Synopsis
Home Minister Amit Shah highlighted the significant peace achieved in Northeast India over the past decade. Twenty peace accords were signed. Over 10,000 militants surrendered. The region’s infrastructure improved. This brought the Northeast closer to the rest of India. Shah urged further efforts to combat drug smuggling. He emphasized the importance of a drug-free Northeast.
AgenciesEstablishment of peace in Northeast India is the biggest work done in the last 10 years, Union home minister Amit Shah claimed on Saturday, citing various peace accords and surrendering of militant outfits in the region.
In the last 10 years, Prime minister Narendra Modi has brought Northeast India in focus not only nationally but internationally, Shah said at the 72nd plenary session of the Northeastern Council (NEC) in Agartala.
“Northeast India, for a long time, remained only in the speeches from New Delhi,” he said. But tremendous infrastructure development under the Modi government has made the region easily accessible and “lessened the distance of hearts among the people of Northeast India and New Delhi,” he said.
“Ten years back, the 200 communities of the region and 195 dialects were a type of weakness and were leading to several differences,” Shah said. “In ten years, the prime minister has turned this weakness into strength. Now, these 200 communities, owing to their culture, are the centre of attraction across the world.”
He pointed out that Northeast India is one of the 36 biodiversity hotspots across the world.
After the Modi government came to power at the Centre, 20 accords have been signed for the peace and harmony of the northeastern states and 10,574 cadres of various militant outfits have surrendered in different states of the region, the home minister said.
“A multidimensional approach involving the state policies, army, Assam Rifles and other central armed police forces has been undertaken to maintain peace and to curb all unlawful activities in the northeastern region,” Shah said.
The long-pending inter-state border disputes in the northeastern states are being resolved amicably, he added.
Shah urged the chief ministers of eight northeastern states to give more impetus to curbing the smuggling and other menaces of drugs in the region.
“Many endeavours were made to curb the drug menaces, but much more efforts must be undertaken by the chief ministers and all people concerned,” he said, emphasising the need to dispel the impression that drugs-related activities are widespread in the northeastern states.
He said that the Centre has undertaken nationwide all-out efforts to achieve a ‘Nasha mukt Bharat‘ (drugs-free India) and the northeastern states must be a part of the mission.
