Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) Science & Technology; Minister of State (Independent Charge) Earth Sciences; MoS PMO, Personnel, Public Grievances, Pensions, Atomic Energy and Space, Dr Jitendra Singh today said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had over the last 8 years transformed Northeast from a terror tag to a development model and the State of Meghalaya too has been transformed from a corruption-ridden State to a progressive State.
Briefing the media in Shillong, Dr Jitendra Singh said, though the Shillong was the capital of the erstwhile State of Assam, but it was only Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who laid the foundation stone, and inaugurated and dedicated to the nation multiple projects worth over Rs. 2450 crores in Shillong, Meghalaya in December, 2022, where he attended the meeting of the North Eastern Council at the State Convention Centre in Shillong and participated in its golden jubilee celebrations.
Dr Jitendra Singh said that earlier funds allocated to the North-East did not reach the bottom level, but after Prime Minister Narendra Modi became the Prime Minister in May, 2014, funds are reaching to the real beneficiaries at the villages and being utilized for development,
Dr Jitendra Singh said, the Prime Minister has always given priority to the North-East and he has visited the North-East more than 50 times in the last 9 years, while the Union Ministers have also visited the North-East more than 425 times.
Referring to the infrastructural developments in the North East, Dr Jitendra Singh said, the fast-paced work to connect all the capitals of the North East including Shillong with rail service and the increase in number of weekly flights from 900 before 2014 to 1900 happened under the guidance and close watch of Modi.
Under the UDAN scheme, flights are on 16 routes in Meghalaya and the result is cheap airfares for the people of Meghalaya. Similarly, Dr Jitendra Singh said, pro-farmer measures have benefitted the farmers of Meghalaya and North East and said that the fruits and vegetables grown here are easily accessible to the markets of the country and abroad through the Krishi Udaan scheme.
Dr Jiteitendra Singh recalled the multiple projects include the inauguration of 320 completed and 890 under construction 4G mobile towers, the new campus of IIM Shillong, at Umsawli, the Shillong – Diengpasoh Road which will provide better connectivity to new Shillong satellite township and four other roads projects across the three states viz. Meghalaya, Manipur and Arunachal Pradesh.
The Minister said that during PM's visit, Modi also inaugurated Spawn Laboratory at Mushroom Development Center and Integrated Beekeeping Development Centre in Meghalaya and 21 Hindi libraries in Mizoram, Manipur, Tripura and Assam. The Prime Minister also laid the foundation stone of six road projects across the states of Assam.
Quoting Prime Minister, Dr Jiteitendra Singh remarked that "Meghalaya is a state that is prosperous in nature and culture and this very prosperity is reflected through the warmth and welcoming nature of the people".
Dr Jitendra Singh said, 5 thousand crore rupees have been spent on the construction of the National Highway in Meghalaya in the last 9 years while the number of rural roads built in the last 9 years under the Pradhan Mantri Sadak Yojana in Meghalaya is seven times more than what was built in the previous 20 years.
He also informed that Northeast is witnessing the construction of more than 150 Eklavya schools out of which 39 are in Meghalaya.