More incentives to airlines, Bollywood for promoting NE: Singh

By Ashwini Shrivastava New Delhi, Jan 20: The Centre will provide special incentives to airlines for increasing air connectivity to the Northeast and to Bollywood for films shooting in the region.

Minister for Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER) Jitendra Singh said the government is trying to woo industries to the eight Northeastern states so that enough jobs are created for the youths of the region.

"The issue of connectivity in the Northeastern states is a matter of major concern for us. The road and rail network is not there due to difficult terrain. "A lot of dependence is on air travel.

That is why we are requesting airlines to increase the number of aircrafts and frequency to these states. We are ready to provide more incentives to the airlines," Singh told PTI in an interview.

He said the DoNER is discussing the issue of providing air connectivity with the civil aviation ministry also. Singh said road and rail network is also being given the top priority for the region and efforts are being made in this regard at the fast pace. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been emphasising on ensuring social and economic inclusion of Northeast with other parts of the country.

It is only after the Prime Minister's directive that now the government has decided to send at least one Union Minister to visit any of the eight Northeastern states -- Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Sikkim, Mizoram, Manipur, Nagaland, Meghalaya and Tripura -- every fortnight. "There is a lot of scenic beauty in the Northeastern states. It is like going to any other foreign destination. We will ask Bollywood to make films in these states. They are bestowed with picturesque locations," the DoNER minister said.

PTI