Union minister of state for development of the northeastern region (IC) Jitendra Singh chaired a review meeting with officials of the Ministry of Development of the North Eastern Region (MDoNER) and North Eastern Council (NEC).
The officials briefed the minister about the progress of the ongoing projects in the northeastern region (NER). During the meeting, Singh was informed that all the northeastern states had provided data for Education and Research Network (ERNeT), paving the way for bringing the NER under the Digital India Programme to make citizens digitally empowered. Singh praised the ministry’s achievement in this direction.
The minister was also briefed about a hostel being constructed for northeastern students on the JNU campus in Delhi-NCR. The engineering team confirmed that the tender for the hostel building had ended and work was likely to begin by the first week of September. This is a first-of-its-kind hostel in JNU, which will accommodate 408 students. In addition, 24 rooms have been set aside for Divyang students of the NER.
The Secretary, MDoNER; secretary, NEC; and other senior officials were present at the meeting.
The status of the North Eastern Cultural and Convention Centre to be set up in Dwarka in New Delhi was also discussed at the meeting. The estimated cost of the project is about Rs94 crore. The proposed design of the building was also discussed. The minister suggested making it more futuristic and building an auditorium that could accommodate a large audience. He said this centre would act as a cultural and convention-cum-information hub of the North Eastern Region in Delhi.
The minister also suggested making arrangements for putting up exhibitions and stalls of North-East products and handicrafts in Jammu and Kashmir so that connectivity between the northeastern states and J&K might increase.
While taking stock of the initiatives and projects for this region, Singh said the development of the NER was the government’s priority under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The government will make all efforts for the implementation of ongoing development projects in the region and take measures to introduce new projects for the benefit of the northeastern people.
The minister was also briefed on the preparations for the coming North Eastern Council’s 68th plenary meet, to be held in Guwahati on September 8 and 9. The status of the report on the 100 days of government was also discussed.
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