Union Minister G. Kishan Reddy on Friday said though China had claimed some parts of the region for its own, the Northeast was India’s “heartbeat” and the government was committed to its development.
While inaugurating a three-day Northeast festival at the Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts (IGNCA), Mr. Reddy highlighted the ongoing development projects in the region. The Minister, who holds the Culture, Tourism and Development of Northeast Region portfolios, spoke while Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi was in Delhi to meet External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and National Security Advisor Ajit Doval.
“The Northeast is an important pillar of India…China claims that some parts of the North-East is theirs, but let them say anything. Northeast is our heartbeat…On behalf of the Central government, I want to assure all of you that we will work with commitment for the development of the Northeast,” he said.
Earlier in the event, Jawaharlal Nehru University vice-chancellor Santishree Dhulipudi Pandit spoke about the historical importance of the region. “The Northeast is our link to South-East Asia and our great civilisation,” she said.
The three-day festival, called ‘Ishan Manthan’, would be open from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m., with cultural performances and stalls selling handicrafts and food at the IGNCA premises on Janpath, near Western Court, a Culture Ministry statement said.
