For many decades the north-eastern States have been neglected, but ever since Prime Minister Narendra Modi has come, these States not only have got the basic amenities but also are on the path of rapid development, said Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu.
He was here to deliver a talk on ‘Security of India and importance and development of North-Eastern States’, organised by Samalochana here on Saturday.
“Till about 10 years ago, rarely would we see the Prime Minister visiting any of these States, but PM Modi has visited us a number of times. From National Highways to Digital India, every sector is being covered and right now were on par with any of the other States in the country. Moreover, development is on a fast-track mode,” he said.
The then PM Atal Behari Vajpayee had laid the foundation stone for many bridges, which have now been completed by Mr. Modi, he said.
“Just because of the Chinese aggression and incursion in the Tibet region, today China is our border nation, otherwise it would have been Tibet,” said Mr. Khandu.
“Earlier all the infrastructure along the border were temporary, but now they have become permanent and there are good roads, which are being utilised by the border villages effectively. Coming to the aggressive nature of China, we are responding strongly and putting them in the back foot,” he said.
“Arunachal Pradesh is spread over 84,000 sq km and we have over 80 tribes, each being distinct in its own way. But Hindi has united us and the recent movies such as Bahubali, KGF, RRR and Pushpa, were big hits,” he said.
“The bifurcation of the districts have speeded up the development and today 18,000 km of NH project has been completed. Today, we have a train line connecting our capital city Itanagar to New Delhi and very soon we will have a train line to the famous pilgrim spot Parasuram Kund,” said Mr. Pema Khandu.
“In 1962, we had just one airstrip for defence purposes, now we have eight and two are being utilised exclusively by helicopters. Three tunnel ways are under progress and these are important from the national security point of view,” he said.
He also appreciated Visakhapatnam city and urged people to visit Arunachal Pradesh, as it is a beautiful State and open to tourists.
