referred to the recent decision taken by the Union Cabinet wherein in the next phase of the Centre's UDAAN scheme, the Civil Aviation Ministry is going to focus primarily on the northeastern and the hill states.

He also reviewed the progress of upgradation of Dimapur to Kohima road and said the ongoing 'Hornbill Festival' is attracting visitors from all over India and abroad who are using both air route and road transport.

With improvement in connectivity, there would be a further flow of people visiting Nagaland from other parts of India and abroad, Singh said.

During the meeting, Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio also listed out some of the pending projects in the Ministry of DoNER and North Eastern Council (NEC), and urged them to expedite those projects.

Officials of the Ministry of DoNER said that Rs 2 crore is pending in the ministry and the North Eastern Council for immediate release to the state Government, but got held up due to non-submission of utilisation certificates.

The chief minister also handed over to DoNER Minister Jitendra Singh, who is also the minister in-charge of the Personnel Ministry, a list of Nagaland cadre IAS officers who had over-stayed in the Union government and whom the state government wanted to be repatriated so that their services could be utilised in the state.

According to a press release, Singh assured CM Neiphiu Rio that the cases of Nagaland cadre IAS officers proposed by him will be immediately taken up and examined for the purpose of repatriation to the state government.