Itanagar

Vice President C P Radhakrishnan on Wednesday said Arunachal Pradesh was integral to India's unity, with the Northeast region, aided by Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Act East policy, emerging as a key driver of the country's growth.

Addressing a special session of the Arunachal Pradesh Legislative Assembly here, he said the state stands as a “proud guardian” of India's borders and its development is closely linked to the progress of the country.

He also said Arunachal Pradesh is culturally rich with “boundless potential”.

Radhakrishnan said the Northeast has been given increasing priority by successive governments, recalling that former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee had created the Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER).

“Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Act East policy and his description of the eight northeastern states as 'Ashta-lakshmi' demonstrate the tremendous potential of the region,” he said.

The vice president said the Union Budget this year has allocated more than Rs 6,800 crore to the DoNER Ministry, reflecting the Centre’s continued focus on the region.

Highlighting Arunachal Pradesh’s development, Radhakrishnan said the state has around 79 per cent forest cover and is endowed with rich biodiversity, forests, rivers and ecological resources that are vital for the country’s environmental security and climate resilience.

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He noted that Arunachal has emerged as the country’s number one producer of kiwi fruit and that more than one lakh soil health cards have been issued to farmers.

“The state’s per capita income has more than doubled, while the pace of road construction has reached around 1,800 km a year,” he said.