New Delhi, Dec 6 : Asserting that previous governments weighed development to votes, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said the progress of the northeast was not given much emphasis earlier due to fewer population and votes in the region. Inaugurating the Ashtalakshmi Mahotsav here to celebrate the vibrancy of the northeast, he said the government of Atal Bihari Vajpayee was the first to create a dedicated ministry for the region and also earmarked 20 per cent budget of every ministry for its development. In the last decade, we have seen a wonderful journey of the development of the northeast but it was not easy. We have taken every possible step to connect the northeastern states with India's growth story. For a long time, we have seen how development was weighed against votes. Northeastern states had fewer votes and seats, so previous governments did not pay attention to the development of the region," he claimed.

Modi said he strongly believes the coming days are of eastern India and the northeast. Like Mumbai, Hyderabad, Chennai and Bengaluru, cities of the region such as Guwahati, Shillong, Imphal, Itanagar and Aizawl will be new beacons of growth, the prime minister said. With its vibrant culture and dynamic people, the northeast holds immense potential to propel India's growth, he said. The prime minister said during the last decade his government tried to mitigate the feeling among people about the gap of Delhi and 'Dil' with the northeast. Union ministers made 700 visits to the northeast in the last decade and the government was connecting the region with the trinity of emotion, economy and ecology, he said. The first-ever Ashtalakshmi Mahotsav is being celebrated from December 6 to 8 at the Bharat Mandapam here. This festival aims to showcase the beauty, diversity, and promise of the eight states of northeastern states -- Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Manipur, Nagaland, Mizoram, Tripura, and Sikkim. Together they are known as the 'Ashtalakshmi'. Ashtalakshmi Mahotsav is a celebration of the better future of the northeast," Modi said.

The prime minister said in the last 100 to 200 years, everyone witnessed the rise of the Western world and the Western region has had an influence on the world at every level - economic, social and political. He said India too had incidentally seen the influence of the Western region and its role in its growth story. However, the 21st century belongs to the East, that is Asia and India. Modi said, adding that he was of the firm belief that in the times to come, India's growth story also belongs to eastern India and the northeast in particular. The prime minister said the northeast had also started to move forward in technology-related startups, service centres and industries like semiconductors with thousands of youth working in these. The region was becoming a major centre of education and skills for the youth, he said.

Modi said there has been great enthusiasm for investment in the northeast now and in the last decade, everyone has witnessed an amazing journey of development of the region. Terming the journey of the last one decade was not an easy one, he said the government had taken every possible step to connect the states of the northeast with India's growth story. The prime minister said that in the last decade, many historic peace agreements have been signed in the northeast and the border disputes between the states had also progressed in a very cordial manner. This reduced the cases of violence in the region to a great extent, the prime minister said. The AFSPA had been removed from many districts, he said, adding "Together, we should write a new future for Ashtalakshmi and the government is taking every step for this." The prime minister said the event had made the entire Delhi glisten with diverse shades of the northeast and it would display the potential of the entire northeast to the country and the world.

Speaking on various facets of the region, he said India was proud of Sikkim being the first fully organic state of the country, the rice, bamboo, spices and medicinal plants grown in the northeast bore witness to the power of agriculture there and the region had a major role to play in the solutions that today's India wants to give to the world related to healthy lifestyle and nutrition. Terming the event as unique and first of its kind, Modi said it would open doors to huge investment opportunities in the northeast and it was a great opportunity for the farmers, workers and craftsmen along with investors across the world. Remarking that exhibitions at the event displayed the diversity and the potential of the northeast, he congratulated and gave his best wishes to the organisers of Ashtalakshmi Mahotsav, the people of northeast India and the investors. He also said the products of the northeast should reach every market of the world and in this direction, the products of every district were being promoted under the 'One District One Product campaign'. 

/Agencies