Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Saturday said that there is a need to plug regional imbalances in the Northeast region.
"During the last four-and-a-half years, the UPA government has tried to accelerate economic development in the region. But there is a lot more to do. There are regional imbalances in the region that have to be plugged," Singh told reporters in Shillong on the sidelines of the 96th session of the Indian Science Congress.
With an eye on the forthcoming general elections, Singh claimed that the Northeast has registered 'record development' in the last four-and-a-half years.
"...We have special interest in the affairs of the region. We have expanded the social services and there has been a record improvement in the region. Yet the region needs special attention for developing infrastructure, roads and electricity generation," the prime minister said.
On the vexed uranium mining issue in Meghalaya, the prime minister said the Centre would ensure that there were no adverse effects before it went ahead with the project.
"We will take effective measures to see that there are no adverse effects. We will ensure the mining project benefits the state of Meghalaya," Singh said.
The Rs 1,000-crore mining project in Meghalaya has been stalled for about one-and-a-half decade due to protests from locals who, apprehended health and environmental hazards.
{{/usCountry}}The Rs 1,000-crore mining project in Meghalaya has been stalled for about one-and-a-half decade due to protests from locals who, apprehended health and environmental hazards.
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