Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation Amit Shah chaired the 73rd plenary session of the North Eastern Council (NEC) in Shillong, Meghalaya. The meeting was attended by the Union Minister for Development of the North Eastern Region, governors and chief ministers of the region and senior central officials. The session reviewed progress on infrastructure, investment and social development across all eight North Eastern states.

Amit Shah noted that over the past 12 years focused efforts have yielded qualitative transformation, including the signing of more than 12 peace accords and the mainstreaming of more than 10,800 former combatants. He also highlighted an 86 per cent decline in civilian casualties over the past 12 years. He said infrastructure growth in rail, road and air connectivity has reduced distances and supported economic integration. Investments worth approximately Rs 4.25 tn have been attracted to the region and the semiconductor project in Assam represents around Rs 270 bn in committed capital.

The report of a High-Level Task Force was described as a guiding document and states were urged to aim for full implementation of its recommendations. The Single Window Clearance mechanism was highlighted for monthly review by chief ministers and governors to accelerate project approvals. Emphasis was placed on developing Guwahati, Imphal and Agartala as multimodal logistics hubs and on completing planned industrial and ancillary units to spread benefits across smaller states.

The National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) and the Ministry of Cooperation were said to be preparing to expand cooperative networks and to supply more than 50,000 milch animals annually to boost milk production. A dedicated strategy was recommended to develop agarwood, essential oils and bamboo industries for global exports while promoting organic farming and GI tagging of regional products. The region was urged to leverage its hydropower and solar potential, develop data centres and foster skills in artificial intelligence, data analytics and blockchain to build a technology driven economy.