PM Modi urges ministers to ensure Northeast gets attention on urgent basis

New Delhi: Clearly indicating that the Northeast was a priority area for the NDA government at the Centre, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has directed that at least one minister should visit the region every fortnight. The PM has also urged the ministers to ensure that the Northeast gets their attention on an urgent basis.

At a meeting of the council of ministers earlier this week, Mr Modi directed members of his government to chalk out plans to travel to the Northeast in such a way that at least one of them was seen in the region every fortnight.

The PM is keen that all seven northeastern states, plus the Himalayan state of Sikkim, become focus areas for all-round development. In a bid to ensure that there is coordination among the members of the council of minister, Union minister Ananath Kumar has been assigned the task to coordinate with other ministers. “The ministers are free to choose any state they plan to visit,” said an official.