The Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER), MoS PMO, Personnel, Public Grievances, Pensions, Atomic Energy and Space, Dr Jitendra Singh announced the launch of, “Hill Area Development Programme” (HADP) for Northeast in Imphal (Manipur) today.
Dr Jitendra Singh was addressing a meet of Investors and Entrepreneurs, organised by NEDFi (North Eastern Development Finance Corporation Ltd), with joint participation of the Union Ministry of DoNER and the Government of Manipur represented by Chief Minister, Shri N Biren Singh and other senior State functionaries. Secretary NEC Shri Ram Muivah and a large number of prominent prospective entrepreneurs were present on the occasion.
Elaborating on the new scheme, Dr Jitendra Singh said that the hilly areas of Manipur, Tripura and Assam have a distinct geophysical entity and are lagging in socio-economic development. As a result of peculiar topography, he said, there is a wide gap between the hill and valley districts in terms of infrastructure, quality of roads, health and education etc. The Hill Development Programme, he said, is inspired with a serious research and deliberation of all these factors.
As far as the State of Manipur is concerned, Dr Jitendra Singh observed that hill areas are less developed compared to the plain areas. Not only this, he cited figures to state that out of 80 districts of Northeast, 3 districts of hilly areas, which ranked lowest in the composite district infrastructure index, belonged to Manipur and these were namely, Tamenglong, Chandel and Churachandpur.
The Hill Area Development Programme, Dr Jitendra Singh said, is aimed at giving a focused attention to the lesser developed hilly areas and will be initiated on a pilot basis in the hilly districts of Manipur.
Earlier, soon after his arrival here today, Dr Jitendra Singh participated in a programme to mark the 3 years of the completion of the Union Government. He also distributed free LPG connections to the needy women under “Ujjawala” scheme.
Dr Jitendra Singh said that the hallmark of the 3 years of Union Government is that it has not only put the Northeast on the fast track of development but has also undertaken development initiatives which should have been undertaken several decades ago. He said, the approach of the Government is two-fold, that is, to ensure equitable development of every area, every section of society and every tribe living in the North Eastern Region and at the same time, to bring the eight North Eastern Region States at par with the more developed States in the rest of India.
The Chief Minister Shri N Biren Singh thanked Dr Jitendra Singh for the announcement of the exclusive Hill Area Development Programme. He appreciated the proactive manner in which the Ministry of DoNER was engaging itself with the State Government Officers for a wide range of projects.
