Union Budget: Big focus on connectivity in NE — MoS Vardhan Singh
Minister of State for Environment, Forest and Climate Change and External Affairs, Kirti Vardhan Singh said that connectivity in the Northeastern region is a "big focus" of the Union budget
Kirti Vardhan Singh (middle) addressing a press conference
at the State BJP office in Kohima (EM Images)
- KOHIMA — Minister
of State for Environment, Forest and Climate Change and External Affairs, Kirti
Vardhan Singh on Tuesday said that connectivity in the Northeastern region is a
"big focus" of the Union budget.
- The budget 2025-2026, presented in the recently concluded
Parliament, talks about connectivity and the northeast is a big focus, the
minister said during a press conference at the State BJP office in Kohima.
- “The northeast has always been seen as an inaccessible part
of the country and there was a significant divide not only in the mental
outlook, but also physically in terms of infrastructure, road connectivity,
railways and air services,” Singh said.
- He claimed that significant progress has been made in the
past years in connecting this part of the region to the rest of the country.
- On airport development, the MoS informed that 50 new
airports have been earmarked while 120 new destinations are going to be
developed in the current budget. Majority of the destinations will be in the
Northeastern region, he said.
- The "big focus" is also on internet connectivity,
he said and added that the Centre is trying to provide connectivity to all the
gram pachayats and villages, especially rural schools.
- "Northeast is a very important part of the country and
the government. Ever since Prime Minister Modi came to power, we are pursuing
all avenues and taking all efforts for the development of the North East. We
see it as an integral and a very important part of our country. We want to
bring it to the mainstream of the development which our country is witnessing
now," Singh assured.
