New era of development, peace started in northeast under Narendra Modi's regime, says Amit Shah

The Home Minister said this while launching a slew of projects, including the 'Vibrant Villages Programme' at Kibithoo - a border village in Arunachal Pradesh, bordering China, in presence of Chief Minister Pema Khandu, Union Home Secretary, ITBP Director General and other dignitaries, official sources said.

"Before 2014, the entire Northeast was known as a region ridden with many issues, but in the last 9 years, due to the 'Look East' policy of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, today the Northeast has been recognized as a region contributing to the development of the country", Shah said in his address.

He claimed that once upon a time, due to the wrong approach of the leaders sitting in Delhi, this region was disputed, insurgency-ridden and lacked peace, development and connectivity.

But now, under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, disputes and insurgency are coming to an end and a new era of development and peace has started, he said.

PM Modi has worked in the Northeast on three fronts – preserving its phenomenal cultural heritage, establishing peace by settling disputes, and making several pacts with insurgent groups that have resulted in a 67 per cent reduction in violence, 60 per cent reduction in deaths of security forces and 83 per cent in civilian deaths in 2022 as compared to 2014, Shah said.

He said that the government led by Prime Minister Modi has signed BRU, NLFT, Bodo, Karbi Anglong accords and "resolved inter-state border disputes".

He said that the government has removed AFSPA, Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, from 70 percent of the Northeast and the day is not far when it will be removed from the entire Northeast.

He added that today the youth who have taken up arms are joining the mainstream and contributing to the development of India.

(With UNI inputs)