Shillong, Nov. 10: Union minister of state for home affairs Kiren Rijiju today stressed on the need to develop scientific institutions in the Northeast.

While inaugurating the Physics Academy of the North East's 10th biennial national conference at St Anthony's College here, the minister also said that "every state, society, religious group is in the mainstream of the country". ?

Rijiju said yesterday he spoke to Union human resource development minister Prakash Javadekar on the need to provide support to the Northeast to encourage scientific advancement.

"Research should be integrated with the way we live and deal with our daily life, otherwise it becomes irrational scientific research or destructive to our own human civilisation. We need to apply the whole research for our own betterment," he said while urging students to take interest in science.

Referring to concerns over identity crisis, racial discrimination and other problems that people from the region face, the Union minister said serious steps are being taken to ensure that students or people from the region are comfortable in any part of the country.

Rijiju, however, said that sometimes discrimination was not one-sided and mechanisms had been taken to tackle the problem.

"Every state, society, religious group is a mainstream of this country. We are all same. Everybody is a citizen of this country. There is no mainland or side land, we are same part of this country and we must respect that," Rijju said.

The minister said the Northeast may appear to be far from New Delhi, but it is India's gateway to Southeast Asia and East Asia.

"There is no way to feel that we are isolated. A country is not defined by where you have the capital but by its border," he said.

On the perception that the region has fewer representatives in Parliament, Rijiju said one has to be vocal to be heard. He sighted former Lok Sabha Speaker late Purno Agitok Sangma, a "leading personality" from the Northeast, whose contributions inspired him and many others.

"If we have inbuilt confidence in ourselves, nothing can stop us," he said.

The archbishop of Shillong Archdiocese Rev. Dominic Jala and scientist J.N. Goswami also spoke at the event.