Jowai (Meghalaya), Union Minister for Development of North Eastern Region Jitendra Singh on Tuesday reiterated the Narendra Modi government’s commitment to ensure fast-track development in the eight northeastern states.
“There has been a sea change in the Northeast in comparison to what it was four to five years ago,” he said while addressing the ancient Behdeinkhlam, an ancient festival of the indigenous Pnars, celebrated mid-July after the sowing is over, here in West Jaintia Hill district.
“Khlam” means plague or pestilence’and “beh dien” means to drive away with sticks.
Singh said that the Prime Minister Narendra Modi has not only confined to the development of the region, but also to the cultural and social growth of the region.
“My presence in the event is also a reiteration of the high priority that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his government accords not only to the development of the region, but also to promote, preserve and patronize the healthy traditional culture and civilization of the region,” he said.
He said that the government has sought to identify with every ethnic and tribal group of the region, while his Ministry introduced the practice of having a rotational Camp Secretariat by turn every month in each of the eight states and this has resulted in a very close affinity between the people and the ministry.
It will also ensure that people do not have to travel all the way to Delhi or the DoNER’s headquarter for any assistance, he added.
Singh also said that under the BJP-led NDA government, Meghalaya saw its first-ever train and got included in the rail map of India
“Not only this, in the last four years, the law & order and security situation has considerably improved towards normalcy and now, the picturesque locales of Meghalaya are flooded with tourists,” he said.
