Friday, March 29, 2024

Rajya Sabha: MPs say North East states lack basic facilities

Despite being strategically the most important part of country by sharing its borders with other countries, being rich in biodiversity, having the highest literacy rates, the North Eastern states lack basic health and education facilities, Trinamool Congress MP form Assam Sushmita Dev said in the Rajya Sabha on Monday.

She was speaking on the situation in North East vis-a-vis the work of the Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region (DONER).

Dev also raised concerns about money allocated to NE states.

She alleged that, in the case of Assam, the whole administration has been doing the work on the National Register of Citizens (NRC) for the last two years with the money allocated to the state.

“How will they work on the tasks of the DONER Ministry?” asked Dev.

Independent MP from Assam, Ajit Singh Bhuyan said people sitting in Delhi will not understand the culture and aspirations of the North Eastern people, regardless of the parties that come to power in the region.

Bhuyan said the budget allocated to the body for eight NE states is Rs. 1,500 crore, while the budget for the state of Assam is Rs. 60,000 crore.

“How will the NEC budget be distributed between eight states?” he asked.

Being the first MP from a Southern state to talk about the works of the North East Development Ministry in today’s session, DMK MP from Tamil Nadu, Tiruchi Siva told the House that the issue of concerns of people in the North East should not just be taken up by them but those from other regions of the country as well.

Siva questioned the imposition of the draconian AFSPA in Nagaland, while mentioning the deaths of 15 civilians in Nagaland in December 2021.

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