AIR Spotlight - Peace, Security and Development in the Northeastern States

AIR Spotlight is an insightful program featured daily on the All India Radio Newsonair. In this program, many eminent panellists discuss issues of importance which can be quite helpful in IAS exam preparation. In this article, the situation in the NE states of India is discussed.

Participants:

1. P.J. Barua, Political Analyst.
2. Ashwini Srivastava, Journalist.

Context:

The article discusses the Prime Minister’s visit to Assam and various initiatives and developments in the Northeastern region.

Background:

• The government of India has been taking great efforts to ensure peace, security, and development of the Northeastern states. 
• Many initiatives like the promotion of self-help groups, start-ups, construction of roads, availability of drinking water & electricity around the clock, augmentation of health infrastructure, and creation of jobs are being done by the central government.
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Assam on 28th April where he addressed the ‘Peace, Unity and Development Rally’ at Diphu in Karbi Anglong district.

Key takeaways of the visit:

Various projects:

• PM Modi laid the foundation stone of various projects on veterinary science, agriculture, and model government colleges among others.

Double engine government:

• PM Modi also lauded the “double-engine government” for bringing development to the northeastern regions of India. 
• The term “double engine” is used by BJP leaders to refer to the party being in power at the Centre as well as in a state.

Bodo Accord:

• PM Modi also hailed the Bodo Accord, saying it has brought “long-lasting peace” to Assam. 
• The tripartite Bodo Accord 2020 was signed between the Centre, the Assam government, and the Bodo group. 
• Several organizations from Karbi Anglong joined the resolve for peace and development. Bodo Accord opened new doors for lasting peace in 2020.

Cancer hospitals:

• Prime Minister Modi dedicated to the nation six cancer hospitals in Assam in Dibrugarh. 
• These cancer hospitals are built at Dibrugarh, Kokrajhar, Barpeta, Darrang, Tezpur, Lakhimpur, and Jorhat. 
• The Prime Minister also laid the foundation stone of seven new cancer hospitals at Dhubri, Nalbari, Goalpara, Nagaon, Sivasagar, Tinsukia and Golaghat to be constructed under phase 2 of the project.
• Higher-level healthcare facility for cancer treatment which was earlier not available in the state is being brought. 

Education:

• PM also laid the foundation stone of Veterinary College at Diphu, Degree College at West Karbi Anglong, and Agricultural College at Kolonga, West Karbi Anglong. 
• These projects will bring new opportunities for skilling and employment in the region.

Amrit Sarovar Projects:

• He also laid the foundation stone for more than 2950 Amrit Sarovar projects. 
• The state will develop these Amrit Sarovar at a cumulative cost of around 1150 crore rupees.

Peace deal:

• The government entered into peace deals in Assam and Tripura and efforts are on to bring permanent peace in the northeast region.

Har Ghar Jal Mission:

• Talking about ‘Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana – Har Ghar Jal Mission’, PM said it’s not just any government scheme, but a manifestation of dreams of the poor and the underprivileged. 
• The government will ensure to provide water at the doorstep of each and every person, he added.

Some positive changes brought by the government:

A list of positive changes has been given below:

Extremist outfits:

• Six extremist outfits surrendered and joined the mainstream by surrendering their weapons. PM Modi ensured that they will be rehabilitated and should take part in the development process. 

Infrastructure development:

• New roads have been built and new projects are also coming up. Rail connectivity has been extended even up to Manipur, Arunachal Pradesh, and Mizoram. 
• There have been tremendous activities around the states along with the expansion of airports. This improvement in connectivity is bringing the northeastern part of the country closer to the Indian mainland.
• A big fillip has been given by the central government for the development of areas bordering China. This is a very welcome development step.

Logistics:

• The government is improving the supply of goods and services to the army camps on the borders for the smooth movement of army border personnel.

Job creation:

• A lot of efforts are being done by the government to solve the unemployment problem. 
• The government has opened up more employment opportunities in the form of agricultural pursuits, more opening of small and medium scale industries, startup ventures, etc.

Education:

• New colleges, new professional colleges, and new universities are coming up encouraging young people to pursue higher studies. 

Social welfare activities:

• A number of social welfare activities have been undertaken in Assam in the last few years bringing relief to the elderly people, widows, and the weaker sections at large.

Conclusion:

The Northeastern region has witnessed a lot of positive changes in the last few years. The government is dedicated to ensuring peace, security, and development in the region and the recent steps taken by the government will be able to bring more stability to the northeastern states.

Read more Gist of AIR Spotlight here.

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