The North-East has the potential to become the country’s growth engine, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Thursday, noting that peace was now being established in the entire region.
He stated this at the foundation stone-laying ceremony of the Manipur water supply project via a video link.
While blockades have become part of history in Manipur, the era of decades of violence has ceased in Assam, the PM said in his address. In Tripura and Mizoram too, youths have abandoned the path of violence and the Bru-Reang refugees were moving towards a better life, he added.
The PM said the government was making efforts to improve connectivity in the North-East, be it highways, laying of rail tracks, or upgrading airports. He said the North-East had the potential to replace the country’s bamboo import with local production. “There is a huge demand for incense sticks in the country, but for this, India imports bamboo worth crores of rupees every year,” the PM said. A lot of work was being done to change this situation, he said. — PTI
