PM Modi attends NEC's golden jubilee function in Shillong, inaugurates projects worth Rs 2450 cr

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday inaugurated, dedicated, and laid foundation stones for various projects worth Rs2450 crores in Shillong as part of the golden jubilee celebrations of the North Eastern Council (NEC).

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is on a day-long visit to North-eastern states.

In a step to further boost telecom connectivity in the region, PM Modi dedicated to the nation 4G mobile towers, of which more than 320 have been completed and around 890 are under construction.PM Modi also inaugurated the New Campus of IIM Shillong at Umsawli and Shillong-Diengpasoh Road, which will provide better connectivity to the new Shillong satellite township and decongest Shillong. Modi also inaugurated four other road projects across three states- Meghalaya, Manipur, and Arunachal Pradesh.

On the sidelines of the event, PM Modi inaugurated the Spawn Laboratory at Mushroom Development Center in Meghalaya to enhance mushroom spawn production and also provide skill training for farmers and entrepreneurs.

An Integrated Beekeeping Development Centre in Meghalaya was also inaugurated by PM Modi to improve the livelihood of beekeeping farmers through capacity building and technology upgradation. Notably, PM Modi inaugurated 21 Hindi libraries in Mizoram, Manipur, Tripura, and Assam.Prime Minister also laid the foundation stone of six road projects across the states of Assam, Meghalaya, Manipur, Mizoram, and Tripura.

The foundation stone of the Integrated Hospitality and Convention Centre at Tura and Shillong Technology Park Phase -II was also laid during the event. The Technology Park Phase -II will have a built-up area of about 1.5 lakh square feet. It will provide new opportunities for professionals and is expected to create more than 3000 jobs, an official statement said.

The Integrated Hospitality and Convention Centre will have a convention hub, guest rooms, food court etc. It will provide the necessary infrastructure for promoting tourism and showcasing cultural heritage in the region, it said.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sharma, Union Law Minister Kiren Rijiju, Nagaland Chief Minister Nephiu Rio, Union Tourism and DoNER minister G Kishan Reddy and other dignitaries were also present on the occasion.

The Council was formally inaugurated on 7th November 1972. NEC has played a key role in the socio-economic development of the North Eastern region and has lent support to various infrastructure projects and other development initiatives across all states of the region. It has helped create valuable capital and social infrastructure, especially in critical gap areas of sectors including education, health, sports, water resources, agriculture, tourism, and industry, among others.

The North Eastern Council (NEC) is under the administrative purview of the Ministry of Development of the North-Eastern Region (MDoNER).

Established by an Act of the Parliament in 1971 (Act No. 84 of 1971), NEC was formally inaugurated on November 7, 1972, at Shillong, Meghalaya, marking the beginning of a new chapter of concerted and planned endeavour on the part of the Government of India for the North Eastern Region. Originally consisting of the seven states of Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, and Tripura, Sikkim was included as the eighth member state through the NEC (Amendment) Act, 2002 (68 of 2002), an official statement said.

Some of the most iconic Institutions of the North Eastern Region such as the Regional Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS), Imphal; North East Police Academy (NEPA), Shillong; North East Region Institute of Water and Land Management (NERIWALM), Tezpur; North Eastern Space Application Centre (NESAC), Shillong; Dr Bhubaneswar Borooah Cancer Institute (BBCI) Guwahati etc., have been set up with NEC support.