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Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and Arunachal Chief Minister Pema Kahndu at a high-level meeting in Itanagar on Sunday, Nov. 11.[/caption]
Itanagar, Nov. 11 (IANS): Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Sunday co-chaired a high-level meeting with Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu to discuss land acquisition for defence purposes in the state bordering China, Myanmar and Bhutan.
The meeting was also attended by Minister for Land Management Nabam Rebia, General Officer Commanding-in-Chief of Eastern Command Lieutenant General Manoj Mukund Naravane, Directorate General, Defence Estates Deepa Bajwa besides senior Defence officials and state government officials.
“A seven-point agenda was discussed in detail with regard to land acquisition for defence purposes in Arunachal Pradesh. The complications peculiar to Arunachal Pradesh due to collective community land holdings, change of priorities at late stage of procurement, excess payments, higher land costs, emerging necessities of the army were issues discussed during the meeting,” an official statement said.
According to the statement, most of the agenda was resolved with major progress being achieved towards early settlement of all cases. Khandu assured support from the state government besides personal indulgence with the local residents to break existing log-jams. The meeting was closed with all stakeholders sanguine of fruitful outcomes in a short time even if some more meetings between them were necessitated in the immediate time frame.
Modi govt. attaches much priority to NE region
Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Sunday said the Narendra Modi government attached priority to the north eastern region and the visit of four union ministers every month bears testimony to this.
The Centre has initiated various steps to provide the region its legitimate facilities on a par with other parts of the country, she said.
“The NDA government under Prime Minister Narendra Modi mooted the Act East Policy in place of Look East Policy under which activities in ground reality took long time,” the minister said. “At least four ministers visit north eastern states every month - not for picnic but to complete all the schemes and projects of the Centre which was not materialised in the last 50 years,” Sitharaman said.
While delivering a lecture here, she termed Northeast as the gateway to the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN).
She also called upon the people of North East never to forget their roots.