Connectivity is the focus
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In a step that would boost internal connectivity between the northeastern states, the first direct flight between Imphal in Manipur and Shillong in&nbsp; Meghalaya was flagged off on Wednesday under the Centre&rsquo;s RCS-UDAN (Regional Connectivity Scheme &mdash; Ude Desh Ka Aam Nagrik) scheme.</p>
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&quot;The operationalisation of this route fulfills the objectives of the Government of India to establish strong aerial connectivity in priority areas of NorthEast India,&quot; the civil aviation ministry in a statement said.</p>
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&quot;Shillong is the second city to be connected with Imphal under the UDAN scheme. The airline M/s IndiGo was awarded the Imphal-Shillong route during the UDAN 4 bidding process,&quot; it said.</p>
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<strong>Also read: <a href="https://www.indianarrative.com/economy-news/india-looks-at-its-northeast-as-gateway-to-south-and-southeast-asia-103358.html">India looks at its northeast as gateway to south and southeast Asia</a></strong></p>
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Ashish Nath, Professor, Department of Economics, Tripura University told India Narrative that boosting connectivity among the states in Northeast is crucial.</p>
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&ldquo;Though the focus should also be intra-connectivity. Though a lot of work aimed at developing infrastructure to boost connectivity is underway, a lot more needs to be done, as the region borders several countries,&rdquo; Nath said.</p>
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Under the scheme, launched in 2016, 361 air routes are operational at present.&nbsp;</p>
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Meanwhile, over 1,819 km of roads in the northeastern states have been completed in the last two years.</p>
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Jitendra Singh, minister, Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER) earlier highlighted that Pakyong Airport in Sikkim and Rupsi Airport in Assam have been completed.</p>
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The Assam government in its budget announced several infrastructure projects worth Rs 5,556 crore. These are aimed at improving road connectivity</p>
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