The Centre’s focus on infrastructure and connectivity is driving the development aspirations of North East India, Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman Harivansh said on Monday.
Addressing the 22nd Commonwealth Parliamentary Association Conference in Nagaland, he highlighted the significant progress made in the region over the last decade.
“The commitment to spend 10% of the budget in this region looked ambitious at start, but year after year, this focus has today shown us what can be achieved,” Harivansh said. He pointed to the substantial increase in budget allocation for North East India, from Rs 24,500 crore in 2014 to Rs 1.8 lakh crore in the current financial year.
The deputy chairman also noted the expansion of national highways, rural roads, and 4G connectivity in the region.
“Until just over a decade ago, the region had only about 10,900 kilometers of National Highways. And in just the last 10 years, 6,000 kilometers more have been added. More than 45 thousand kilometres of rural roads have been completed under PMGSY,” he said.
Harivansh emphasized the unique challenge of balancing development aspirations with climate change in North East India, which accounts for 21% of India’s forest cover. He recalled the contribution of Jayaprakash Narayan to peace in Nagaland in the 1960s.
The conference, themed “Policy, Progress & People: Legislatures as Catalysts of Change,” is discussing the role of legislatures in achieving Viksit Bharat by 2047 and addressing climate change in the NorthEast region.