Excelsior Correspondent
NEW DELHI, May 9 : Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER), MoS PMO, Personnel, Public Grievances,Pensions, Atomic Energy and Space, Dr Jitendra Singh said here today that Northeast has emerged as a model of Corona management for the rest of the country to emulate.
Speaking at the e-Agenda Conclave on Corona organised by national TV channel Aaj Tak, Dr Jitendra Singh said, just as in the last six years under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Northeast had emerged as a model of development for the rest of India, in the wake of the present pandemic it has emerged as a model of Corona management for the the rest of India. He said, one of the secrets of it is that the people in the eight North Eastern States have been following the lockdown-related and other guidelines in letter and spirit.
“By tradition and by lifestyle, people of the Northeast are civilised and disciplined, ” said Dr Jitendra Singh. Sikkim, for example, he said, is one State which never had a single positive case of Corona through out.
Dr Jitendra Singh said, five out of eight N orth Eastern States are Corona free. “The spread of the virus in the Northeast by far has been contained with the support of people and the administration, as well as complete sealing of the borders”, he added.
“There has been day-to-day monitoring of the situation at the micro and macro level both by the State Governments and by the Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER),” the Minister said.
Dr Jitendra Singh, who holds multiple portfolios including PMO, DoPT, Pensions, Space, Atomic Energy in addition to DoNER, praised the work being done by women self-help groups in the North Eastern region. There has been a rich tradition of women self-help groups in the Northeast, he said.
The women Self Help Groups have been making variety of face masks for people, said Dr Jitendra Singh. “These masks are so creative, varied ,filled with colours and fancy designs, that these can match with different colours of the clothes worn, he said.
Dr Jitendra Singh said there is no shortage of essential commodities and medical equipment in the entire northeastern region.
To a question on reports that the Centre was considering reduction in pension, he said these were “manufactured news”.
“Why would the central government think to take such a step that too with pensioners? It is all manufactured news. People with vested interest are using it.
There has been no thinking by the government on either stoppage or reduction of pension,” he clarified.
Dr Jitendra Singh said there also has been manufactured news about the Centre’s move to reduce the age of retirement of central government employees from the existing 60 years, which is “entirely incorrect”.
“There is no move to reduce the retirement age of the central Government employees,” said the Minister.
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