NE dvpt holds key for double digit growth: Aiyer

Hyderabad, June 1: The Centre has chalked out ambitious plans to step up development in the North-Eastern region of the country to achieve double digit growth, Union Minister for Development of North-Eastern Region Mani Shankar Aiyer said today.

''For the country to grow at 12 to 13 per cent, the North-Eastern region has to grow by at least nine per cent,'' he noted, stressing the need for improving political relations with neighbours, including Myanmar, Bangladesh and Tibet, and trade relations with South Asian and South East Asian countries.

Inaugurating a conference on the North-Eastern Region at the Administrative Staff College of India here, he said the Centre planned to invest a massive Rs 50,000 crore on roads in the region during the 11th five-year plan.

Mr Aiyer said 50 airstrips would be developed in the next two years to handle 600 flights a week from and to the region as against 226 flights a week now, by having dedicated airlines for the region.

Pointing out that large hydel projects faced environmental and social problems, he said the Centre wanted to promote mini-hydel plants of ten MW each to realise the region's full potential of 60,000 MW and involve local community in the distribution of power first in the region, before transmitting it to the rest of the country. In Arunachal Pradesh alone, 492 locations have been identified for setting up mini-hydel plants, he added.

Mr Aiyer said modern night navigation facility would be provided for making inland navigation effective through the Brahmaputra river for the overall development of Assam.

Underscoring the need for strengthening local self-governments, the Minister, who also holds the Panchayatiraj portfolio, said ''the more we allow governance at the grassroot level, the more we can ensure tranquility and peace. Solution to the problems of North-East and the rest of the country lies in Panchayatiraj system.'' Maintaining that the region was as peaceful as any other part of the country with substantial decline in insurgency-related activities, he urged the captains of trade and industry to come in a big way to set up their units in the region. He highlighted various tax concessions provided to industries and said as many as 128 expressions of interest had been generated for new projects since he assumed charge of the Ministry.

UNI