HM Amit Shah, Jyotiraditya Scindia to attend NEC plenary meeting in Agartala

Agartala: Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER) Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia will attend the all-important plenary meeting of the North Eastern Council (NEC) in Agartala on August 31 and September 1, Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha said here on Monday.

The Chief Minister said that the progress of various ongoing and proposed development projects, India-Bangladesh border-related and other important issues are likely to be discussed in the two-day NEC meeting in Agartala.

He said that Governors and Chief Ministers of all the eight northeastern states and the senior officials of NEC and DoNER Ministry would participate in the important plenary meeting.

The Union Home Minister in the last NEC meeting in Shillong had said that in the 50 years of its establishment, the NEC has increased the pace of development of the region by providing a policy-related platform to all the states and simplifying the solutions to their problems.

He had said that in these 50 years, more than 12,000 km of roads have been constructed in this region, 700 MW power plants have been established and many institutes of national excellence have also been established under the guidance of NEC.

Noting that the role and scope of NEC have been increased under the Act East Policy, the Home Minister said that in the last few years, Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government has achieved significant success in solving the problems of law and order, insurgency and borders in this region.

Work has also been done to promote the use of technology in administration by using the North-Eastern Space Applications Centre (NESAC).

He said that the language, culture, food, attire and natural beauty of the Northeast will give a great boost to this region in global tourism.

The NEC, a regional planning and statutory advisory body for the eight northeastern states including Sikkim, was constituted under the North Eastern Council Act, 1971, and came into being on November 7, 1972, with its headquarters in Meghalaya capital Shillong.

The NEC is the nodal agency for the economic and social development of the northeastern region which consists of eight states -- Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim, and Tripura.

The Union Home Minister is the ex-Officio Chairman while the DoNER Minister is the ex-Officio Vice-Chairman of the NEC.