Khandu seeks united effort to curb insurgency threat

Itanagar, Jan 16 (UNI) Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Dorjee Khandu has called for a concerted effort to curb insurgency threat looming over the state.

''We need to unite our efforts to restrict the emerging threat of insurgency, which is disrupting the peace and tranquility in some parts of the state,'' he said, while disclosing that a number of school dropouts have been joining the underground elements, which needed immediate attention.

Official sources here today informed that Mr Khandu said this yesterday while speaking at the Golden Jubilee celebration of a government secondary school at Bagra in Arunachal's West Siang district.

Underscoring the importance of education, the chief minister said that basic development such as infrastructure, roads, electricity were prerequisites for a society, but even more important was education, which alone could change the scenario and bring substantial development in a region.

While highlighting the need for prioritising education, Mr Khandu categorically called upon the students to abstain from social evils like drug addiction and alcoholism, and further urged them to preserve the indigenous culture and tradition of the area, sources added.

The chief minister also urged villagers to give equal importance to female children by providing proper education and other facilities equivalent to their male counterpart and called for discouraging child marriages.

Announcing special incentives for farmers who produce food grains through agricultural means, the chief minister said that the rural people were slowly losing interest in agriculture, and hence giving a major setback in rice production in the state as well as the nation.

Revealing the central government's decision to curtail food grain supply from the existing eight kgs per person per month to four kgs, he said that the main motive behind this decision was to utilise the vast agricultural land and encourage farmers to produce more grains for meeting the demand of the nation.

UNI UPB LL RC AS1316