FILE | Minister of State for Development of North Eastern Region (Independent Charge), Prime Minister’s Office, Personnel, Public Grievances & Pensions, Department of Atomic Energy, Department of Space, Jitendra Singh addressing a press conference in Jammu on Friday. (Source: PTI) FILE | Minister of State for Development of North Eastern Region (Independent Charge), Prime Minister’s Office, Personnel, Public Grievances & Pensions, Department of Atomic Energy, Department of Space, Jitendra Singh addressing a press conference in Jammu on Friday. (Source: PTI)

Jitendra Singh, union minister of state (Independent charge) for development of North-eastern Region (DoNER) on Wednesday announced a Rs 200 crore package for Assam.

The project covers issues related to water supply schemes and roadways. Highlighting the uniqueness of these projects, Singh said these projects were specifically formulated keeping in mind the needs of the state.

The DoNER minister also announced a Rs 125-crore package for the Northeastern region as a whole, which would primarily support organic farming of cardamom and several varieties of fruits.

“The project is shaped in the pattern of the Anand milk cooperative and a detailed project report has been already sent to various ministries for their suggestions,” Singh said. He also said that the DoNER ministry was formulating a ‘Make in North-East’ model in line with the prime minister’s ‘Make in India’ initiative, so as to promote the Act East policy of the union Government.

“In order to bring the ministry closer to people, we have come up with a scheme called DoNER at Doorstep, wherein DoNER officials will visit different Northeastern states. A roster is also being developed wherein around eight ministers will travel to the Northeast every fortnight in order to make an assessment and provide feedback of the plans and policies of the states,” he said.

The DoNER minister also said that the matter of upgradation of the Lokapriya Gopinath Bordoloi International airport in Guwahati was taken up by the Chief Minister of Assam and the ministry was committed to take up the matter with the Civil Aviation Ministry. “My ministry is also taking up in right earnest the issue of upgradation of other airports across the Northeast in order to improve intra-regional connectivity,” he said.

Meanwhile, Assam chief minister Tarun Gogoi told DoNER minister Singh that the Centre had not released funds for several on-gong projects despite submission of utilization certificates. “The Centre has not yet released the second instalment of Rs 5.23 crore for the Ambari multi-level car parking in Guwahati. A sum of Rs 5.16 crore for the Assam Institute of Management is also yet to be released. Likewise, road projects in Kokrajhar, Dhubri and Nagaon districts have also suffered because of non-release of instalments despite submission of utilization certificates,” Gogoi told Singh.

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