Northeast should be the ‘New Engine’ for India’s growth: Narendra Modi in Assam

The Prime Minister laid the foundation stone of Indian Council of Agricultural Research’s (ICAR) third Indian Agriculture Research Institute (IARI) at Gogamukh, 419 km east of the state capital.

Northeast should be the new engine (NE) for India’s growth, Prime Minister Narendra Modi told a public gathering at Gogamukh in Dhemaji district of Assam on Friday.

PM Narendra Modi at the ceremony to lay the Foundation Stone for Indian Agriculture Research Institute (IARI) at Gogamukh, Assam(PIB India)

“Northeast was known as NE, but from now on it will be known as new economy, new energy, new empowerment — in a way it will become a new engine for India’s growth,” said Modi.

The Prime Minister laid the foundation stone of Indian Council of Agricultural Research’s (ICAR) third Indian Agriculture Research Institute (IARI) at Gogamukh, 419 km east of the state capital.

Spread over 587 acres, the IARI at Gogamukh will be built with a cost of Rs 155 crores and is expected to usher in a second green revolution in Assam and the northeast.  

The institute will focus on research and will teach 67 MSc and 106 PhD students besides dealing agrarian challenges and complexities in the eight states of the region.  

“Students from the northeast will be able to conduct research at this institute and take new findings from the laboratory to land. The northeast has the potential to become the world’s organic hub” he said.

Modi also launched SAMPADA (Scheme for Agro-Marine Processing and Development of Agro Processing Clusters), a central government scheme to supplement agriculture, modernize processing and decrease agri-waste.

With an allocation of Rs 6,000 crores, SAMPADA is expected to leverage investment of Rs 31,400 crores, handling of 334 lakh MT of agro-produce valuing over 104,125 crore besides benefiting 2 million farmers and generating over 500,000 direct/indirect employment by 2019-20.

“This scheme will boost food processing, bring in foreign investment and improve job prospects by youths in villages,” said Modi.