Home Minister P Chidambaram today said that most of the north east region is conflict free and nearly all separatist groups in the region are in talks with the government.

Addressing the seventh North East Business Summit in New Delhi today, Mr. Chidambaram said that militant groups in the North East have realised that violence will not pay and the State will never allow any violent group to overpower it. Stating that it was heartening that most of the militant groups are in favour of a dialogue, he said that peace in the region can be achieved only through talks.

The Home Minister added that a lot has changed in the north east region in the last few years and conflict is now confined to Manipur, some parts of Assam and Nagaland. He said that Meghalaya, Mizoram, Sikkim, Arunanchal Pradesh and most parts of Assam are conflict free.

The Home Minister, however, said that extortion in the region remains a matter of concern. He added that the extortion rackets must be stopped as they are the source of funding for militant groups. Mr. Chidambarm said that such incidents came down significantly in previous year and the situation will improve further this year.

Mr. Chidambaram stressed the need for stable peace in the region to attract more investment in the region. Urging the businessmen to invest in the north east, Mr. Chidambaram said the opportunities for business from Northeast in the neighbouring countries including Bangladesh, Myanmar and China is enormous and limitless. He added that the country's trade with China is booming. He asserted that instead of fearing competition from Beijing, New Delhi must try to emulate its growth story.

Addressing the summit, Minister for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Virbhadra Singh said that the vast resources of the north east region need to be channelised for over all growth and development of the region. He said that the government is making huge investment in the region to support small and medium businesses to boost the economy.