New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi referred to the Northeast, including Assam, as the “Ashtalakshmi” of India while addressing the inaugural Bodoland Mahotsav in New Delhi. He emphasised the region’s vital role in India’s progress and highlighted its potential to drive national development.
The prime minister announced a special development package worth Rs 1,500 crore for Bodoland, in addition to Rs 700 crore provided by the Assam government. These funds will focus on improving infrastructure in education, healthcare, and culture. PM Modi expressed satisfaction with the advancements made in Bodoland since the signing of the 2020 Bodo Peace Accord, which he credited with bringing a wave of development and trust to the region.
#WATCH | Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi says, “For me, the entire North-East including Assam is the Ashtalakshmi of India. Now the sun of development will rise from Eastern India, which will give new energy to the resolve of developed India. That is why we are continuously… pic.twitter.com/Rno7Mygggj
— ANI (@ANI) November 15, 2024
’10k youths have given up arms’
He added that more than 10,000 youths in Assam have given up arms and joined mainstream society, praising peace initiatives such as the Karbi Anglong Peace Accord, the Bru-Reang Agreement, and the NLFT Tripura Agreement. The PM also commended the Bodo community for transitioning from decades of violence to celebrating peace, symbolised by hosting two editions of the Durand Cup in Kokrajhar, with teams participating from neighbouring countries.
Meanwhile, Union minister Jyotiraditya Scindia highlighted the government’s efforts to boost the Northeast’s infrastructure and economy. He pointed out that the region’s budgetary allocation had increased from Rs 24,000 crore to Rs 1.03 lakh crore. Scindia also detailed major achievements under the central government, including the construction of 5,500 kilometres of highways in the last decade, railway connectivity projects worth Rs 82,000 crore, and an increase in the number of airports from nine to 17.
‘Airports in the region increase from 9 to 17’
“The northeast used to receive budgetary outlay of Rs 24,000 crore ten years back, while the allocation for the region has been increased to Rs 1.03 lakh crore under the BJP-led NDA government at the Centre. The increase is more than four-fold during the Narendra Modi-led government’s regime,” Scindia told reporters after a review meeting with Tripura chief minister Manik Saha at the Civil Secretariat.
Only one state was connected with the railway before the BJP came to power in Delhi, while the Centre planned to extend the railway service to all the eight northeastern states by the next three to four years, he said.
