The Ministry Of Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER) is faced with the herculean task of sorting out various development projects left "incomplete" by the previous UPA regime, its minister said today.
Blaming the previous Congress-led UPA government of non-implementation of various projects announced by them for northeast states, Minister for DoNER Gen (Retd) V K Singh said this baggage has to be sorted out first.
"I have no qualms in saying that in the last decade, DONER ministry had actually become what people would call twenty-thirty per cent ministry. That is an unfortunate fact. We were just dishing out projects. We forgot what was there last year. We approved projects the next year.
"Today there are a large number of projects which have been languishing for as far back as seven to eight years...Not completed for various reasons. This baggage has to be sorted out and that is what is taking us a little time," Singh said.
He said there were a lot of projects which could not see the light of day in the last 15 years.
Singh was addressing one of the sessions of 41st National Management Convention "Changing Times: Reinventing the India Story" organised by All India Management Association here.
Expressing confidence over his government facilitating progress in the region, he said, "I am quite sure that if we are able to ensure that the ten percent which 55 ministries have to spend compulsorily on NE...If we can guide them properly...It is an astounding figure of Rs 58,000 crore."
"If I play my cards right, I am sure a lot of progress will come in NE," he said.
He said it was a question of understanding the priority and to look at the entire NE region as a whole.
Talking about security issues and the perception of those states being "unsafe", Singh said that some areas in NE region are as unsafe as any other place.
"One thing which remains at the back of mind of anybody who wants to invest and do business in NE states is security issue. Everybody says the area is unsafe. Some areas are as unsafe as Sarojini market in New Delhi. If there can be a bomb blast in Sarojini Market, so can be there in NE.
