1 Apr : Seeking to allay fears of alienation among the people of Arunachal Pradesh, President Pratibha Patil on Wednesday said the state had never been far from national consciousness and it could be at the forefront of India’s Look East policy.
"This region of the country (North East) can be at the vanguard of India’s Look East policy to work meaningfully with the South-East Asian countries," Patil said on her maiden visit to Arunachal Pradesh.
Speaking at the first convocation of the North-Eastern Regional Institute of Science and Technology (NERIST) in Itanagar, Patil termed Arunachal Pradesh as the "land of the rising sun’ and added that it had "never been far from the consciousness of the nation".She asked the students to work on practical uses of technology and overcome the hardships of the difficult terrain in the region for its overall development and favoured better connectivity in the region.
"It will help in the process of national integration with the North Eastern states benefiting from and also contributing to the national growth," Patil added.Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had visited the state last year and had given a strong message that Arunachal Pradesh was part and parcel of the Indian Union.