Imphal: President Ram Nath Kovind on Tuesday highlighted the Centre's efforts to improve connectivity by modes of road, railway and air to the Northeastern states, and said the region was a "gateway to India linking with the Indian subcontinent and the ASEAN".
"The Government of India's approach to the development of the Northeast is an urgent and speedy enhancement of connectivity. This is a multi-modal programme, across land, water and air," the president said while inaugurating the Northeast Development Summit in Imphal, Manipur.
He also underlined numerous projects taken up to improve travelling to Northeast by road, railway and air.
"And it refers both to connectivity within India as well as to connectivity between India and its eastern and Southeast Asian neighbours," Kovind said. Commerce and Industry minister Suresh Prabhu, Minister of State for Tourism K J Alphons, Manipur Governor Najma Heptullah and chief ministers of Manipur, Assam, Arunachal Pradesh and Nagaland were present on the occasion.
"The Northeast's geographical location makes it the obvious gateway to India, linking the vast economies of the Indian subcontinent and of Tuesday's ASEAN countries," the president said. This is the potential we have to tap. And this is the idea that must inspire this Summit, he added.
The president, who is on his maiden visit to the Northeast, said that the region was an amazing social and cultural ecosystem.