PM-DevINE blessing for NE states: Rijiju

February 13, 2022
Staff Reporter

Union Minister for Law and Justice Kiren Rijiju who arrived Dimapur Saturday enroute Manipur to campaign for the BJP has described the Prime Minister’s Development Initiative for North-East (PM-DevINE) scheme announced by Union Finance Minister while presenting the Union Budget 2022-23 as a “blessing for the entire North Eastern region (NER)”.

Rijiju addressed the media at Niathu Resort after attending a meeting with the State cabinet led by chief minister Neiphiu Rio and other senior government officials at Police Complex, Chümoukedima on the Union Budget and other important issues concerning Nagaland,
Rijiju said he urged upon the government of Nagaland to take maximum advantage of the scheme as it was created for the purpose of funding gaps and to take care of those not included in any of the schemes or provisions.

He said this was because in the north east, there were many schemes that were not part of the union budget mainly since there were several problems in implementing projects/schemes which were not funded by any programmes, policy or by any ministry.

Rijiju said PM-DevINE would be implemented by North East Council, chaired by Union Home Minister, with an initial allocation of Rs 1,500 crore. He said that for the first time, a provision has been inserted in the budget, taking note of the unique issues faced by the North Eastern states.

Rijiju termed the Union Budget 2022-2023 as “self-reliant” and claimed that all sectors across the country had wholeheartedly appreciated and welcomed the budget, including the business community and stock market traders. He said people in remote areas too felt that the budget had included many things for every sector of the country.

Speaking on the vision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi reflected in the budget, the minister said normally when budgets were presented in Parliament, very few people connected and realised its importance or its aims.

However, he claimed that ever since Modi took over as Prime Minister, budget began to be keenly followed both by the corporates and common man alike as it began to have something for everyone, including those living in remotest parts of the country.

Rijiju asserted that the budget would ensure self-sufficiency, whereby the country would not rely on imports from other countries, adding that every State and every sector would benefit.

According to the union minister, the total allocation for NER in the 2021-22 budget was Rs 68,020 crore and despite the difficulties of Covid-10 pandemic, the total allocation for the region increased by over Rs 10,000 crore to Rs 78,040 crore in the latest budget.

Speaking on PM Gati Shakti plan, he explained how it could benefit the Northeast immensely. Under this, he said the region could greatly benefit in terms of better telecom communication, especially in far-flung areas, as the plan would focus on erecting telecom towers at strategic locations, minimising the problem of cables, hence providing better connectivity.

Rijiju remarked that the NE States could not utilise budgetary allocation under Congress regimes in the past. However, he claimed that ever since the BJP and its coalition partners came to power, things were changing for the better as they were trying to enhance the capacities of the States.

In order to increase the capacities of the States to utilise the budgetary allocation, the minister emphasised that the States of region needed to take care of many things. “Once we as a State take care of our capacity, we will be able to utilise efficiently all the budgetary allocation made by the Centre. It will only increase the revenue and help us become self-sufficient,” he added.

Rijiju further claimed that whenever there was any review or Union Cabinet meeting, the Prime Minister would always enquire on the success of a particular scheme or programme in NER. “According to Modi, a scheme could not be considered successful unless it was successful in the Northeast,” he added. “If you leave aside politics, nobody can match the amount of love and affection Narendra Modiji has for NER,” he remarked.

AFSPA: Meanwhile, when asked if he, as the minister for Law and Justice, planned to bring a Bill in Parliament to amend the contentious Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, Rijiju clarified that the Union Home Ministry was taking necessary measures to ensure that it was not misused and that Union Home Minister Amit Shah had stated that the issues raised needed to be addressed rationally.

Keeping in mind the huge unemployment in NER, Rijiju said the youth were used to joining movements of various organisations, adding that there were student unions in every State.

He however appealed to the youth not to remain confined to unions alone and engage themselves in productive activities. “Your output will be meaningful when you engage meaningfully in any activity which is productive,” he stressed.

He added that being part of an association or union might be good for asserting rights and ensuring identity, but this would not lead to prosperity of the society.

The minister thus appealed to the youth to get involved in gainful activity to bring economic prosperity to their respective States and society. “We should celebrate on someone becoming a president or secretary of a particular union, but we should celebrate more when someone achieves success in the fields of science, sports, music, etc,” he exhorted.

Further, asked if BJP would form the next government in Manipur, he confidently replied in affirmative, stating that people of NER had already made up their minds to being led by the party.

The minister also attended the State BJP sammelan before leaving for Manipur where he would be campaigning for the party.

Source: https://www.nagalandpost.com/index.php/pm-devine-blessing-for-ne-states-rijiju/