Contribution of northeast most important in making developed India, says Amit Shah

New Delhi, Mar 11 (PTI) Union Home Minister Amit Shah Tuesday said the contribution of the northeastern region will be most important in the making of a developed India.

Addressing the North-East Students’ and Youth Parliament organised by the Student Experience in Inter-State Living (SEIL), he also said the Narendra Modi government is fully committed to the development, unity and peace of the northeast.

The northeast is very close to the heart of Prime Minister Modi and the Government of India, he said.

“Prime Minister Narendra Modi made the northeast the focal point of every programme of the Central government. The contribution of the northeast will be the most important in the building of a developed India,” he said.

The home minister highlighted the region’s immense potential to attract global attention, especially from a tourism perspective.

He also praised the youth of the northeast for having the highest IQ in India and noted that the region is home to some of the most hard-working tribes.

Shah emphasised the northeast is a land of diversity with over 220 tribal groups, 160 tribes, 200 dialects and languages, 50 unique festivals, and more than 30 world-renowned dance forms.

He acknowledged that despite its many unique qualities, the northeast lagged in development due to a time when insurgency and separatism were fuelled by creating various illusions and disputes.

Violence, bandhs, drugs, blockades, and regionalism fragmented the region, causing a divide not only between the northeast and the rest of the country but also among the states within the region, the Union home minister pointed out.

As a result, the region faced a 40-year delay in development, with terrorism and separatist groups being the primary obstacles during this period, he said.

The home minister said whenever the BJP came to power, it always prioritised the Northeast. He mentioned that previously, there was no separate ministry for such a large and underdeveloped region, but it was established during the government led by Atal Bihari Vajpayee.

Under Prime Minister Modi, the northeast has come under the focus of every programme of the Union government, he said, adding the greatest achievement of the Modi government is reducing the distance between the region and the rest of India.

Shah announced that by 2027, all state capitals in the northeast will be connected by rail, air, and road networks.

Shah said Prime Minister Modi not only enhanced physical connectivity between the northeast and the rest of India but also worked to bridge the emotional divide.

Maintaining that the northeast is now experiencing peace, he highlighted that the Modi government kept the region at the heart of every plan, engaging in discussions with insurgent groups one by one, understanding their concerns and working to bring them into the mainstream through agreements.

The home minister said that between 2004 and 2014, there were 11,000 incidents of violence in the region, whereas from 2014 to 2024, the number decreased by nearly 70 per cent, dropping to 3,428.

He said there has been a 70 per cent reduction in the death of security forces and an 89 per cent decline in civilian deaths.

The Modi government has signed agreements with all insurgent groups, leading to over 10,500 rebels surrendering their weapons and reintegrating into the mainstream, Shah added while underlining that in the past 10 years, as many as 12 significant agreements had been signed with insurgent groups.

Under the ‘Ek Bharat, Shreshtha Bharat’ initiative, the government has respected and preserved the languages, dialects, cultures, costumes, traditional dances and arts of the northeast while fostering an atmosphere of peace across the region by encouraging the surrender of weapons by more than 10,000 individuals, he said.

Asserting the development of any region is not possible without peace, a fundamental precondition for progress, Shah emphasised that the Modi government was focused on establishing peace in the northeast.

He highlighted the significant benefits the region has gained from space technology under the Modi government, with around 110 schemes being implemented through the North Eastern Space Applications Centre.

For flood management in the Northeast, Shah said satellite mapping and topography have been used to plan the construction of more than 300 lakes in the region, which will ensure permanent flood management.

The Union government has increased the budgetary provisions for the region and in comparison to 2014-15, the allocation for the region has been increased by 153 per cent during 2024-25, he said.

The minister also mentioned that for better connectivity, Rs 41,000 crore has been spent on roads and Rs 47,000 crore spent separately on rural roads.

In a way, the Modi government has spent Rs 90,000 crore in the northeast specifically for roads, he said, adding 64 new air routes were started for air connectivity, Rs 4,800 crore was spent on the Vibrant Village programme, while Rs 18,000 crore was allocated for the railways.