Centre to promote NE through Act East policy: Sushma

Connectivity & regiol production figure prominently in Governors’ conference

From a Correspondent

New Delhi, Oct 7: The Centre is all set to promote Northeastern states through its 'Act East' policy. Exterl Affairs minister Sushma Swaraj conveyed this to a delegation of Governors from NE states in New Delhi.

All the NE state Governors had a meeting with Swaraj at Jawaharlal Nehru Bhawan on Tuesday evening, discussing about the connectivity and overall development of the region while taking the neighbouring countries along.

The meeting, sources said, discussed a better railway, road and water connectivity between India with Bangladesh, Myanmar, Thailand and right up to Cambodia.

"The briefing covered various cross-border connectivity projects that are under implementation or discussion, which would link the Northeast to the wider region including Myanmar, Bangladesh, Thailand and even Cambodia, Laos and Vietm," sources said.

Issues of border trade and integrating the Northeast into regiol production and value chains were also discussed, as were steps towards enhancing capacity building and facilitating greater cultural and people-to-people exchanges.

The meeting was a follow-up to a specific recommendation emating from the conference of Governors chaired by President Prab Mukherjee in February this year. 

The meeting was attended by  JP Rajkhowa, Governor of Aruchal Pradesh, PB Acharya, Governor of Assam and galand, V Shanmugam, Governor of Manipur and Meghalaya, Lt. Gen. Nirbhay Sharma, Governor of Mizoram and Shrinivas Patil, Governor of Sikkim.

Secretary (East) and senior officers of the Ministry of Exterl Affairs also participated in the briefing, which covered comprehensively all aspects of India's Act East policy, with particular focus on how these impacted on the Northeastern region.

"The Northeast is a tural partner in India's Act East policy, being our land bridge to ASEAN, and the Act East policy is a means to strengthen the stability, economy and prospects of our Northeastern region," Swaraj told in the meeting.