Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Wednesday said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi, considering the huge development and enormous resources of the eight Northeastern states, is presenting the region before the country as ‘Astalakshmi’.

Virtually joining from Delhi for the distribution of job offer letters function in Agartala, the Home Minister said that the Northeastern region was earlier known as areas of road blockade, violence-prone, terrorism infested, drugs menaces, corruption, smuggling, anti-national activities, infiltration from across the border and ethnic conflict-affected.

“After Modi ji became the Prime Minister, the Northeastern region turned into a developed region, with good connectivity, high-quality infrastructures, agriculturally developed, investment friendly, violence-free peaceful region,” the Home Minister said.

He said that to achieve the Prime Minister’s mission of developing northeastern states and to closely supervise the ongoing developmental schemes and projects of the northeastern states, central ministers visited the region over 700 times during the past ten years.

He said that corruption and violence were eliminated in Tripura after the BJP came to power in the state (in 2018).

“Tripura was earlier known as landlocked. However, it is a land-linked state now. Good airports and roads were constructed, and irrigation, water supply, electricity and other infrastructure were built,” he said.

Thanking the newly recruited 2806 candidates in various Tripura government departments, the Home Minister said that without any irregularities or recommendations, 2806 youths got government jobs in a transparent manner.

The Home Minister said that currently there are no militants in Tripura as all the extremists surrendered to the government and joined the mainstream.

He said earlier under the leadership of former Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb and now under Chief Minister Dr Manik Saha speedy development was taking place in Tripura in all sectors.

“Earlier only communist cadres got jobs during the Left regime. Now the BJP government has been providing government jobs absolutely in a transparent manner. Compared to the rule of the Congress and Left parties, seven years of governance during the BJP regime is incomparable. A changing era is now prevailing in the state,” he said.

The Home Minister further observed that three accords were signed in Tripura to maintain peace and development while a permanent settlement of thousands of Reang migrants from Mizoram was completed in Tripura.

Tripura Chief Minister Dr Manik Saha, his 10 cabinet colleagues and Chief Secretary J K Sinha attended Wednesday's job offer letters distribution function.