<span style="color: #222222;">The Rajya Sabha on Monday took up the discussion on the working of the Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region. Participating in the discussion, Ayush Minister Sarbananda Sonowal said, perception towards the North East region changed during the tenure of the BJP government. He said, huge investments have been attracted in the region and emphasis has been laid on the infrastructure development in the North Eastern States under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.<br />''<br />''Earlier, initiating the discussion, Congress MP Ripun Bora has said the Congress' government has taken a series of measures during its tenure for the development of the North Eastern region. Appreciating the efforts of Atal Bihari Vajpayee for creating the Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region, he alleged, the present government has diluted the vision of Atal Bihari Vajpayee. He alleged that no single mega project has been initiated in the North East by the present government. Sushmita Dev of Trinamool Congress raised the issue of ecology and environment saying that illegal coal mining is a biggest issue in the North Eastern region. She also raised the issue of inter-state border disputes saying that an office must be set by the DoNER Ministry in the North East for efficient redressal of grievances. Raising the issue of Armed Forces Special Power Act, Tiruchi Siva of DMK said, it is high time to reconsider the enforcement of AFSPA in the North Eastern region. Jharna Das Baidya of CPI(M) said the Development of North Eastern Region Ministry must provide sufficient funds for all round development of the region. KG Kenye of NPF said, regional representation must be ensured in the planning and implementation of the projects. Dr. Amar Patnaik of BJD said, budget allocation has been increased but a lot more needs to be done for the development of North Eastern States.<br />''       <br />''BJP MP Bhubaneswar Kalita countered opposition saying that there is vast difference in the implementation of projects between the UPA government and the present government. He said, implementation of the projects have become faster now as the BJP government does not believe only in the announcement of the projects but focus on their implementation in a time bound manner. He lauded the government efforts made during the Covid-19 period in the North Eastern region. <br />''<br />''Another party MP Kamakhya Prasad Tasa said, BJP government is continuously working for the development of the region. He said, infrastructure and connectivity have been improved which eased the lives of people in the region. Echoing the same view, Rakesh Sinha of BJP said, several infrastructure works have been completed by the present government which ensured overall development of the region. Dr. M Thambidurai of AIADMK said, it is high time to give importance to the development of the North Eastern region. The discussion remained inconclusive.</span>