Aizawl, June 4: The 73rd Plenary of the North Eastern Council (NEC) was held on Thursday at the Meghalaya State Convention Centre in Shillong under the chairmanship of Union Home Minister Amit Shah, who also serves as the NEC Chairman.
During the plenary, Mizoram Chief Minister Lalduhoma submitted the final report of the High-Level Task Force on the Northeast Economic Corridor (NEEC), constituted under the Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER), to Union Home Minister Amit Shah. He also addressed the meeting on key development priorities of the Northeast region.
In his address, the Chief Minister said the Prime Minister’s Act East Policy provides a strong framework for the development of the Northeast. He noted that the region is strategically positioned to become a major driver of India’s future growth, supported by its natural resources, human capital, and cultural diversity.
He emphasized the need for a “One-Grid Approach” to connectivity, integrating roads, railways, airways, waterways, power, telecommunications, and logistics under a coordinated development framework.
Lalduhoma said that with the Kaladan Multi-Modal Transit Transport Project nearing completion, the region must prepare institutionally and socially to leverage upcoming opportunities. He urged the Ministry of DoNER to support investment readiness and trade readiness initiatives, along with skill development, entrepreneurship promotion, border infrastructure, logistics hubs, and community engagement programmes.
He suggested promoting investments through cluster-based development, rather than isolated projects, Emphasizing sectors such as bamboo, agri-horticulture value chains, food processing, textiles, eco-tourism, green energy, and digital services as areas with strong potential.
The Chief Minister also proposed the development of a common Northeast tourism circuit with unified branding and facilitation mechanisms to boost tourism across the region.
He said the Northeast has the potential to emerge as a key logistics and trade gateway under the Act East Policy and the India – Myanmar – Thailand Trilateral Highway initiative.
He stressed the need for effective implementation of the mandated 10% Gross Budgetary Support (GBS) for the Northeast and suggested creating a dedicated coordination mechanism under DoNER or NEC for better monitoring and convergence.
Highlighting the importance of youth engagement, he called for greater focus on skill development, incubation, tourism and hospitality, logistics, agribusiness, green technology, and start-up ecosystems.
He also proposed establishing Project Implementation Units (PIUs) in each state under DoNER to speed up project approvals.
The Chief Minister expressed appreciation for the recognition of Mizoram as the “Ginger Capital of India” and support for the Mizoram Ginger USP Project. He also highlighted the proposed Thenzawl Peace City, describing it as a potential centre for tourism, education, healthcare, sports, and agro-based development.
Referring to the NEEC Task Force report, he said its implementation would provide a unified framework for strengthening connectivity, trade, tourism, investment, and logistics across the Northeast, ensuring shared regional development.
The plenary was attended by Union Minister for Development of North Eastern Region Jyotiraditya M. Scindia, Minister of State for DoNER Dr. Sukanta Majumdar, Chief Ministers of Northeastern states, and senior government officials.
