Agartala, Jan 23: Union minister Jyotiraditya Scindia on Friday said the Narendra Modi government has invested Rs 6.50 lakh crore for the development of the Northeast in the last 10 years.
Scindia was addressing a programme in Agartala, where he unveiled projects worth Rs 365 crore of the Ministry of the Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER).
“The Modi government has brought a revolution in the region. It has spent Rs 6.50 lakh-crore in the Northeast during the last 10 years, with the decision of allocating 10 per cent of the budgetary outlay of every ministry to the region,” he said.
Praising Chief Minister Manik Saha for his “speed, dedication and coordination with the Centre,” Scindia said the combined efforts of the Centre and the state have accelerated Tripura’s transformation.
Asserting that the PM has been trying to make the region a ‘centre point’ of the country’s growth, he said the Centre wants to transform Tripura into the gateway to Southeast Asian nations.
The DoNER minister also lauded Tripura’s growth trajectory in the last 10 years, with the state recording a phenomenal growth, surpassing the national rate.
“Earlier, Tripura used to register 3-4 per cent annual growth but now records 10.50 to 11 per cent, which is more than the national average,” he said.
He also noted the improvement in connectivity in the state over the last few years.
“The state had only 850 km of national highway 12 years ago, but it now has 1,550 km. Railway connectivity has also witnessed a major boost as the line up to Sabroom in South Tripura has been made broad gauge. Flight services to the state has almost doubled,” he said.
Scindia, who arrived here on a three-day visit on Friday, visited two ongoing DoNER funded projects- construction of Maternity & Child Care Centre at GBP hospital and construction of new building of Agartala Govt Dental College to review the progress.
“Today, I have inaugurated and laid foundation stones for some projects and inspected two construction projects to review the progress”, he told reporters.
Scindia added he will lay the foundation stone of Matabari tourist circuit in Gomati district on Sunday.
The project will be built at a cost of Rs 280 crore, officials said. (PTI)
