Union Home Minister Amit Shah said on Thursday that in a year or two the Northeast States will be linked by road and railway to Bangladesh, creating many opportunities in the region. Mr. Shah said that trade with Bangladesh will get a boost with the start of the Agartala-Akhaura railway link.
He said the historic Land Boundary Agreement (LBA) signed with Bangladesh in 2014 ensured proper connectivity in the region.
Mr. Shah was virtually addressing the delegates at a function organised by the Indian Chamber of Commerce. He asked the members of the trade body to invest in the Northeast and said the Narendra Modi Government has created a conducive environment for the industrial growth of the region.
He said that peace has been restored in the Northeast in the last seven years along with economic and political stability and the Governments were able to complete their full five year-term.
He said the Northeast States share boundary with five countries. The region is home to more than 270 communities, around 185 languages are spoken but some people took advantage of this diversity to make the situation in the Northeast difficult, he said.
“Pre-2014, differences were created between rest of India and the Northeast. I went to a pharmacy in Nagaland once, the shopkeeper did not recognise me. He asked where I had come from? I said Kolkata. Oh, you have come from India, the shopkeeper said. My heart beat stopped for two seconds. I asked him if Nagaland is not part of India, he did not say anything, I mention this incident because post-2014, Prime Minister Narendra Modi worked to remove the emotional rift with people in the Northeast,” Mr. Shah said.
He said massive development work has been going on in the Northeast, infrastructure has been improved a lot, road, rail and air connectivity has also been improved.
“By 2024, the Modi Government will connect capitals of all the eight states by air, seven of the eight State capitals will be connected through rail, and a network of roads is operational. Time has come to invest in the Northeast, empower the Northeast, give a boost to the Northeast and bring the Northeast into the nation's development trajectory," Mr. Shah said.
The Home Minister said he understood that making investment is a big issue for any businessman but the Modi Government has created an environment for investment in the Northeast with proper infrastructure.
He assured the industries that all the State Governments will cooperate if they come to invest in the region.
Mr. Shah said there are opportunities in sectors like tourism, Information Technology, agriculture and organic food, which the industries can explore in the Northeast.
