Union Home Minister Amit Shah described the NEC High-Level Task Force report as a roadmap for Northeast India’s future, urging states to prioritise peace, investment, infrastructure, cultural preservation and economic growth. Addressing the 73rd NEC Plenary Session in Shillong, Shah highlighted connectivity, healthcare, technology and regional development opportunities.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Thursday said the Northeast has undergone a remarkable transformation over the past 12 years under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, emerging from a region once associated with conflict into a hub of opportunity, peace and development.
Addressing the 73rd Plenary Session of the North Eastern Council (NEC) in Shillong, Shah said the foundation for a developed Northeast had been firmly laid through sustained efforts in improving security, connectivity, infrastructure and governance.
Shah expressed confidence that the Northeast was now ready to expand economic engagement with Southeast Asia and the wider Indo-Pacific region and highlighting the strategic importance of the Sabroom Land Port in Tripura, he said it had opened a major trade gateway to eastern markets.
The Home Minister also told the meeting that efforts were afoot to establish the Northeast as a healthcare hub for neighbouring countries.
The high-level meeting was attended by Union Minister for Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER) Jyotiraditya Scindia, Meghalaya Governor C.H. Vijayashankar, Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad Sangma, Minister of State for DoNER Sukanta Majumdar, Union Home Secretary Govind Mohan, DoNER Secretary Sanjay Jaju, Governors and Chief Ministers of Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Tripura, Mizoram, Nagaland and Sikkim, besides other senior officials and dignitaries.
Highlighting peace as the cornerstone of development, Shah said more than 12 peace accords had been signed in the region over the last 12 years, bringing an end to several longstanding insurgencies. Over 10,800 youth had laid down arms and joined the mainstream..
The Home Minister said massive investments in roads, railways and aviation had significantly improved connectivity and reduced both the geographical and emotional distance between Delhi and the Northeast. He added that infrastructure development in the region had expanded manifold during the period.
Shah said the Government had pursued the development of the Northeast through a “Whole-of-Government Approach”, enabling the region’s rich diversity to emerge as a strength on the global stage. According to him, the Northeast is now widely recognised as an “opportunity hotspot” rather than a conflict zone.
He emphasised the need to preserve the region’s extraordinary diversity, which includes over 200 tribal communities, nearly 200 languages and dialects, and a rich array of cultural traditions, cuisines and attire. Revitalising and protecting this heritage, he said, would help realise the vision of “Ashtalakshmi” for the Northeast.
Referring to the Government’s “Act East, Act Fast and Act First” policy, Shah said development cannot be achieved through budgetary allocations alone. Vision, planning and rigorous monitoring are equally important. He noted that the Northeast had successfully moved forward by overcoming challenges relating to peace, stability, economic growth and cultural preservation.
Calling the recently prepared High-Level Task Force report on development, prosperity and cultural preservation in the Northeast a “guiding scripture”, Shah urged all states to ensure full implementation of its recommendations and make maximum use of available budgetary provisions.
The Home Minister said the Rising Northeast Investment Summit had opened new opportunities for industrial growth across the region. Besides commitments secured through Assam’s investment summit, the Northeast had attracted investments worth nearly Rs 4.25 lakh crore. He highlighted major projects such as the Rs 27,000-crore semiconductor plant in Assam, efforts to establish the Northeast as a healthcare hub for neighbouring countries, and the Namrup Ammonia-Urea Complex, which would help reduce logistics costs and stimulate regional development.
Shah directed all Northeastern states to ensure that Single Window Clearance mechanisms become effective governance tools rather than remaining merely policy concepts. He suggested that Chief Ministers and Governors review their implementation every month.
He also stressed the timely development of multimodal logistics hubs in Guwahati, Imphal and Agartala, saying these projects should be closely monitored to meet deadlines.
The Home Minister identified infrastructure connectivity, planned urbanisation and the development of 15 high-potential sectors as key priorities for the region.
He further said that the North Eastern Council should evolve beyond being a funding agency and become an institution dedicated to strategic planning and long-term regional development. Improved connectivity through West Bengal, he added, could help maximise human resource utilisation across states.
On cultural preservation, Shah warned that the disappearance of even a single language or dialect from the Northeast would be a significant loss for the nation. He urged state governments to work actively to preserve indigenous languages and cultural traditions.
The Home Minister also announced that under the PM-DevINE scheme, cluster development projects worth Rs 65 crore had been approved in Assam and Tripura. He said these projects should be developed as model initiatives for the region.
Shah noted that around 215 crops and products from the Northeast were potential candidates for Geographical Indication (GI) tags. He suggested that every state create dedicated task forces to expedite the GI registration process.
Describing the Northeast as an ideal destination for the proposed Healing India Mission, he urged states to formulate policies aimed at promoting wellness infrastructure, traditional healing systems and health tourism.
Reviewing the security situation, Shah said civilian casualties linked to insurgency had fallen by 86 per cent over the past 12 years. He credited more than a dozen peace agreements for creating a favourable environment for development.
He also announced a special action plan to eliminate both the transportation and consumption of narcotics in the region through a strict enforcement strategy.
With insurgency largely under control, Shah said the focus should now shift to modernising routine policing. He urged states to prioritise the protection of the rights of the poor, women and children, ensure speedy justice under the new criminal laws, increase the use of technology and forensic science, and establish systems for online case registration and virtual court testimony.
On the agriculture and dairy sectors, Shah called upon the Northeastern states to achieve self-sufficiency in fish, milk and egg production and eventually become suppliers to other parts of the country. He announced that the National Dairy Development Board (NDDB), in collaboration with the Ministry of Cooperation, would launch a fresh dairy development initiative in the region.
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Under the programme, more than 50,000 milch animals will be supplied annually to Northeastern states beginning next financial year. Simultaneously, cooperative systems for milk collection, processing and marketing will be strengthened to improve rural incomes.
Looking to the future, Shah said the youth of the Northeast possess immense potential in emerging fields such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), Data Analytics, Machine Learning and Blockchain. He called for efforts to transform the entire region into a major information technology hub.
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The Home Minister also highlighted the Northeast’s vast hydropower and solar energy potential and stressed the need to attract data centres to the region. Aligning education, industrial development and natural resource utilisation, he said, would help build a strong technology-driven economy capable of driving the next phase of growth in the Northeast.
