Agartala, Dec 21
Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Saturday said that any products from northeast India can easily be exported to the rest of the world by using the Chittagong international port in Bangladesh.
Addressing the ‘North East Bankers' Conclave’ here, he said that the northeastern region is the export gateway of India.
"A few years back, the Indian government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi exchanged enclaves with Bangladesh leading to easier waterway communication with the Chittagong seaport of the neighbouring country. Transportation costs would be less if the products of the northeast were exported to other parts of the world using the Chittagong port," the Home Minister pointed out.
As per the Land Boundary Agreement (LBA) 1974 and Protocol of 2011, 51 erstwhile Bangladeshi enclaves in India and 111 erstwhile Indian enclaves in Bangladesh were physically transferred to the other country with effect from the midnight of July 31, 2015.
The Home Minister said that for any kind of funding or providing advance in infrastructure, agriculture, MSME or even personal loan there should be different banking parameters with separate RBI guidelines for the northeast.
"There should not be the same banking parameters and RBI guidelines for the northeast region and other parts of the country. There are maximum potentialities in the northeastern region. Banks, financial institutions and others must consider the northeast otherwise for its economic and all-round development," he observed.
He said that a robust ecosystem for commerce and industries is being built in the northeast by strengthening the banking sectors.
As the Prime Minister has given maximum thrust for the development of the northeast, the PM himself visited the region 65 times and on his advice, Union Ministers visited the region over 700 times during the past 10 years, Amit Shah said.
Noting that India has advanced to fifth position in the global economy from earlier 11th place, Shah said that the country is all set to become the third-largest global economy in the near future.
DoNER (Development of North Eastern Region) Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia and his deputy Sukanta Majumdar, Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha, his Arunachal Pradesh counterpart Pema Khandu, top Central government and banking officials were also present at the event.
Earlier on Saturday, the Union Home Minister, while addressing the 72nd plenary session of the North Eastern Council (NEC), said that with the curbing of militancy in the northeastern region, the time has come for a change in the approach of the security force and others to take forward the region and the wellbeing of the people of the region.
The Home Minister is the Chairman of the NEC and the DoNER Minister is the Vice-Chairman of the regional planning body.
Shah said that after the Narendra Modi-led government came to power at the Centre, 20 accords were signed for the peace and harmony of the northeastern states and 10,574 cadres of various militant outfits surrendered in different states of the region.
"Connectivity is no longer a problem in the northeastern region. The Modi government has been spending Rs 81,000 crore for implementing many railway projects and Rs 41,000 crore for road network in the northeastern states," he stated.
Shah said that the Modi government is speeding ahead with its 'Act East, Act Fast, and Act First' mantra, transforming the northeast region into a thriving hub of economic growth and cultural exchange.