NE key player in Act East policy: Modi

Following is the second part of the exclusive interview with the Prime Minister:

The Assam Tribune: If you are re-elected as the Prime Minister, what will be your priority areas for the North East?

Prime Minister: Our mantra is Viksit (developed) North East for Viksit Bharat.

In the last 10 years, we have tried to correct numerous historical wrongs of the Congress-led governments. We have brought it to a point where the entire region is brimming with positivity and looking towards a bright future.

We want to ensure that North East becomes the sports hub of India.

We want to ensure that youths get enough opportunities for employment and education in their States.

We want to ensure that the agricultural produce of the North East travels far and wide.

We want to ensure that the North East becomes the trade and tourism hub of India.

In the last few years, the combined GDP of the Northeastern states has increased significantly.

Over Rs 5 lakh crore has been spent towards the development of the region by Ministries of the Central government.

Bestowed with nature’s bounties and strategic location, the North East is going to be a key player in India’s Act East policy.

AT: The natural resources including the tourism potential of the North East are yet to be tapped properly. How can the Centre help the region in this regard?

PM: The North East is blessed with biodiversity, natural resources and immense talent. All it needed was a push. Today holistic development is taking place in the region which is helping it grow as one of India’s growth engines.

We are promoting on a global scale the unique culture, food and art forms of the North East.

Assam created a world record with more than ten thousand dancers and drummers performing Bihu dance recently or another example could be that of Nagaland’s Hornbill festival.

Our government is pushing for organic farming and it is great to see the North East emerging as its hub. Sikkim has become the first State in the world to become fully organic setting an example for sustainable agriculture and environmental conservation.

Bamboo was earlier classified as a tree under the Forest Act for nearly nine decades. Now it is freed from these restrictions. This has led to a boost in bamboo and allied industries in the region.

The North East has a high untapped potential in the energy sector too. We are working on large hydro-power plants to capitalize on the untapped regions of the North East to explore the full potential of this green energy.

The promotion of tourism has been a major focus of my government with a special focus on the pristine natural beauty of the region.

I have stayed and travelled extensively in the North East when I used to work for the party. I had the opportunity to visit the Kaziranga National Park recently and it rekindled many memories.

Today, I can say that the North East is going to be the hub of wildlife tourism in India.

Under the Swadesh Darshan and PRASAD schemes, we have spent more than Rs 1,500 crore for the promotion of tourism and the development of tourist spots.

More than 25 per cent of the projects allocated under the Swadesh Darshan scheme in the entire country went to the North East alone.

We have established the North East Zone Cultural Centre (NEZCC) to showcase the rich cultural heritage of the North East.

The operationalization of 64 routes under the UDAN scheme for the North East, the broadening of national highways and enhanced railway connectivity have also boosted the arrival of tourists.

The results are visible. In 2022 alone over one crore domestic tourists, which is almost 50 per cent more than that of 2014, visited the region. Also, over one lakh foreign tourists visited the North East.

I am sure that once the Kamakhya Corridor is ready, the Shakti of the North East will spread prosperity in the entire region.

AT: How do you rate the chances of the BJP in the ensuing polls?

PM: It is not a matter of how I rate the chances of the BJP.

140 crore Indians have decided they want India to become a developed nation.

That is the goal they have set. They have also set the pace to reach that goal.

I am working 24X7 for 2047.

They are clear that there is only one party that can ensure that we reach the goal and so, they have set a target of 400 seats for us and our alliance partners.

When the nation has itself decided, is there any power in the world that can stop it?

AT: The Opposition parties are claiming that the BJP is misusing agencies like the CBI and ED. What is your comment on that?

PM: In the last 10 years, all the claims of the Opposition have been dismissed not only in the court of law but also in the people’s court.

Their credibility today stands at an all-time low.

Our government was voted to power to act against the corrupt and make them face the law.

This is the mandate that all agencies have and they are following this without fear or favour.

In the last 10 years, ED has been able to seize cash worth Rs 2,200 crore as compared to Rs 35 lakh unearthed during the UPA years and under the same law that was enacted before we came into power.

In the last 10 years, ED has attached assets worth Rs 1.2 lakh crore as compared to Rs 5,000 crore before 2014.

When people see piles of cash recovered from the homes of political leaders and cash coming out of washing machines, mattresses and pipes, it fills them with disgust.

When people see hundreds of crores of cash being found at the homes of political leaders and even note-counting machines malfunctioning, it fills them with disgust.

Are the agencies not supposed to act against these corrupt politicians, just because they are politicians from the Opposition parties?

AT: Do you think the electoral bond issue will be a poll issue?

PM: Whether it will be a poll issue or not is for the people to decide.

But I feel that people should know which political parties stand for clean political funding and which political parties want to perpetuate black money in political funding.

AT: The recent hike in prices of medicines may cause serious hardships to the poor and middle-class people. Can the Government do something about that?

PM: This is entirely false. There is no change in prevailing ceiling prices for 836 medicines. However, this government has always kept the poor, the middle class and the disadvantaged at the forefront of its policymaking. We want to bring down the healthcare expense of every citizen of India.

It would be good if you could inform your readers about how we have brought a revolution when it comes to making healthcare more affordable. The share of out-of-pocket expenditure in total health expenditure has declined from 62.6 per cent in 2014-15 to 47.1 per cent in 2019-20.

We are providing quality medicines at 70 per cent to 80 per cent discounts at more than 11,000 Jan Aushadhi Kendras spread across India. Around 10-12 lakh people visit these centres daily. These kendras have 2,000 types of medicines and 300 types of surgical devices and have helped save around Rs 30,000 crore of people’s money.

That is not all. With the world’s largest health insurance scheme, Ayushman Bharat, the poor have saved more than Rs one lakh crore from their expenses. These savings are benefiting the poor.

We are working towards enhancing our indigenous manufacturing capabilities so that life-saving drugs and devices can be produced within India.

For this, we have launched a PLI scheme for bulk drugs and medical devices. Our vision is to make India a global pharma hub.

AT: What is your view on the performance of the State governments of the North East States and your suggestions to improve governance?

PM: The North East is the best example of the impact of a double-engine government. This model has guaranteed the region’s security, development, connectivity, prosperity and peace. The people have been putting their seal of approval on this model again and again.

The entire North East has seen a new model of governance in the last 10 years. They have seen how development can be fast-tracked if the Centre and States work together.

I reactivated the North Eastern Council which functioned only on paper to become a consultative body, giving a powerful voice to the Chief Ministers of the North East. I was the first Prime Minister in 40 years to chair the meeting of the North Eastern Council in 2016, and that too, in the North East.

We have touched people’s lives and brought qualitative change on the ground. From pucca houses to electricity, from LPG connections to clean tap water connections, and from roads to railways, we have tried to ease people’s lives and allow regional aspirations to flourish.

This is just the trailer, the next few years will see much greater development in the North East.

AT: You have been a Chief Minister and a Prime Minister twice. What are your personal goals now?

PM: My personal goal as well as my professional goal has always been the same. Even when I was CM, my motto was the development of Gujarat for the development of Bharat.

Now that I am in Delhi, my motto is to make a Viksit Bharat.