Eight Union ministers to visit N-E states every fortnight

New Delhi: Eight Union ministers including Ashok Gajapathi Raju and Jitendra Singh will visit one of the eight northeastern states every fortnight to ensure speedy implementation of the Centre's social and economic programmes.

The tour programme has been planned on the directions of Prime Minister Narendra Modi who is keen on giving special focus on northeast, said Singh, Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER).

Prime Minister Narendra Modi. PTI

During these tours, the visiting minister will take a review of the works related to his or her department and also participate in important events taking place in the region, Singh said.

Narendra Singh Tomar, Minister of Mines and Steel; Law and Justice Minister D V Sadananda Gowda; Civil Aviation Minister
Raju; Ram Kripal Yadav, Minister of State for Drinking Water and Sanitation; and Sanjeev Kumar Balyan, Minister of State
for Agriculture are likely to undertake tours to eight states this month, a press release issued in New Delhi today said.

Singh has requested Chemicals and Fertilizers Minister Ananth Kumar, Water Resources Minister Uma Bharati, Minister
of Social Justice and Empowerment Thaawar Chand Gehlot and Minority Affairs Minister Najma Heptulla to undertake tours to the North East during the first fortnight of next month.

Rao Inderjit Singh, Minister of State for Planning; Minister of State for Railways Manoj Sinha; and P Radhakrishnan, Minister of State for Road Transport, Highways and Shipping; are also being requested to undertake tours during February.

Singh said he will also be travelling to one of the eight northeastern states at least once in a month.

Home Minister Rajnath Singh, Commerce Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, Minister of State for Youth Affairs and Sports Sarbananda Sonowal and Minister of State for Home Affairs Kiren Rijiju have already undertaken tours of Meghalaya, Tripura, Assam and Nagaland during this month.

PTI