‘India gives close attention to its Northeast’

NITI Aayog Vice Chairperson Suman Bery has said the attention of the government towards India's Northeast is substantial and political parties are vying with each other to offer attractive platforms for the region, amidst the ‘assertiveness of China'.

Bery made the remarks while addressing a round table organized by the Consulate General of India in New York on ‘Transforming India, in partnership with NITI Aayog, US-India Strategic Partnership Forum and TiE New York.

Bery said the ‘assertiveness of China' and the Northeast region becoming an area of ‘significant contention' in Indian politics are two factors that are making the difference and political parties are vying with each other to offer attractive platforms for India's Northeast region.

Bery, responding to a question about Assam and the Northeast and how it can get better linked to the rest of India, said ‘I would suggest that two factors which are linked with each other are making a difference, whether they are making enough of a difference we can debate. ‘One is the assertiveness of China and the second is that the Northeast region has become an area of significant contention in Indian politics in a way that it hadn't (earlier). I think parties are vying with each other to offer attractive platforms for the Northeast,' he said adding that 'the kind of attention that I'm aware of within government circles' towards ‘Northeast is substantial.'

Bery said ‘how long it will take to integrate it is a question of physical distance, infrastructure.'