Aizawl: Mizoram had become the third power- surplus state in the north-east after Sikkim and Tripura, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said today. 

He also said the central schemes for the benefit of the north-east had gained momentum and that his government was committed to developing the region. 

"Today, we celebrate a significant milestone in the history of Mizoram with the completion and dedication of the 60-MW Tuirial hydropower project," the prime minister said, while addressing a public meeting here after inaugurating it.  

With the commissioning of the project, Mizoram became the third power-surplus state in the north-east, he added. The hydropower project would produce "251 million units" of electrical energy every year and boost the economic development of the state, Modi said.  

"The completion of this project is a reflection of our commitment to completing the ongoing projects and ushering in a new era of development in the north-east," he added.  

The Tuirial project, which was announced and cleared in 1998 by the then Atal Bihari Vajpayee government, was the first major central project to be successfully commissioned in Mizoram, the prime minister said. PTI