Shillong, June 4 (IANS) Nagaland Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio on Thursday said the 73rd Plenary Session of the North Eastern Council (NEC) focused on identifying the economic strengths and growth drivers of each Northeastern state through a high-powered task force mechanism aimed at accelerating regional development.

Speaking to IANS after the plenary session chaired by Union Home Minister and NEC Chairman Amit Shah in Shillong, CM Rio said discussions centred on charting state-specific development strategies and leveraging the unique economic potential of all eight Northeastern states.

“Now it is for the Northeast. All the sister states, the eight states, have been visited by high-powered company task forces to identify the possibilities of driving the economy in their respective states,” CM Rio said.

He said the findings and recommendations prepared by the task forces were presented during the meeting and discussed among the participating states and NEC members. “We presented before them and shared our approach. There were many discussions after the task force reports. The focus is on bringing a new concept of economic development and growth for the region,” the Chief Minister said.

According to CM Rio, the deliberations highlighted the need for state-specific interventions while promoting regional cooperation in sectors with high growth potential.

The plenary session was attended by governors and chief ministers of the Northeastern states, senior NEC officials and representatives of the Central government, including Union DoNER Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia.

Discussions covered infrastructure development, connectivity, economic growth, investment promotion and implementation of recommendations submitted by various sector-specific task forces.

Responding to a question on whether the NEC’s functioning was discussed in the context of criticism that the regional body had become a “white elephant”, CM Rio clarified that no such issue came up during the deliberations. “It was not discussed,” he said.

The 73rd NEC Plenary focused on reviewing developmental priorities across the region and exploring ways to strengthen coordination among the Northeastern states and the Centre.

The council is expected to take forward recommendations aimed at boosting investment, improving connectivity and unlocking the economic potential of the region through a collaborative framework.

–IANS

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