New Delhi [India], December 18 (HBTV): Union Minister for the Development of North Eastern Region, Jyotiraditya Scindia, lauded the rapid growth in the North East under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, highlighting the significant improvements in infrastructure.

In an interview with ANI, he acknowledged the complexity Manipur is dealing with but rejected the notion that it arose in recent years, stating that the situation has persisted for over 25-40 years. He further emphasized the central and state government’s commitment to finding a solution amid the violence in Manipur.

'The central government is seized of the matter. Manipur is not a situation that has occurred in the last year, the last five years, or the last ten years. Manipur is a situation that has been there for the last 25 to 40 years. So it's not something that has been created by this government. We are talking to all factions and we are trying to bring about an amicable solution. The central government along with the state government is committed to finding a solution,' he said.

The Union Minister for Communications said that the number of conflict incidents that have occurred in the last 10 years compared to the period before has fallen by almost 80 percent in the region.

'It's unfair and incorrect to say that the region is mired in conflict. The Northeast has never been so peaceful in its tenure as it has been under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The number of incidents that have happened in the last 10 years compared to the period before has fallen by almost 80 percent or so. The number of insurgents that have laid down their arms and joined the mainstream of growth in India in this region has grown by almost about 70 to 75 percent,' he said.

'The number of agreements and accords that have been signed under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah have been path-breaking. And most importantly, the amount of development and progress that has occurred in this region has been nothing short of astounding,' Scindia added.

The Union Minister further highlighted significant improvements in infrastructure in the Northeast region, including the construction of over 16,000 kilometers of national highways and the expansion of railways, airports, and waterways.

'I just conducted a road show in Mumbai for the North East Investor Summit where I had the Chief Minister of Tripura and the Chief Minister of Meghalaya with me on stage. The impactful speeches they delivered in terms of development under their leadership in their respective states are nothing short of exemplary. In the last 10 years, we have built almost 5,500 kilometers of national highways. A region that has only 10,000 kilometers of national highways today has 16,000 kilometers of national highways,' he said.

'In 60 years, what was built? 60 percent of that has been built in 10 years. 45,000 kilometers of Pradhan Mantri Gramin Sarak Yojana have been built in the last 10 years for INR 50,000 crores. That is as far as highways are concerned. If you look at railways, the pace of building railway tracks was roughly about 6.5 kilometers a month. It has now grown to over 19 kilometers a month. In the last 10 years, 2,000 kilometers of railway tracks have been built,' Scindia added.

The Union Minister said that in his last portfolio in the area of civil aviation, the Northeast states had nine airports, and today the region has 17 airports.

'In the northeast, three to four states are already connected by railways, and we will connect the balance in the next two to three years. 19 projects are ongoing railways, close to about INR 88,000 crores worth of projects. Similarly, in my last portfolio in civil aviation, we had nine airports. Today we have 17 airports. We had thousands of air traffic movements per week to the northeast in 2014. Today we have 1,990 traffic movements in the northeast, which means it’s almost more than doubled. We had a single waterway for transport in the northeast. Today we have 20 waterways for transport in the northeast,' he said.

Scindia also announced that the second semiconductor factory in India will be established in Assam, marking a major milestone for the region.

'Development and progress has grown by leaps and bounds, and that’s why the first semiconductor fab coming up in the northeast is in Assam. It’s the second in India and the first in the northeast with the Tata Group and an investment of close to INR 27,000 crores. In the last six months, we have held three roadshows leading up to the main investor summit, which we are planning to hold sometime in March or April next year. Through the three roadshows, we’ve almost garnered close to INR 45,000 crores in terms of MOUs and letters of intent that people are very eager to invest in the North East,' he said.   

(ANI)