NEC meetings to be held on rotation basis in NE states

Imphal, Nov 20 (UNI) To make the functioning of the North Eastern Council (NEC) sector-specific, meetings will be organised every month from January 2007 on a rotation basis at the capitals of the eight N E states to review Central sector-Centrally Sponsored Schemes being implemented in the region to ensure utilisation of 10 per cent of GBS in the North-East Region.

Manipur Information Centre officials said the decision was taken during the 53rd meeting of the North Eastern Council held in New Delhi recently. The schedule of the sector-wise meetings of NEC had been fixed for the period from January 2007 to April 2008.

The first review meeting on Power, Petroleum&Natural Gas and the Energy Sources Sector will be held at Itanagar in January 2007.

Guwahati will host meetings on Inland Waterways in February and Flood Control and Irrigation in October next year, and Shillong will host a meeting on Road Connectivity in March and Investment in Industry&Externally Aided Projects in September next year, officials said.

Gangtok will host meetings on Horticulture in April 2007 and Tourism, Art and Culture in January 2008 and Aizawl will host meeting on Agriculture in May 2007 and Food Processing in April 2008. Agartala will host meetings on IT-enabling and Tele/Cyber Communications in June 2007 and Small Scale, Khadi and Village Industries in March 2008.

Imphal will host meetings on Education&Sports in July 2007 and Rail Connectivity in February 2008, Dimapur will host meeting on Handloom and Handicrafts in August 2007, Kohima on Health&Medical Education and Drinking Water Supply in December 2007, and Tawang on Forestry and Forest Produce in November 2007.

As road connectivity in the NE Region is the single biggest constraint to development and has significant security implications, the NEC meeting had decided to accord top priority to the rapid improvement of road connectivity in the region, officials said.

To this end, state governments will prepare plans for all categories of road development, and the DoNER and the Union Ministry with the participation of NEC and NE States concerned will review the progress of work in New Delhi on the first Monday of every month.

Next to road connectivity, the NEC meeting accorded the power sector as the highest priority. In this context too, the progress of work will be reviewed on the second Monday of every month in New Delhi.

Bearing in mind the fact that inland water transport is the key to the development of remote and inaccessible areas in the North-East Region, the meeting decided to give priority to the development of inland waterways for assisting states to develop waterways and tributaries.

On the fourth Monday of every month, the Ministry of DoNER will take a review of those sectors where shortfalls are developing.

These meeting too shall be attended by NEC and North Eastern States.

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