Frame NE-specific policies, Chief Minister Pema Khandu urges Centre

OUR CORRESPONDENT

ITANAGAR: Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu on Thursday urged the Centre to frame policies for the North-East keeping in view the challenges of the region, which he said, is fully dependent on New Delhi for developmental funds.

The policies of the Centre are difficult to implement on the ground as the region has unique challenges in comparison to the other parts of the country, Khandu said, addressing the two-day conference of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) India Region Zone III at the State Legislative Assembly here.

"Union DoNER Minister G Kishan Reddy held an interaction with all the North-East Chief Ministers in Guwahati, where all the State Governments unanimously requested for State-specific schemes for the region," he said.

The States of the region have different topography with cultural diversity for which State-specific policies are need to be framed, he added.

Speaking at the programme, Deputy Chief Minister Chowna Mein urged for re-opening of the Stilwell Road and border trade with neighbouring countries to boost economic activities in the North-East.

Pointing out the challenges in the border areas of the State, which shares boundaries with China and Myanmar, Mein said that with efforts of the Centre and the State Government, migration in such areas have witnessed a reverse trend in the last few years.

"More efforts are needed to provide basic facilities to the people living along the border," Mein said.

Referring to the glorious history of North-East, the Deputy Chief Minister laid stress on the need to re-write the history of the region and pressed for inclusion of the history of the region in NCERT books.

State Assembly Speaker Pasang D Sona, in his inaugural address, requested the delegates of the conference to contribute to Mother Nature, saying that the Arunachal Pradesh Assembly has already gone paperless with implementation of the e-Vidhan project.

"We must have a soft corner for Nature and so we are organizing the event as a 'Green Conference' without using any plastic materials," Sona said.

Meanwhile, Sona was re-elected as the Chairman of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) India Region Zone-III for the second time.

The decision was taken at the joint meeting of the executive committee of CPA at the State Legislative Assembly on Wednesday.

Sona was also elected as Chairman of the group for the first time in January, 2021 at Guwahati.

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