GUWAHATI:
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on April 28, said that the recently signed memorandum of understanding (MoU) between Meghalaya and Assam to resolve the decades-old border row will pave the way for development in the Northeastern region.
Stating that a solution to the vexed border dispute between the two states was sought in the spirit of “sabke saath sabka vikas”, the Prime Minister said, “The agreement reached between Assam and Meghalaya will encourage other matters as well. This will give impetus to the development aspirations of the entire region.”
The Prime minister, who was on a one-day visit to Assam, also said that the atmosphere in the Northeast is progressing towards growth and in the view of that the Centre has withdrawn the Armed Forces Special Power Act (AFSPA) from 23 districts of the Northeast.
“During the last eight years, we have removed AFSPA from many areas of Northeast due to the arrival of permanent peace and better law and order conditions,” said Modi, addressing the Unity and Development Rally at Loringthepi in Assam’s Karbi Anglong district, on Thursday.
He further underlined that since the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) came to power in the Centre in 2014, the adversities faced by the people of the region has come down drastically and the Northeast is treading the path towards development.
“Today, when someone visits the tribal areas of Assam or other states of the Northeast, he appreciates the situation changing,” he said.
Citing the signing of the Bodo Accord in 2020, the Bru-Reang agreement and National Liberation Front of Tripura (NLFT) taking steps towards peace, the Prime Minister said that with these developments, a new era of peace has been ushered in the Northeast.
During the programme, Modi also laid the foundation stone of various projects worth Rs 500 crore – Veterinary College (Diphu), Degree College (West Karbi Anglong) and Agricultural College (Kolonga, West Karbi Anglong).
These projects will bring new opportunities for skill development and employment in the region, he said.
The Prime Minister also laid the foundation for more than 2950 Amrit Sarovar projects. The state will develop these sarovars at a cumulative cost of around Rs 1150 crore. Governor Jagdish Mukhi, Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and chief executive member of Karbi Anglong Autonomous Council (KAAC) Tuliram Ronghang also accompanied Modi during the inaugurations.
Earlier in the day, the Prime minister inaugurated seven cancer hospitals across different districts of the state. After landing in Dibrugarh, Modi went to visit the campus of Assam Medical College and Hospital (AMCH) and inaugurated a cancer hospital there. The Prime Minister inaugurated the other six hospitals in Kokrajhar, Barpeta, Darrang, Tezpur, Lakhimpur and Jorhat, virtually from the AMCH campus.
Acknowledging that cancer is a big problem, not only in Assam but the whole of Northeast, the Prime Minister said, “For the treatment of cancer, till a few years ago, the patients here had to go to big cities which led to a financial burden on poor and middle-class families,” Modi said.
The Prime Minister also said that the exorbitant cost of treating cancer made people hesitate to get treatment, especially women, who feel it would push the family into debt and penury. “The government is making cancer drugs affordable by reducing the cost of many medicines to almost half, saving at least 1000 crore rupees of the patients,” he said.
The Prime Minister also laid the foundation stone of seven new cancer hospitals at Dhubri, Nalbari, Goalpara, Nagaon, Sivasagar, Tinsukia and Golaghat to be constructed under phase 2 of the project.
Assam Cancer Care Foundation, a joint venture of the Assam government and Tata Trusts, is executing a project to build South Asia’s largest affordable cancer care network with 17 cancer care hospitals spread across the state.
Apart from the cancer hospitals, Modi said the Centre and Assam government are working sincerely to give a better life to lakhs of families working in tea gardens.
“From free ration to the facilities available under the Har Ghar Jal Yojana, the Assam government is rapidly reaching out to the families of tea garden workers,” Modi said.
The occasion was also graced by Governor Jagdish Mukhi, Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal, Rameswar Teli, former CJI and Rajya Sabha member, Ranjan Gogoi and noted industrialist Ratan Tata.