Govt started the process to merge Amul and 5 other cooperatives for certification of natural products: Amit Shah

The Union Home and Cooperation Minister, Amit Shah, presided over the 70th plenary meeting of the North Eastern Council in Guwahati, Assam on 9 October 2022. Union Minister For Culture, Tourism And Development Of North Eastern Region, G. Kishan Reddy and Minister of State for Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region and Ministry of Co-operation, B.L.Verma, the Governors and Chief Ministers of the North Eastern States and senior officers of various departments of the Centre and the North Eastern States were also present in the meeting.

In his address, Amit Shah said that there were three major hurdles in the path of development of the Northeast for decades – violence and unrest by extremist groups, lack of rail, road and air connectivity in the Northeast and absence of thrust on development of Northeast by previous governments. He said, "The development of the Northeast was never a priority for the previous governments. But, under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Government of India has made many efforts in the last 8 years to bring peace in the Northeast, to increase all connectivity and to give priority to the development of this region."

The Union Home Minister said that the whole of India considers the languages, cultures, cuisine and costumes of the Northeast of the country as its heritage. "The government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi is making every effort to preserve and promote the natural identity of this region. In the last 8 years, the government has made many efforts to solve all the problems of the Northeast by finding their root cause."

Shah urged the chief ministers of the North Eastern States to make full use and benefit of NESAC data for flood control, irrigation, tourism, afforestation and agriculture. He urged, "The Chief Ministers of North Eastern States should appoint a nodal officer for NESAC in their states so that maximum and better use of this platform can be made."

The Union Home and Cooperation Minister said that the government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the Centre believes that all-round development of the country is possible only by taking all the languages ​​of the country together and a provision has been made in the new National Education Policy that primary education should be in the mother tongue.

Shah stated that Indian economy is currently ranked fifth in the world and financial discipline by the Northeastern states is necessary to contribute to making it second in the world. Highlighting the importance of natural farming and digital farming, he added, "Natural farming and digital farming are a matter of priority for the government of India and process of forming a multi-state cooperative society by merging Amul and 5 other cooperatives for certification of natural products has also started. After certification of these products, this cooperative society will also ensure their export, so the profit will go directly to the farmers' bank accounts."

The Union Home Minister said that flood-free and drug-free Northeast is very important for the government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Emphasizing over the measures to prevent floods, Shah said,"The purpose of hydro power plants is not only to generate energy, but they can also be used in flood prevention. Apart from this, ideal use of 271 wetlands can also help prevent floods." He urged to keep the North Eastern states free from the use of single use plastic for environmental protection.