N-E at heart of govt’s Act East policy: Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Saturday the northeast is at the heart of central government’s Act East Policy for connecting with Southeast Asia and build trade and people-to-people ties with the Asean bloc.

Addressing the Global Investors Summit in Guwahati, Modi said the tagline of the meet “Advantage Assam: India’s expressway to ASEAN” was very appropriate and not just a statement but it is a “comprehensive vision”.

“We created the Act East Policy and the northeast is at the heart of it. The Act East Policy requires increased people to people contact, trade ties and other relations with countries on India’s east, particularly Asean countries,” Modi said.

“Our vision is development of the eastern part of India, as the country’s fast pace of development will only be effective when the people living in the northeast develop,” he said.

Modi said roads and railways are being constructed at a faster pace in the northeast and electricity is being generated at a similar pace.

ECONOMIC REFORMS Modi said his government has undertaken many path breaking economic reforms, making the country the most preferred investment destination with the highest FDI in last fiscal at $60 billion.

He said the NDA government has speeded up the functioning of official machinery and “we want all programmes to be completed before target”.

Those present at the event included Bhutanese Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay, several Union ministers, Assam chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal, chief ministers of Arunachal Pradesh and Manipur, ambassadors and high commissioners of 16 countries, RIL chairman Mukesh Ambani, Tata Sons chairman N Chandrasekharan besides other.

Assam is hosting its first global investors summit to showcase its manufacturing opportunities and geostrategic advantages to foreign and domestic investors.

The summit aims at highlighting Assam’s core competencies in different sectors along with the policy initiatives taken by the state government.

GUWAHATI: