The Hindu : Front Page : Manmohan Singh asks youth to shun violence

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Nov 22, 2004

Front Page

Front Page

Manmohan Singh asks youth to shun violence

By Vinay Kumar

The Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh, inaugurating the new capital complex of the Assam Government in Dispur on Sunday. The Assam Chief Minister, Tarun Gogoi, is with him . — PTI

GUWAHATI, NOV. 21. The Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh, said today that his Government was committed to implementing the Assam accord in letter and in spirit.

At a public meeting in Dispur, where he earlier inaugurated a new Secretariat complex — Dr. Singh appealed to the youth not to resort to the gun for pressing their demands. He said he understood their demand for more employment opportunities and asked them to remember that the Prime Minister was from their "own State who shares your dream of a resurgent Assam."

More jobs

He said: "Let us together write a new chapter in the long and torturous history of Assam. Along with the Planning Commission and other government departments for creation of jobs, we are preparing a feasible and viable blueprint for Assam.

"With over 16 lakh unemployed youth, employment generation is a major priority for the State. I am happy to know that there are 85,000 self-help groups in Assam. We will also work with the Assam Government for rejuvenating the tea industry which is a major sector of the State economy."

He reiterated his Government's commitment to increasing investment in education, health and agriculture in the State and working towards the development of its infrastructure. "We are particularly concerned about improving the connectivity of the region with the rest of the country."

Tackling floods

The Prime Minister focused on two issues: floods and the economic potential of the region. He wondered whether there were appropriate institutional arrangements to address the problem of floods in Assam and the neighbouring States and said it was time to think of new institutions to handle the gigantic task of flood control.

He mooted the idea of establishing a cohesive, autonomous, self-contained entity on the lines of the Tennessee Valley Authority of the United States or the Damodar Valley Corporation to address the perennial problem. "It could be called the Brahmaputra Valley Authority or the North-east Valley Authority. The body would develop the river areas to provide effective flood control, generate electricity, provide irrigation facilities and develop infrastructure. Given managerial and financial autonomy with top class manpower, and backed up by Parliamentary sanction, such a body would be the instrument for transforming the region. It could be the instrument for providing a `new deal' for Assam.

`Gateway'

Referring to the development potential of Assam, Dr. Singh said it was the "Gateway of India to the East." This gateway "represents a resurgent India, an economically strong India, an India which is integral to the Asian century."

He said the present century was going to be Asia's century. China and India were going to be major economies. New Delhi would have strong economic links with its neighbours to the East. "This is part of our "Look-East" policy as well. As we develop our economic and trade links with South-East Asia and the Far East, Assam and the North-East can be the springboard from which we launch into intense economic integration with our neighbours."

The Prime Minister said that Assam could become an "entrepot," a centre of commerce and trade, where goods, ideas, and people from many lands meet and interact. "We are entering into Free Trade Agreements and Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreements with Thailand, Singapore and ASEAN so that our trade and economic relations intensify further."

The Assam Chief Minister, Tarun Gogoi, his Cabinet colleagues and top officials were present at the inaugural ceremony at Dispur. The new capital complex has been delayed by more than 30 years. It was decided in 1972 to shift the State capital to Dispur, then a sleepy village on the southern fringes of Guwahati.

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