“The NEC should also be responsible for the overall social development of the people of the region and should not dwell only on infrastructure building,” director of Rajiv Gandhi Vikas Nidhi, Amiya Sharma, said.
Talking to reporters on the sidelines of the consultation of the approach paper for the twelfth Five Year Plan, Sharma said the council should be “more transparent” while implementing its projects in the region. He slammed the corporate houses that have come to the region without giving anything in return to the people.
Pinning the blame on the North East Industrial and Investment Promotion Policy (NEIIPP), Sharma said this policy had affected the people of the region instead of alleviating their hardships.
Citing the example of the industries in Byrnihat, Sharma said: “Corporate houses that come into the region degrade the environment and do not have any corporate social responsibility.”
Monisha Behl, adviser to theall-woman NGO, North East Network, asked the Planning Commission to implement the programmes and policies of the Vision 2020 document in the Five Year Plan.
Planning Commission member Saumitra Chaudhary said the aim of the consultation with the civil society groups was to know the mind of the people of the region.
Chaudhary said the Planning Commission wanted to seek the views of civil groups of the region since the Northeast is diverse and faces a more complex problem compared to the other parts of the country. The NEC is the nodal agency for the economic and social development of the Northeast.