Arunachal Integral to India’s Unity, Northeast Emerging as Key Growth Engine: VP Radhakrishnan

A Correspondent

Itanagar: Vice President C P Radhakrishnan on Wednesday said Arunachal Pradesh is integral to India's unity, with the Northeast region, aided by Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Act East policy, emerging as a key driver of the country's growth.

Addressing a special session of the Arunachal Pradesh Legislative Assembly here, he said the state stands as a proud guardian of India's borders and its development is closely linked to the progress of the country.

He also said Arunachal Pradesh is culturally rich with boundless potential.

Radhakrishnan said the Northeast has been given increasing priority by successive governments, recalling that former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee had created the Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER).

Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Act East policy and his description of the eight northeastern states as 'Ashta-lakshmi' demonstrate the tremendous potential of the region, he said.

The vice president said the Union Budget this year has allocated more than Rs 6,800 crore to the DoNER Ministry, reflecting the Centre's continued focus on the region. Highlighting Arunachal Pradesh's development, Radhakrishnan said the state has around 79 percent forest cover and is endowed with rich biodiversity, forests, rivers and ecological resources that are vital for the country's environmental security and climate resilience.

He noted that Arunachal has emerged as the country's number one producer of kiwi fruit and that more than one lakh soil health cards have been issued to farmers.

The state's per capita income has more than doubled, while the pace of road construction has reached around 1,800 km a year, he said.

Radhakrishnan, who arrived here Tuesday evening on a two-day visit to the state said, rural road connectivity in Arunachal has increased from around 4,000 km to more than 14,000 km in the last decade, while the length of national highways has grown from about 1,000 km to over 2,500 km.

More than 800 schools have been upgraded during the period and enrolment in government schools has risen to over 1.7 lakh, he said.

The Vice-President also praised the state's efforts towards women's empowerment, saying more than 1.5 lakh women have benefited through around 16,000 women self-help groups. He said there are now around 16,000 "Lakhpati Didis" in the state and hoped that they would become "crorepatis" in the future.

Radhakrishnan congratulated Chief Minister Pema Khandu, his council of ministers, MLAs and the people of Arunachal Pradesh for the progress made across sectors.

Congratulating the Assembly on completing its Golden Jubilee, he said its initiatives such as making the Legislative Secretariat plastic-free and establishing a library and museum would help future generations learn from the state's legislative journey.

He reminded legislators that elections may be won through votes, but the respect of people can only be earned through service.

"As legislators, you are the voice of thousands of people who expect justice, development and hope," he said, adding that every policy, question, law and discussion in the House has the potential to improve countless lives.

Calling on the legislators to contribute to the vision of a "Viksit Bharat" by 2047, Radhakrishnan urged them to ensure that development reaches every village and family and creates greater opportunities for the youth.

As Presiding Officer of the Rajya Sabha, he urged Arunachal legislators to make full use of Question Hour and Zero Hour to raise policy issues and constituency concerns.

"Every day, every hour, every minute, every second of our time in the House should be used to strengthen democracy," he said.

Radhakrishnan also praised Arunachal Pradesh for fully implementing e-Vidhan to make the Assembly paperless and efficient, and encouraged legislators to embrace emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence and natural language processing.

The Vice President said Parliament was also leveraging digital platforms, with parliamentary papers and debates being made available in multiple Indian languages.

"AI-powered voice-to-text tools are being used for simultaneous interpretation in eight Indian languages, with all 22 scheduled languages to be covered soon," he added.

Radhakrishnan urged legislators to uphold dialogue, debate and discussion, saying, "Debates, discussions, or even disruptions must always lead to a decision."

"Healthy debate strengthens democracy; constructive cooperation advances the State and the Nation," he added.

"Arunachal Pradesh has an important role in India's future. The development of Arunachal Pradesh is linked to the development of India," the Vice-President said, calling for collective efforts to build a strong Arunachal Pradesh and a strong India in the spirit of "Rashtra Pratham".

The Vice President also visited the Assembly Gallery-cum-Museum.

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