Measures will be taken to ensure illegal immigrants do not find place in NRC – Shah

Guwahati, Sep. 8 (PTI): BJP national president Amit Shah on Sunday assured the Assam unit of the party that measures will be taken to ensure that no illegal immigrant finds a place in the National Register of Citizens (NRC).

After submitting a memorandum to Shah, who is also the Union Home Minister, at the venue of the 68th Plenary Session of the North East Council (NEC) here, Dass told reporters that they had discussed “anomalies in the contentious NRC” with the party national president.

“Shah assured us that the BJP’s commitment to not allow even one illegal migrant in India remains unchanged,” Dass said.

The party national president told the state unit that there was nothing to worry in this regard, Dass said.

“He also assured us that necessary protection will be given to all those who came to India prior to 1971,” Dass said.

Shah, who is the chairman of the NEC, had said earlier in the day that the Centre will not allow a single illegal immigrant to stay in the country.

“Questions are being raised about the NRC by different sections but today I just want to say this that the BJP-led government is committed to ensure that not a single illegal immigrant enters the region,” he said.

NEC gives member states opportunity to combat local challenges — Arunachal governor

Exuding confidence that the North East Council (NEC) will “usher in inclusive development” in the region, Arunachal Pradesh Governor Brig (Retd) B D Mishra on Sunday said the forum gives its member states an opportunity to jointly combat local challenges.

Addressing the 68th plenary of NEC at Guwahati, the governor sought “men, material and technological help” from the Centre to counter insurgency and anti-national activities in Arunachal Pradesh.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah is in the Assam capital to chair the two-day plenary, which will discuss the progress of ongoing projects, outlays by central ministries in the northeast among other issues.

“The NEC is a forum, which provides its member states, an opportunity to synergize efforts and usher in inclusive development of the region,” he said.

Noting that skill development, infrastructure and entrepreneurship facilities are in “nascent stages” in Arunachal, Mishra said, “Due to the poor credit profile of the state, people here are not able to start new ventures.”

“Educational and health care infrastructure development in the state need extensive effort… There is absence of quality and specialized medical service facilities in remote and distant areas,” he pointed out.

The governor also contended that the state has huge tourism potential, but lack of air and road connectivity has been a major bottleneck.

“Acres of arable land are lying unused as farmers here still resort to primitive tilling. Add to that, the hydropower potential of the state is yet to be tapped. There has been no major progress in the industrial sector, too,” he said.

Mishra sought the Centre’s support to fight insurgency and anti-national activities.

“There is an intense drive by various insurgent groups to recruit local youth from Tirap, Changlang and Longding districts. I would request the Union Home Ministery to provide men, material, and technological help to the state counter insurgency operations,” the governor added.