SMILE COMRADES,

THE RENAISSANCE IS HERE

1)AMIT GUPTA,

UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF CHEMICAL TECHNOLOGY, GGSIPU

2)SHAURYA SHARMA

UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF CHEMICAL TECHNOLOGY, GGSIPU

3)ANSHUMAN JAIN UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF CHEMICAL TECHNOLOGY, GGSIPU

4)RAJAT TRIPATHI UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF CHEMICAL TECHNOLOGY, GGSIPU

5)MAYANK SHARMA UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF CHEMICAL TECHNOLOGY, GGSIPU

020406080

100100 100 100 100

100

74.04

4 8 3.7 2.3 66.25 79.64

NORTH EAST VS INDIA %

India North Eastern

OVERVIEW DO NOT KINDLE THE FIRE WITH SNOW BUT LIT IT FURTHER WITH

FUEL, NOT FOR A FUNERAL PYRE BUT A HOPE DRIVEN BONFIRE.

•North East, the undiscovered paradise camouflaged by lush greenery

and Indian apathy is the part of India where the clock of development

seems to have eternally frozen.

•We Indians believe in two principles of life: jugaad where required

and hypocrisy where suited. The first principle has taken the form of

vote bank politics and notion of suitable investment havens with

immense political payoff while the second has resulted in the formation

of certain prejudices which view the North East as a region having more

racial and societal characteristics common with China or Tibet. This

very prejudice takes a beating when a ostensibly

harmless Chinese incursion takes place result in sudden outburst of

patriotism.

•Divided we fall, united we stand. But is an enemy only viewed as one

with arms, ready to wreck havoc at the slightest instigation? The slow

killing of the North East growth story by being mute spectators is an

equally grave crime if not worse in our view and this very parallelism

oft ignored by the political class prompted us to undertake this topic.

•The Committee Report of 1947 speaks of north east as a region highly

malarial with other debilitating infirmities without any civilising

facilities, consisting of simple, exploitable people with prevalent

superstitious and harmful practices, aboriginal life and customs and

institutions containing elements of value.

•Passion of people and the potential of states are both there, nowhere

will you find a braveheart like Irom Shrarmila of Manipur or induced

negative growth rate of Nagaland of 2011 population census.

THE PATHOGENS TO ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL

MELTDOWN

INSURGENCY

• The North Eastern states have earned the dubious distinction for persistent underdevelopment and growing insurgency. The fire of insurgency has been engulfing the region in such a way that there seems to be existence of a parallel authority of the insurgents in many parts of the region as rampant abductions, extortions and killings go on unabated. Paralysis of normal life, continuous puncture of all initiatives including the socio-economic has created an air of fear and uncertainty pervading in the region.

INEFFECTIVENESS OF CURRENT POLICIES

• Though it can be argued that some developmental changes have taken place in the region, yet the present policy framework has not been able to provide the basis for a dynamic process of development, including good transport, infrastructural facilities. . It has not been able to attract investors or to produce skilled labour and entrepreneurial resources, and has failed to transform the primitive agricultural practices of the region into modern commercial agriculture

POROUS BORDERS

• Open porous borders of the north east with neighboring countries have created several grieve problems like illegal immigration, in surgency human trafficking and drug trade ever since independence

UNEXPLORED POTENTIAL

• India’s north east region (NER) is endowed with huge untapped natural & human resources and vibrant ranges of ecosystems which are yet waiting to be identified as potential source of economic and social development

LACK OF SUPPORT FROM PRIVATE SECTOR

• Because of lack of proper connectivity, power, infrastructure, volatility situation, economic unpredictability , feeble policies, unaccountability of funds and lack of government will, North East has not witnessed enthusiastic support from private sector

UNTAPPED HUMAN RESOURCE RELYING ON OUTDATED TECHNOLOGY

• Despite of having an average literacy rate greater than most parts on the country , the people of North East are still using outdated technology and hence are not able to contribute effectively to the nations growth

THE FOUR POINT AGENDA TO INCLUSIVE GROWTH

SOCIAL

EMPOWERNMENT

YOUTH

DEVELOPMENT

ADMINISTATION

& GOVERNANCE

ECONOMIC

EMPOWERMENT

It needs to empower rural communities, create sustainable institutions so that they manage

common activities around microfinance, livelihoods and natural resource management

The objective of this component should ideally be to develop the capacity of rural

communities to plan and manage funds for various economic initiatives and common

activities for the public

The objective should be to partner with various service providers and pump in resources

to provide world class educational and sports institutions to garner demographic

dividend while promoting the indigenous music industry.

This will facilitate various governance, implementation, co-ordination, learning and

quality enhancement efforts in the project.

Institutional change supporting economic enhancement and growth at a social level requires economic incentives, supported by political will. With India moving into a new era of economic liberation, the region should not be left out. The framework for development of the region can be broadly based upon four vital components.

SOCIAL

EMPOWERNMENT

ECONOMIC

EMPOWERNMENT

YOUTH

DEVELOPMENT

ADMINISTRATIVE

& GOVERNENCE

INCLUSIVE GROWTH

SOCIAL EMPOWERNMENT

The North Eastern part of India is almost another world. It is a place of magical beauty and bewildering diversity. This region possesses rich history, culture

and scenic beauty comparable to any other developed tourist spot of the country These states are a virtual paradise for travellers, searching for continuous joy in

Pilgrimage, Adventure, Culture, Nature, Heritage, Wildlife, Golf and Polo and many more. All these make a rich panorama. It's a land in the twilight of

imagination and reality. It's a tourists' delight

TOURISM : Development of infrastructure including cheap

accommodation in different tourist centres;

Development of trekking, winter sports, wildlife and

beach resorts,

Exploring new source markets in regions and

countries having cultural affinity;

Environmental protection and cultural preservation

of natural heritage projects incorporated with the

development of human resource;

Launching of national image building and marketing

plan in key markets;

Creating awareness and public participation and

facilitating private sector participation in

development of infrastructure etc.

227857

4050924

114062

652756

57292

21094

700011

342273

Arunanchal

Assam

Manipur

Meghalaya

Mizoram

Nagaland

Sikkim

Tripura

Number of Tourist Visit

in 2010

Source: Ministry of Tourism , 2010

HANDICRAFTS

• The North Eastern region of India

enjoys a pride of place in the country

with its rich heritage of artistic

craftsmanship.

• The crafts of this region are almost

entirely oriented to locally available raw

materials. The principal handicrafts of

this region include basketwork, cane

furniture, mats, woodcarvings, terra

cotta, artistic textiles, bell metal

artwork, brass metal craft, dolls and

toys, embroidery etc.

5.2

243.3

84.3 15.3

1.8 7.1

1.7

26.8

0

50000

100000

150000

200000

250000

300000

Number of Craftsmen during

the year 2010

Source : Lok Sabha Starred Question No. 297, dated on

177000

1241000

179000

11000

39000

61000

1000

121000

Arunanchal

Assam

Manipur

Meghalaya

Mizoram

Nagaland

Sikkim

Tripura

Number of Handlooms

workers during the year

2010

Source: Handloom Census of India 2009-10

BIO DIVERSITY:

•North East India is a landscape of lush evergreen forests and

grasslands which provides a home to 8000 species of

flowering plants and a over 106 globally threatened species,

including Asian elephants, Indian rhinoceros, tigers and

leopards

•Out of the nine important vegetation types of India, six are

found in the North Eastern region

•It is vital to encourage community participation in supporting

Forest Departments to maintain intelligence network and joint

law enforcement operations.

AGRICULTURE: The low input intensity of agriculture of the region makes it ideally suited for organic cultivation.

The comparative advantage of the region can be exploited in the form of eco-foods produced through small scale organic farming enterprises,

medicinal plants and green health products,.

Development of network of knowledge centers or agri-clinics which provide location and farming systems specific advice on areas related to

meteorological, management and marketing.

Delivery and coordination of services in agriculture need to be developed on the lines of decentralized bodies such as Small Farmers Agri-

Business Consortia.

Eco-friendly ‘Jhuming’ is possible and must be encouraged following Nagaland example.

ECONOMIC EMPOWERNMENT

INFRASTRUCTURE: •Improving road infrastructure and connectivity is the major issue which indirectly controls the

whole economic development of the region.

•Greater India-Bangladesh economic co-operation, including rail transit facility for the Northeast

through Bangladesh, can be a major economic boon to the region.

•It would be financially desirable to make a model for bringing in PPP to develop a viable civil

aviation network in the region.

•On the lines of India Bhutan treaty for generating electricity, similar investment should be made in

North East as the region is endowed with perennial rivers and water bodies

•Setting up budget hotels based on BOT (to promote tourism) - a government enterprise would

build and operate the premises until such time as it is ready to hand it over to a private entity

INDUSTRY:

•The region is endowed with perennial rivers and water bodies. This potential, if tapped well, can be a big boost to the ailing power generation

sector.

•Discovery of vast deposits of oil and gas in the region has brought cheers to the declining exploration industry.

•Major benefits can be derived from inland water transport, joint water resource management, biodiversity and ecotourism.

•Opening up of exports with the south east nations due to the region’s close proximity to the ASEAN markets.

•Minerals like oil, uranium and limestone have long been used to feed various industries and there is scope for further use of such resources for

industrial use.

•Substantial lime stone deposits are located in the north-eastern belt of Arunachal Pradesh which can feed a cement industry subject to availability of

power.

86.55 90.33

39.15

90.16

Meghalaya Arunachal Sikkim Other

UNDEVELOPED ELECTRICAL

POTENTIAL

( % )

Source: Annual Report 2009, Central Electricity Authority

What do boxers M C Mary Kom and Shiva Thapa,

tennis player Somdev Devvarman and

footballers Baichung Bhutia and Gourmangi Singh

have in common? Right guess, they are all

sportspersons form North east (and yes they all are

also fed up with red tapeism of Sports Authority of

India but then who isn’t?)

The region is endowed with huge sports talent but

is sadly plagued by inadequate infrastructure and

coaching facilities. Where to start on football? To

sum it let’s just say that what lassi is to Punjabis,

football is to our North Eastern fellowmen.

The Central government should evolve a separate

sports policy for the youth of the Northeast.

Indoor games like gymnastics, table tennis,

weightlifting, power lifting, billiards and snookers

need to be promoted further in the region along

martial arts like Taekwondo, Judo and Karate

The corporate houses either as part of their social

responsibility or in the public-private partnership

(PPP) mode and the government should undertake

Sports training and coaching to train young people

for national and international standards sports.

HUM KISSI SE ‘KOM’ NAHI (Power of the Youth)

Don’t get scared by their gothic/cannibalistic style, they are

actually very sweet people, hopefully.

Playing sports the Indian (read juggadu) way.

Shillong Chamber Choir in India’s Got Talent (Season

2) took the world by surprise by their by mesmerizing

performances . In fact one random band from North

East winning India’s biggest talent show may seem as

an aberration to the skeptics it is only the tip of the

iceberg.

The indigenous music industry should be promoted

Ministry of Culture through various festivals and

incorporating modern music in the existing

scholarships. Bollywood should also play its part in

nurturing the future R.D. Burman and S.D. Burman..

(*Note- One should definitely listen to bands like

Sinister Violence of Darjeeling and Alien Gods of

Itanagar if ever in a mood for rebel or a epiphany.)

About a decade ago, the north-east was backward in terms of the number of institutions of higher education. Now,

besides each of its eight states having a central university and National Institute of Technology, and an Indian

Institute of Technology, National Institute of technology and Indian Institute of Management in the region, a

number of private universities have also been established. However, lack of well trained teachers, poorly equipped

laboratories poor management in these universities force students of the north-east to go to other parts of the country

for higher education. Presently the number of higher education institutions in NER account for just 0.7% of the total

institutions present in India. The central and state governments need to improve the infrastructure of these

institutions and attract talented faculty so that there is a visible improvement in the quality of higher education in the

North East.

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

Number of

Govt./Govt. AidedInst. Offering

Degree courses

Number of Pvt. Inst.

Offering Degreecourses

Compiled from the statistics released by : Rajya Sabha Unstarred

Question No. 1352 dated on 03.12.2007. Application

YOUTH DEVELOPMENT, “Hum Kisi Se ‘KOM’ nahi” In midst of deluges and earthquakes, discrimination and violence the highly literate North-Eastern society, with due course of time, has found

solace in sports and become experts in venting out their anguish at through guitar strums and catchy tunes having deep lyrics.

ADMINISTRATION & GOVERNANCE

Governance and economic development need a congenial environment free from internal and external disturbances. So it is highly necessary that effective administrative measures are put in place for egalitarian growth of the region.

concerns

•Main issues are regarding security and insurgency which has led to the low economic activity and poor governance.

•Territorial disputes and inflow of political activists and refugees from neighboring countries has flared ethnic tensions in the regional stability.

•Recurring damages from floods every year also lead to a large scale displacement of people and loss of livelihoods.

•Despite the beauty of the region, few tourists especially foreign visitors come. There is a problem with image, of concerns about safety.

•Many cases of human rights violations by the army due to AFSPA and extremists using anger against the law to recruit more youth.

•There are no markers for transparency or accountability in government projects in the region leading to widespread loot of central money which flows into the region

•Hundreds of women and children go missing every year from the region. They are sold and abused in metros and other parts of the country

•Drug trafficking proliferated by Political instability and insecurity brought about by numerous insurgencies in the region.

Proposed solutions

•Insurgency problems can be solved via negotiated talks with concerned groups following the MNF Mizoram example. Economic prosperity will detach the majority population away from insurgents.

•Facilitating intermediation between the various stakeholders involved in the diverse ethnic conflicts in the region, be it the public, civil society activists, journalists, academicians and researchers through dialogue and civic education.

•Using local knowledge, technology and abilities in terms of boat building which could deliver basic services during floods and be used as a documentation and health campaign vehicle during the lean season.

•Dilution and removal of AFSPA from regions with no insurgency thus improving public sentiment in northeast.

•A review mechanism through a transparency commission on every project, large or small, should be implemented so as to ensure accountability..

•Check human trafficking across the porous borders

•Information/intelligence gathering regarding drug trafficking, its analysis and dissemination capabilities need to be strengthened by effective coordination among various agencies and civil society groups. Border officials found guilty of drug trafficking should be punished severely.

0

20

40

2009 2010 2011 2012 2013

VIOLATION OF HUMAN RIGHTS IN NORTH EAST INDIA

UNDER AFSPA

IMPLEMENTATION Following are the six steps recommended to ensure rightful implementations of the

afore mentioned solutions

Growth centres and IIDCs to be converted into total tax free zones for the next ten years.

Similar benefits should also be extended to new industrial units or their substantial expansion in other growth centres or IIDCs of industrial estates, parks, export promotion zones set up by the states.

Similar benefits will also be provided to units located outside the specified locations

Subsidy at 90% of the transport cost of raw materials brought from outside the region as well as the finished goods sent from the region to other parts of the country.

Income tax exemption for five years for the new industrial units set up in the region.

Capital investment subsidy (CIS) at 15% of investment in plant and machinery, subject to a maximum ceiling of 30 lakh INR will be given. Eligibility conditions will be same as in case of tax benefits.

However, the present land tenure system in the region is very complex. In order to attract private capital, there is an urgent need to look into land policies.

With an increase in economic activities, the problem of labour shortage is expected to be aggravated. The region should be opened up for outside labour

It is imperative to evolve a tolerant labour policy

Establishing Lokayuktas in all North Eastern state except Assam

Expedite the formation of the additional 3 high court

Judicial intervention at various levels to plug the leaking holes in the system and ensuring sustainable development

The potential areas to broaden their tax base are sales tax, revenues from irrigation and better realisation of taxes from power and transport

Need to prudent financial management by the States of the region

The transfer of funds should be demarcated into the following three sections to ensure better efficiency :

1) Identification of sources of funds.

2) Formulation of investor friendly routes free from legislations as much as possible

3)Recognition of the deserving group so that funds are rightfully targeted

DEVOLUTION AND TRANSFER

OF FUNDS

PUBLIC

INVESTMENT

LAND AND

LABOUR

POLICY

LAW AND

ORDER

PRIVATE

INVESTMENT

IMPACT

CONSERVATION OF

BIODIVERSITY &

PROMOTING TOURISM

IMPROVED

INFRASTRUCTURE AND

POWR

ENCOURAGING

HANDICRAFT AND

OTHER MICRO BUSINESS

SETTING UP OF

PRIVATE AND PUBLIC

SECTOR UNITS

IMPARTING QUALITY

HIGHER EDUCATION

MODERNISING

AGRICULTURAL

PRACTICES

PROMOTION OF MUSIC

AND SPORTS

POLICIES REGARDING

POROUS BORDERS

CHECK ON MILITANT

ACTIVITIES-AFSPA

INFLOW OF FUNDS

FREEDOM FROM

INSURGENCY

IDENTITY PROTECTION

REDUCE OF

CONSUMABLE IMPORTS

OPEN TRADE

POSSIBILITIES WITH

NEIGHBORS

CREATION OF A SKILLED

YOUTH AND

WORKFORCE

BETTER CONNECTIVITY

PROVIDE ECONOMIC

STABILITY AND

INCREASE GDP

REMOVAL OF ISOLATION

FROM REST OF THE

COUNTRY

PROVIDE SELF

SUBSTAINABILITY TO

THE REGION

CREATE A SAFER

ENVIRONMENT FOR

LIVING

GENERATE A POWERFUL

HUMAN RESOURCE

D

E

V

E

L

O

P

M

E

N

T

CONCLUSIONS

i. Our holistic sovereignty has been replaced by a series of elliptical federalisms with intolerance, extremism and dispassion

being the two curved ends. It’s high time the edges are shaped back to form the perfect curve.

ii. It has been sixty six years since we got our independence. Yet when we look at North East India, all we see is the chaos, the

crumbling political system, the corruption, the poor infrastructure and the massive inequity that is apparent everywhere.

The most prevalent illusion out there is the notion there is only one India, what is oft ignored is that it is an amalgamation of

different cultures and races. So in order to tackle the crisis one needs to have a sound understanding of the nuances and

intricacies of the region and formulate pragmatic solutions addressing inclusive growth.

iii. Instead of participating in the mainstream lamentation for the alienation of North East, it would be better suited if this very

isolation from urbanization is enforced upon as a stepping stone to a new era of sustainable industrialization on economic,

social and ecological grounds. Tourism and Handicraft should be promoted while not exploiting the biodiversity.

Traditional agriculture practice should be fused with modern processing industries and world class connectivity.

iv. The sentiments of the North Easterns should be respected, it is high time the deplorable racism faced by them stops with

immediate effect. It must be made clear to all Indians, that the tibeto-monoloids and protomongoloids are not Chinese.

The solutions are not imposing martial law or levying high fines but are a one of social incorporation and acceptance.

v. If a country doesn't recognize minority rights and human rights, one will have a kind of stability and prosperity that is based

on shaky foundations.The onus for inclusive growth of North East lies on the sociologists, educationists and

administrators but this ship has to be stirred by politicians donning the roles of captain.

vi. Rather of the apple to fall on your head climb the tree and pluck it instead.

DON’T WAIT. THE TIME WILL NEVER BE JUST RIGHT.

REFERENCES

http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/summary?doi=10.1.1.60.3156

http://databank.nedfi.com/content/north-east-india

http://www.mdoner.gov.in/content/industrial-growth-rate

http://isikkim.com/northeast-seven-sisters-one-brother-and-a-step-mother290111/

http://archive.tehelka.com/story_main41.asp?filename=Agatha_Sangma.asp

http://www.assamtribune.com/scripts/detailsnew.asp?id=mar2112/at044

http://in.news.yahoo.com/lack-infrastructure-not-sports-talent-northeast-073452951.html

3rd North East and East Power Summit 2010, PwC-ICC

Load Generation Balance Report 2012-13, CEA

Annual Report 2010-11, CEA