Shillong/Agartala (The Hawk): In addition to attending the North East Council's (NEC) golden jubilee celebration on Sunday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi also officially opened and laid the cornerstone for a number of projects during a public event in Shillong.
The Northeastern Council (NEC), a regional planning organisation established in 1972 to carry out planning and developmental projects of eight northeastern states, celebrated its golden anniversary with the participation of the Union Home Minister Amit Shah, the Chief Ministers, and the Governors of eight northeastern states.
At a public event held at Shillong's Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium (Polo Ground), the prime minister officially opened and set the cornerstone for a number of projects totaling more than Rs 2,450 crore.
The Prime Minister will travel from Shillong to Agartala where he would address a crowd of people on Sunday at Swami Vivekananda Ground, declare open some projects, and lay the cornerstone for a few more projects totaling more than Rs 4,350 crore.
Sushanta Chowdhury, the Minister of Information and Cultural Affairs of Tripura, announced that the Prime Minister would take a significant stride forward by launching the "Grih Pravesh" programme for Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana recipients (both urban and rural).
Over two lakh recipients will receive these homes, which cost over Rs 3,400 crore to create.
The Prime Minister will officially open the project to widen the Agartala bypass (Khayerpur - Amtali) NH-08, which would reduce traffic in the city of Agartala and improve road connectivity.
Additionally, as part of PMGSY III (Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana), he will lay the cornerstones for 112 roads totaling more than 540 km in length and 32 roads totaling more than 230 km.
Agartala Government Dental College and the State Institute of Hotel Management at Anandnagar, both on the outskirts of the capital city, will also be opened by Modi.
The BJP-led administration in Agartala has sent out a circular requesting that all central and state government representatives attend the gathering.
Over 72,000 people from all over the state, according to Sushanta Chowdhury, Minister of Information for Tripura, would join the public gathering.
The Border Security Force guarding the borders with Bangladesh has also been placed on notice in light of the Prime Minister's visit, according to West Tripura's Superintendent of Police, Sankar Debnath.
The Prime Minister will meet with the BJP MLAs at the state guest house before departing for Delhi to go over the election schedule for the Tripura Assembly elections, which are anticipated to take place in February of 2019.
(Inputs from Agencies)