Guwahati, May 4 (PTI) President Ram Nath Kovind Wednesday said careful planning and efforts are required to preserve the rich ecological heritage of the northeast and counter the challenges of global climate change.

Attending the valedictory ceremony of the 'North East Festival' organised by the Ministry of DoNER in Guwahati, Kovind appreciated the natural beauty of the region and suggested steps to protect it.

Also Read | Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital Gets 3rd da Vinci Robot, Notches 4,500 Robot-Assisted Surgeries.

"When climate change has emerged as the greatest challenge before humankind, careful planning and efforts will be needed in the years to come to preserve the rich ecological heritage of the northeast. This region is part of the Himalaya and Indo-Burma biodiversity hotspots, the two of 25 such hotspots in the world," he said.

The president said development choices must integrate the elementary strategy for natural resource management, green industry, infrastructure development as well as sustainable consumption patterns.

Also Read | Aviation Ministry Grants Rights to GMR Group to Operate Hyderabad International Airport for 30 More Years.

"The northeastern region is the natural gateway for India to South East Asia and beyond. With over 5,300 km of international borders with several neighbouring countries, it has significant strategic value," he said.

Kovind said with the launch of the 'Look East Policy' or LEP, the security-centric approach towards neighbours in the east stressed on prioritising economic resources for benefitting from the common potential of economic growth across the region.

"In 2014, LEP was upgraded to the Act East Policy, which brought about a paradigm shift and marked a significant change in the potential role of the northeast region. Emphasis was placed on enhanced connectivity, security, stability and development.

"In an innovative move, the government has also assigned Union ministers as in-charge of each of the northeastern states to oversee the projects, and give updates on development and growth of the region," he added.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)