M A I N   N E W S

Rs 10,271-cr package for N-E

SHILLONG, Jan 22 (UNI) — The Centre today announced a Rs 10,271 crore financial package for countering terrorism and ensuring economic development of the north-eastern region.

The announcement was made by Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee at the conclusion of a meeting called to discuss the security situation and developmental work in the north-eastern states and Sikkim. The meeting was attended by the Governors and Chief Ministers of the north-eastern states.

It was decided at the meeting to fence the remaining portion of the Indo-Bangladesh border and construct border roads with a total outlay of Rs 1,335 crore. Work on this would commence in April. This would be done to prevent illegal immigration from Bangladesh which had been posing problems in the entire region, particularly Assam.

The Centre will also further expand the list of items of expenditure incurred by the police, eligible for reimbursement, which will include 50 per cent POL (petrol, oil and lubricants) costs, village guards, village defence committees and Home Guards.

The security-related expenditure (SRE) reimbursement will be extended to Meghalaya and Arunachal Pradesh and the modernisation of police force scheme will be extended to Sikkim. The total additional reimbursement would be Rs 40 crore per annum.

To encourage the people of Mizoram, who have opted for peaceful economic development, the government accepted the recommendation of the committee set up by the Finance Ministry and allotted Rs 180 crore to Mizoram to tide over the difficulties. The government will also release Rs 50 crore every year from non-lapsable pool and resources for five years for specific infrastructure development in Mizoram.

The government will also sanction three India reserve battalions, including one each for Tripura, Mizoram and Manipur. With an estimated expenditure of Rs 15 crore every year for three years, the setting-up of these three battalions will cost Rs 45 crore.

A sum of Rs 500 crore will be provided for rural infrastructure development every year from the Rural Infrastructure Development Fund (RIDF) and banking facilities will be provided at all border trading points within one year. A sum of at least Rs 50 crore will be disbursed per annum by the North-East Development and Finance Corporation (NEDFI).

An Export Development Fund (EDF) for the North-East region will be set-up with an initial corpus of Rs 5 crore. The Ministry of Commerce will work out the modalities for operation of this fund.

The border townships of Moreh (Manipur), Zokhawther (Mizoram), Dawki (Meghalaya) and Suterkhandi (Assam) will be developed over the next two years at a cost of Rs 20 crore. An empowered committee will be set up to process the recommendations of the inter-ministerial task force on border trade.

PTI adds: Mr Vajpayee today ruled out any negotiations on the question of sovereignty but said government would enter into a “meaningful dialogue” with the National Socialist Council of Nagaland to find out a solution to the insurgency problem in the North-East.

“There is no question of any negotiations on the question of sovereignty and till now talks have taken place to find out how things can be stabilised,” he told a press conference here at the end of his two-day visit to Meghalaya.