GUWAHATI, July 11 - Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi today urged Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh to restore the 90:10 funding pattern for the north-eastern states and put the region in the Special Category status.
Speaking at the meeting of the Union Home Minister with the chief ministers of the NE states here, Gogoi said that development of the region would be expedited if the Centre restored the Special Category status for the north-eastern states.
Gogoi said peace in the region was intrinsically linked with development and without the Special Category status and restoration of the 90:10 funding pattern for the Centre-sponsored schemes, development of the region would not be possible.
Claiming that militancy in Assam was at its lowest ebb, Gogoi also urged Singh to take necessary steps to act against the militants taking refuge in Myanmar, Bhutan and Bangladesh.
Gogoi underscored the importance of identifying the factors fuelling militancy and said that alienating them from the people, modernisation of the police force and civil policing were critical areas for dealing with militancy. He also spoke about the rise of communal forces in the State and the State government�s conviction to tackle them.
Gogoi said there should be parity between fund sanction and release by the Centre as the delay in releasing funds led to retarded growth and development.
