OREANDA-NEWS. April 17, 2015. Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Development of North-Eastern Region (DoNER), MoS PMO, Personnel, Public Grievances, Pensions, Atomic Energy and Space, Dr Jitendra Singh has said that the Government will develop Mizoram on a fast-track. After an hour-long exclusive meeting with Chief Minister Mizoram, Shri Lalthanhawla at his residence in Aizawl today, Dr Jitendra Singh said, though being one of the smallest and the youngest States of the country, Mizoram has the potential to emerge as a model State of India.

During the meeting the two leaders discussed developmental issues as well as the political situation in the State. The Chief Minister explained to the DoNER Minister as to how after 20 years long period of insurgency, Mizoram had limped back to normalcy following the historic accord in 1986. In response, Dr Jitendra Singh assured Shri Lalthanhawla that the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi and his government are committed to carry forward the process of growth with peace in this peripheral State and every possible help will be rendered to achieve this objective.

Later, before concluding his two-day visit to Mizoram, Dr Jitendra Singh held a meeting with the State administration, which was followed by a get-together hosted for him by State Cabinet Ministers.

At the meeting with the administration, which was attended among others by the Chief Secretary and Director General of Police (DGP), Dr Jitendra Singh said that besides working out the feasibility of a direct air-flight from Delhi to Aizawl, he has also offered a middle-route formula for resolving the issue pertaining to the security management of the Aizawl Airport which had become a matter of debate between the State Police and the Airports Authority of India (AAI). In this regard, he suggested to the State DGP to try to work out a working arrangement between the State Police and the AAI.

Dr Jitendra Singh also announced that as a part of the new initiative of holding Camp Secretariat of DoNER Ministry by monthly rotation in each of the eight States of Northeast, the next Camp Secretariat in the month of May will be held in Mizoram for which communication is being sent to all the concerned in the administration as well as the MLAs and MPs from the State. This will be an opportunity for the administration as well as the representatives of civil society to directly interact with the officials of DoNER Ministry who will be available in the State, he added.

With the literacy rate of nearly 92%, Dr Jitendra Singh said, Mizoram deserves to have a more participatory role intellectually and academically and therefore, in the new Brahmaputra Study Centre in Gauhati University announced by the DoNER Ministry, Mizoram will be accommodated for a suitable slot in exclusive research and higher learning.