Shillong, Oct 4: The Vice President, M Venkaiah Naidu, on Monday advised the North-Eastern Council (NEC) to propel the NE region on a resurgent phase of accelerated development by quickly resolving issues that have been impeding its progress.
Addressing a Workshop on “Changing Role of North-Eastern Council in the Development of North-Eastern Region” at Shillong, the Vice President pointed out that India’s progress cannot be complete if there was uneven progress in various regions. “If the northeast region progresses, India progresses…If the region lags behind, India lags behind”, he said.
He suggested to the North Eastern States to share best practices in various fields and derive mutual benefit. “India should work as Team India- Centre, States and Local bodies working together on developmental issues to find solutions,” Naidu said.
While lauding the NEC for its creditable achievements, he said “we cannot merely rest on our past laurels. We certainly have many miles to go”. He said this was the right time to revisit the approaches of the Council as it braces up to meet the challenges of the winds of change that need to be harnessed in the interest of the North-Eastern Region and its people.
Stating that the government led by Prime Minister Narendrabhai Modi has embarked on a path of reform in all spheres with a view to improve performance and productivity, Naidu said that ease of doing business and ease of living are key objectives. “Working with a sense of urgency has become the norm”, he added.
He said that from conceptualization of a policy or programme to its implementation, clear processes and timelines are drawn for meeting the goals in time and ensuring the delivery of intended benefits to the targeted. Citing various initiatives including Swachch Bharat Mission and ‘Housing for All’ in this regard, the Vice President expressed confidence that the North-Eastern Council will also be guided by this new ethos and policy environment.
“We cannot afford to go slow. We cannot be satisfied with poor quality. We have to constantly strive to be better than the best,” he exhorted.
In this context, the Vice President stressed the need for ensuring accountability & transparency in every programme and said that schemes like Direct Benefit Transfer would go a long way in ensuring benefits reach to every intended beneficiary.
As the country celebrates 75 years of independence and plans for the next 25 years, he stressed the need to eliminate extreme poverty, reduce disparities, narrow rural-urban development gaps, revamp the education system and ramp up public health infrastructure, while building a healthy, educated, skilled and inclusive Atmanirbhar India.
