OREANDA-NEWS. PM's remarks at the closing function of the Manipur Sangai Festival

In his remarks at the closing function of the Manipur Sangai Festival in Imphal today, the Prime Minister said sports was the fulcrum of tremendous economic activity. Several allied disciplines such as nutrition and physiotherapy were associated with sports, and this could boost employment prospects for the youth of Manipur.

The Prime Minister made an impassioned plea to free the youth of the state from the menace of drugs. He said the youth of this state, that has the potential to inspire the entire nation through excellence in sports, should not fall prey to drugs.

On the subject of employment, the Prime Minister said the entire northeast region had the potential to emerge as a hub for call centres.

The Prime Minister referred to the requests made by the Chief Minister for improving infrastructure such as roads and hospitals. He said he was happy that the Chief Minister looked forward to this Union Government delivering infrastructure. He said Rs. 60,000 crore had been earmarked in the Union Budget this year for infrastructure in the North-East. He said he would look into each of the requests made and see what could be done about them. He said the Union Government wishes to take the entire Northeast region to new heights of development. The Prime Minister also said that during his recent visit to Myanmar, a lot of attention had been given to improving connectivity between Imphal and Southeast Asia. He said a lot of initiatives had been taken for infrastructure, and the results of these initiatives would be visible in the coming days.

The Prime Minister said that by participating in the closing function of the Manipur Sangai Festival, he wants to give a message to the rest of the country about the immense tourism potential of the state. He said tourism and infrastructure went hand in hand, and tourism was a big generator of employment.

The Prime Minister said he wanted youth from the Northeast to be recruited in the Delhi Police. He also referred to a proposal made by him when he was Chief Minister of Gujarat, for 200 women police personnel from each of the Northeast states to be deployed in Gujarat for 2 years. He said such steps could boost national integration.