On January 23, 2021, Union Minister Amit Shah, Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) inaugurated and chaired the 2 day 69th meeting of the North Eastern Council (NEC) in Shillong, Meghalaya.
- The focus of the meeting was to discuss various developmental ongoing and future projects for the North Eastern region (NER).
- There, it was notified that 30% of the Central Government ‘s budget will be used for the development of underdeveloped areas. Notably, the Union Budget has been increased by 24 percent to Rs. 3,13,000 crores from 89,000 crores.
Key Points:
–All NER states were urged to solve their boundary disputes with other states including Assam and Arunachal Pradesh by August 15, 2022, when India will be celebrating 75 years of its Independence.
–If the North-East Council sets a target by 2022 under ‘Ease of Doing Business’ in consultation with every state, it will also help in attracting investment.
–He also directed the NEC to organize programmes for children, launch various schemes and build memorials in the North-East in the memory of Subhash Chandra Bose.
Central GovernmentAssistance to North-East in COVID times:
A total credit of Rs. 7,923 crore has been made which include the following:
–7.75 lakh metric tonnes of food grains were provided to 3 crore beneficiaries under the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Yojana.
–About 30,000 metric tons of pulses and 50 lakh gas cylinders were distributed free of cost. Under the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Yojana, Rs 553 crore have been transferred to the farmers’ account.
–Rs. 1,707 crore has been credited to Jan Dhan Yojana account holders as a one-time lumpsum so that they can make a livelihood.
–Rs. 2,530 crore have been transferred to beneficiaries accounts under different schemes.
Key Participants: Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma and Union Minister for the Development of North Eastern Region Jitendra Singh, who is the vice-chair of the Council.
About North Eastern Council (NEC):
Constituted in 1971 by an Act of Parliament, NEC is the nodal agency for the economic and social development of the North Eastern Region which consists of the eight States of Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim and Tripura.
- Headquarter– Shillong
Recent Related News:
i.Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) chaired by PM Narendra Modi approved the revised cost estimate of the North Eastern Region Power System Improvement Project (NERPSIP) for six states at an estimated cost of Rs 6,700 crore. The 6 states are Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, and Tripura.
ii.On December 19-20, 2020, the 8th edition of the North East Festival (NEF) 2020 was held at Radisson Blu Hotel in Guwahati, Assam by adhering to all Covid related protocols and guidelines. It was for the first time that Guwahati hosted this annual two-day event.
About Meghalaya:
Governor– Satya Pal Malik
National Parks– Balpakram (Phase I), Nokrek
