President addresses Parliament with plans for North-East

New Delhi, Feb 25 (UNI) President Pratibha Devisingh Patil today announced that a highway will be constructed across Arunachal Pradesh.

Addressing the joint Parliament session here, Ms Patil talked about various programmes and plans being prepared to develop the region.

She said efforts were on improve power availability in the region and broadband and wireless connectivity was also being enhanced further to improve communication network.

Besides, new Universities and other institutions of national importance would be set up to improve education scenerio, the President said.

Industrial development was also being promoted through the North East Industrial and Investment Promotion policy. Work on the Assam Gas Cracker project was on, which will further contribute to the industrial development of the region, she added.

Expanding infrastructure and generating employment have been the focus of the Government's initiatives in the North Eatern Region (NER). The North Eastern Council (NEC) has been collaborating with the Airports Authority of India (AAI) to upgrade 18 airports in the NER. Greenfiled airports will be built in Assam and Arunachal Pradesh. The NEC has taken initiative to establish a dedicated airline for the region, she informed.

Special Accelerated Roads Development Programme in North East (SARDP-NE) with a funding of Rs 43,000 crore has also been formulated to construct, improve and widen roads in the region, she added.

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