Prime Minister Narendra Modi formally inaugurated the Hornbill festival in Kohima, capital of Nagaland on Monday.
He announced a slew of developmental programmes and benefits for the people and students of the northeast during his short speech.
Mentioning that he is the only Prime Minister who has visited Nagaland in the past decade, he added that he was the only Prime Minister who has spent more than three days in the northeastern states.
He said that the Special Economic Zone will not be necessary for the northeast since there is "natural economic zone" because of the biodiversity and salubrious climate people from other states will be attracted to Nagaland.
He said that each year 10,000 students from the northeast will be given scholarships in various fields. Besides during vacations 2,000 students and 500 teachers from the region will be taken to other parts of the country and this exposure will go a long way in enriching the knowledge of the students.
The union government has set aside Rs 20 crore each year for the development of garment industry in Assam, Nagaland and Sikkim.
The then prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee had set aside 10 per cent of the country's budget for the development of the northeast. He said that his government has set aside Rs. 53,000 crore for the overall development of the eight states in the region.
Besides, Rs 28,000 crore had been sanctioned for the construction of 14 new rail lines in the region.
This will go a long way in developing tourism in the region. There is a huge potentiality for tourism and without rail, road and air connectivity it cannot go ahead.
Power is essential in the modern life. Every person handles mobile phones and uses internet services. To improve the power position in the region Rs 5000 crore has been sanctioned. Rs 5000 crore is set aside for the improvement of the services of 2G mobile services in the region. He also said that six more agricultural colleges will be opened in the region.
Mr. Modi later left for Agartala, the capital of Tripura.
