Atal Bihari Vajpayee transformed Northeast’s development landscape: CM Sarma
Unveiling the Bharat Ratna’s statue at Adabari, he celebrated the ex-PM’s contributions, including the creation of DoNER & signing of Bodoland Accord
Assam Chief Minister, Himanta Biswa Sarma, along with other Ministers and leaders unveil a statue of former Prime Minister, Atal Bihari Vajpayee, on the occasion of Vajpayee's 100th birth anniversary in Guwahati (AT Photo)
Guwahati, Dec. 25:Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Tuesday said that it was due to former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee's vision that the Northeast is today treading the path of development.
Addressing a gathering during the unveiling of a statue of the Bharat Ratna on his 100th birth anniversary at Adabari, the Chief Minister said that Vajpayee laid the foundation of development in the region through a series of initiatives, such as the Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER) and the signing of the Bodoland Accord.
"In his first cabinet as Prime Minister, Vajpayee created the DoNER Ministry with Arun Shourie as the Minister," he said.
Recalling the time, the Chief Minister noted that Assam's annual budget was about Rs 20,000 to 25,000 crore, while Meghalaya and Manipur had state budgets of around Rs 1,000 to 1,200 crore.
"It was then that Vajpayee said 10% of the country's annual budget must flow into the Northeast. He realised that due to the absence of private investments, due to issues like insurgency, the Northeast would lag behind other states like Gujarat, and took the step," he said.
"Not just that," the Chief Minister continued, "He also made it clear that if the allocated money remained unused, those unspent funds would be diverted to a Non-Lapsable Central Pool of Resources (NLCPR) to be used by the respective state governments in the region for developmental purposes."
The Chief Minister further credited Vajpayee for striving to erase regional disparity in the Northeast.
He also added that Vajpayee played a significant role in the peace and development of the Bodoland region in Assam.
“Vajpayee signed the Bodoland Accord in 2003. The BTC was formed following the signing of the Accord. He planted the seed of peace in Bodoland, and today, Bodoland walks the path of progress and development,” Sarma said.
The Chief Minister also stated that the former Prime Minister’s vision led to the development of National Highways, the flyover in Maligaon, the Bogibeel and Naranarayan bridges, and the Assam Medical College in Dibrugarh.
Sarma further added that it was during Vajpayee's tenure that Gopinath Bordoloi was awarded the Bharat Ratna.
Sarma reminisced about the time when the former Prime Minister had waived the state share that Assam had to pay for the release of the Centre’s funds.
“Back then, we couldn’t conduct the elections to the state’s panchayats. Vajpayee had issued an order only for Assam, waiving the amount that the state had to pay and releasing the Centre’s funds. It was only after the Centre’s funds were released that money started flowing into the panchayats of the state,” Sarma stated.