DoNER to give special focus on 10 districts in Northeast that lags in development

Our Reporter
Dimapur, June 16 (EMN): Union Minister of State (Independent charge), Development for North-East Region (DoNER), Jitendra Singh on Wednesday stated that the Ministry would identify 10 districts in all the eight states of Northeast that are lagging in governance and developments, with an aim to bring them at par with other developed districts.

Chairing a high-level meeting with the officials of the Ministry of DoNER and North Eastern Council (NEC), the minister said that the aim of the exercise was to focus on these districts and bring them at par with other developed districts in terms of saturation level.

He added that the main focus will be to accelerate “ease of living” in these districts through smooth delivery of goods and services, according to a PIB report.

Singh clarified that these 10 districts will be different from the 14 aspirational districts of Northeast, chosen earlier based on 49 key indicators, of which the status of healthcare was an important component.

He also reiterated that ISRO (Indian Space Research Organisation) would assist development projects in the Northeast through space technology and would contribute by offering optimum utilisation of Satellite Imaging and other space technology applications for better accomplishment of infrastructural projects in all the eight north-eastern states, the report stated.

He cited some of the important projects for which work is under progress like the mapping of forest gap areas, expansion of land area for horticulture development, identification and rejuvenation of wetlands and diversion of floodwater, assessment of bamboo resources for livelihood and border disputes management.

The report stated that Singh had instructed the officials to prepare a comprehensive database of developmental projects in each of the eight states in the region in the last seven years and showcase the marked improvement in all the sectors in comparison to the earlier 63 years.

He said that the prime minister’s flagship projects and all the foundation laying ceremonies in all the eight states must be reflected in the developmental database.

He concluded the meeting by exhorting officials to resume post-Covid developmental activities and try to catch up fast the lost opportunities during the pandemic, it added.

It may also be mentioned that on October 12, 2020, the government had earmarked INR 200 crore for the eight north-eastern states as a special interest-free 50-year loan under capital expenditure boost for states package.