From his first day in power, Prime Minister Modi has worked with extreme devotion towards the goal of mainstreaming isolated and remote regions of the country. This is what exactly drove him to abrogate Article 370 in the case of Jammu & Kashmir. And in the Northeast too, PM Modi has worked tirelessly towards mainstreaming the region into India’s mainstream politics and has ensured that the Northeast no longer looks like an isolated region. In the states of Tripura, Manipur and Meghalaya, which celebrate their 50th Foundation Day on January 21, PM Modi’s governance and inclusive agenda have stimulated unprecedented development.
Manipur, Tripura and Meghalaya celebrate their 50th Foundation Day
January 21 is a significant day for the Northeast. On this day, the North East Reorganization Act, 1971 was implemented. Before this Act came into force, Meghalaya used to be a part of the state of Assam whereas Manipur and Tripura were Union Territories.
On January 21, 1972, the states of Manipur, Meghalaya and Tripura finally attained Statehood, and this is why the three states celebrate the day as their Foundation Day.
PM Narendra Modi tweeted, “Greetings to the people of Manipur, Meghalaya and Tripura on their Statehood Days. These states are making vibrant contributions to India’s development. Praying for their constant progress.”
Greetings to the people of Manipur, Meghalaya and Tripura on their Statehood Days. These states are making vibrant contributions to India’s development. Praying for their constant progress.
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) January 21, 2022
How PM Modi’s vision helped the three states develop unprecedentedly
The states of Meghalaya, Tripura and Manipur have covered a journey of 50 years, but the three states saw unprecedented development only over the past eight years.
The three states have benefitted greatly from PM Modi’s vision for the Northeast. Early into his tenure, PM Modi declared, “If the western region of the country can develop, if other regions of the country can develop, I see no reason why the North East region of the country cannot develop. I am also convinced that India can move forward if all the regions develop including the North East region. The North East region is also very important to us for strategic reasons. And it is my conviction that we have to bring this region at par with the other developed regions of the country.”
PM Modi has injected sufficient funding in the region to ensure that development is fast-tracked in the Northeast. In fact, PM Modi is not only mainstreaming the development Northeast at a national level, but he is also trying to integrate it with the world at large. In 2016, he stated, “The North East is the gateway to South East Asia and we need to take advantage of this. We are opening up both road and rail routes to our neighbouring countries. This should give a boost to the economic development of the region.”
Meghalaya, Manipur and Tripura benefitting from PM Modi’s development agenda
PM Modi has been unveiling different projects for the development of the three states.
In 2017, for instance, PM Modi inaugurated the Shillong-Nongstoin-Rongjeng-Tura road in Meghalaya. The Prime Minister had then said, “This road will serve as an east-west corridor. It will boost economic activity and establish a direct link between the important towns of the state, Shillong and Tura. Travel time will be significantly reduced. Our motto is ‘Transformation by transportation’.”
PM Modi had also announced, “We want to make Meghalaya a top tourist destination. Government of India has sanctioned around Rs 100 crore for development of tourist destinations in the state… The BJP’s agenda is development, speedy development, and all-round development.”
In the case of Manipur and Tripura too, developmental works are moving at an impressive pace. Only recently, the Prime Minister inaugurated and laid the foundation of 22 developmental projects worth more than Rs 4,800 crore in Imphal.
He also inaugurated the New Integrated Terminal Building at Maharaja Bir Bikram Airport in Agartala apart from launching two development initiatives.
PM Modi is devoting several thousand crores of rupees towards building key roads, bridges and other infrastructure in the Northeast. The plan is to build robust transportation infrastructure in the Northeast and to connect the region with the rest of the country in a seamless manner. This is in line with boosting the tourism economy of the region and ensuring that the Northeast is no longer treated as an isolated region.
For the states of Manipur, Tripura and Meghalaya, the 50th Foundation Day, therefore, marks 50 years of journey as full-fledged states and 8 years of unprecedented development under Prime Minister Modi’s watch.