Team Members

Aanchal Jain

Chiranjivi Chakraborty Hansa Mehrotra

Sougat Misra

Vaibhav Chandra

CONTENTS
ECONOMIC CHALLENGES
Agriculture Infrastructure Tourism

PROPOSED POLICIES, THEIR IMPACT AND IMPLEMENTATION MEASURES

Indigenous farming practices for Rice Cultivation Facilitating Rural Credit and Back-end Infrastructure Promoting and forming Self-Help Groups (SHGs) Polymer-Bitumen Based Road Technology Double-Tunneling for the hills Creation of North-East Region Infrastructure Development Board (NERDB)

SOCIO-POLITICAL CHALLENGES
Insurgency Illegal Migration

SOCIO-POLITICAL SOLUTIONS
Insurgency Short run and Long run
Illegal Migration For Ones Demanding Separate Statehood

PROPOSITION OF SOCIO-POLITICAL POLICIES AND THEIR IMPACT

For preventing ethnic violence

Bringing contentment among the dissatisfied and neglected NER population More attention to disputed regions Better Law & Order, State Security and Drafting Conclusive Negotiations with Insurgents Amendment of the 6th schedule of the Indian Constitution

THE CYCLES OF POVERTY AND PROSPERITY

CONCLUSION REFRENCES

ECONOMIC CHALLENGES IMPEDING THE POTENTIAL OF NER

Graph 1 : Cultivated Area Under North East
6211

Agriculture
Lack of adoption and awareness of efficient indigenous agricultural practices. Weak credit delivery system, poor transport & market infrastructure (per Ha credit disbursement is 1/5th of National Average. Small size of operational holdings ranging from 0.6 Ha in Tripura to 1.42 Ha at all India level. Large number of intermediaries and defective marketing.

8000
4481
4309

4627

4786

6000 4000

5758

2008-09
2009-10 2010-11

2193

2000
0

1781

2051

Infrastructure
Net Sown Area Total Cultivated Area Cultivated Land

Source: www.indiaagristat.com

Table 1 : National Highway Development Projects

TARGET
NHDP-I (GQ and Others) NHDP-II ( NS-EW & Others) NHDP-III A NHDP V 201 1785.55 1102 77

ACHIEVEMENT
139.04 1635.07 794.19 107.6

TOTAL

3165.55

2675.9

NER is abundant with geological formation and its terrain poses tremendous technical problems for railways and roadways. Power generation is an another uphill task in the hilly region. At 66 km per 100 km square area the road length in the region is lower than the countrys average. Quality of existing roads is unfit for heavy transportation. Many of them are unconnected to major district headquarters. Poor communication-virtually non-existent forcing people to resort to conventional sources.

Completion of pending projects under NHDP-III regarding 2/4 laneing. Connectivity to all 88 districts headquarters towns of NER. Upgrade NH connecting State Capitals. Target for award in 2011-12 = 1991 Km, Target for completion in 2011-12 = 270 Km.

Tourism
Region lacks behind in tourism growth because of its major issues like infrastructure, insurgency etc.

PROPOSING POLICIES, THEIR IMPACTS AND THEIR IMPLEMENTATION FOR TWO BASIC ECONOMIC CHALLENGES OF AGRICULTURE AND INFRASTRUCTURE
{1}
Propagating unique indigenous farming practices for Rice Cultivation
ZABO FARMING RICE BASED FARMING

An inbuilt Water- harvesting & recycling system.

Controls Soil Erosion and manages soil fertility. Allows scope for fish culture in the wet-rice terraces, normally producing 50-60 Kg of fish .per hectare

Adds organic matter to the soil by recycling pig and poultry droppings, rice husks, kitchen based, etc every year. No cost of maintenance as fishes feed on phytoplanktons.

Initiating a training programme.

Recruiting personnel from regions where the practice is prevalent. Example- Arunachal Pradesh (Apatanis), Phek district of Nagaland (Chakhesangs) Imparting education to farmers. Airing the programme details through All India Radio, Doordarshan, Panchayats, etc.

{2}
Facilitating rural Credit and BackEnd Infrastructure
Implementation of recently taken up schemes regarding licensing of Post offices as banks. Greater accessibility of credit and formal banking. Higher rate of investment and saving.

{3}
Promoting and forming Self-Help groups
The group is made up of women giving them financial independence and social empowerment. Credit facility to fellow members from bank on a non-collateral basis. Promotion to All India Radio, Doordarshan, Panchayats, etc.

{4}

Loose surface soil of the North East Region

is appropriate for the technology to work at its best. Consumes only 60% of existing soil and 40% smaller aggregates as compared to 100% aggregate usage in conventional crust making method. It increases soil strength by 300%. Making use of waste plastic as it is a binding element that can reduce cost by as much as 98%.(cost per km 4.5 lacs)* Current 12th plan package under SARDP-NE** including Arunachal package is Rs 37674 cr. for 7066 km. Using this Technology the Cost comes down to

PolymerBitumen based Road Technology Application

7066 *4.5 lacs = Rs.31797 lacs

3317

4000 3000

Savings per Km. of Road Construction

1000 0

784 468

Double tunneling in Hills

Combines Roadways and Railways in a single Project. Cost efficient. Example South Korea etc. (Showed successful uses of same tunneling strategy).

224 139.5

Creation of North East Region Infrastructure Development Board

Centrally funded and controlled. Responsible for providing quick clearances, implementation of project, bifurcating charges to respective states.

1578

{5}

{6}

2000

Man Power (Man days)

Machin ery Power (Hours)

Aggre Bitumen Constr gate (MT) uction (cum) time

As per conventional crust

As per IPPLs suggested crust

Source: www.ippl.net.in

58

28 18

29

SOCIO-POLITICAL CHALLENGES
The social fabric and polity of a society lays down the basic institutional foundation based on which we envisage to develop, the following explores the very challenges to that foundation.

Demanding a separate state WITHIN Indian Union

-KARBI-ANGLONG
-BODO

Demanding to break AWAY from the Indian Union

1) NAGA 2)HNLC

INSURGENCY
Insurgency discourages investment resulting in lack of growth and development. Lack of mobility of physical and human resources. Lack of economical growth in crucial field such as tourism sector, etc.

3)ANVC 4)ULFA
5)TNV 6)PLA

-DIMASA
-RABHA-HAJONG -KOCH-RAJBONGSHIS

7)PREPAK

ILLEGAL MIGRATION
It has led to communal politics and ethnic tensions. Hindering growth and development due to lack of state and central co-operation. Not resolving the identity crisis.
Leads to discontent and insurgency Results in social tension and communalism Shrinking job opportunities and leads to vote bank politics.

SOLUTIONS TO SOCIO-POLITICAL CHALLENGES

INSURGENCY
Short Run Develop State Intelligence. Better law and order enforcement. Conclude the current negotiations with the insurgents. Long Run Education health and skills development. Job opportunities for youth. Resolving identity crisis.

ILLEGAL MIGRATION Start detecting and deporting the

illegal immigrants. Legalize work permit ranging over short run for low skilled workers as well. Maintain records such as UID such that identification of migrants in future becomes much easier.

FOR THE ONES DEMANDING A SEPARATE STATE (within Indian Union)

Give them some degree of liberalization by setting up autonomy councils in the disputed regions. Advance social opportunities in these disputed regions.

PROPOSING SOCIO-POLITICAL POLICIES WITH THEIR IMPACTS

Socio-Political solutions involves the adoption of the majority view with the intention of providing equal welfare to the minority in order to build a cohesive society such is also the aim of these policy measures

(1)
For preventing ethnic violence (which happened in Assam last year, which left 77 DEAD and 4 Lacs displaced)
Ratify the Land Border Agreement.

(2)
Bringing contentment among the dissatisfied and neglected NER population
Ensure Investment in the Human Capital of North East. Funding Health, Sanitation, Educati on, etc.

(3) More attention to disputed regions

Ensure a peaceful transfer of 50 ,000 1,00,000 people involved.

Appoint interlocutors and move towards a conclusive negotiation.

Put a stop to illegal migration of Bangladesh, change in population composition and resulting violence.

Lead to higher utilization of the potential of North East people and inculcate a general feeling of well being.

Providing liberal political power to disputed regions by setting more autonomic institutions.

(4)
Better Law and Order, State Security and drafting conclusive negotiations with Insurgents

Influx of tourists in the region detained by the insurgent.

Example Garo Hills in Meghalaya, Dimasa Hills in Assam.

Leading to higher employment

Utilization of Infrastructure, markets, resources, etc

Youth will not take up arms against the government and its people Further participate in local, state and central governments levels

Contributing to higher state revenue, employment HIGHER GDP

(5)

Amendment in the 6th schedule of the Indian Constitution providing autonomy to regions like KAAC, BTC, etc.

such that

Ad-hoc village council at the lowest administration level can elect its own members. Thus, ensuring better decentralized governance.

Our Presentation till now has dealt with the Economic and Socio-Political Challenges impeding the growth potential of NER and looked in to ways to deal with them. These two cycles, one dealing with the impediments to growth and other with the impetus to the same, brings forth in simplicity our view of realizing the dream of a vibrant and flourishing North-East Region

VICIOUS CYCLE OF POVERTY

VIRTUOUS CYCLE OF PROSPERITY

Concerted political effort to weed out Insurgency

Insurgency

Ethnic Violence

Repression of NERs Potential

Crippled Infrastructure

Boosting Infrastruc -ture

Realization of NERs Potential

Boosting connecttivity

Incompetent Governance

Efficient and sustainable Agriculture

CONCLUSION
The NER is a richly endowed region in terms of natural resources such as minerals, fertile land, river bodies and a rich biodiversity. The region has been vastly crippled due to its historical baggage, political negligence and a widespread insurgent and separatists movement. Once the transit between South Asia and Mainland India, North-East needs to find its erstwhile glory again through the active participation of its polity and people. Agriculture which is the stepping stone in economically empowering the rural folks of the regions needs to incorporate indigenous knowledge systems from across the region such as Zabo Farming system of Nagaland and Rice farming systems of the Apatanis of Arunachal to name a few. The branding of these methods as being "low productive," "primitive," and "old" can no longer be justified and thereby entertained. The Central Government has given a major push to the region in the past decade and a half as a result of its Look East foreign policy providing assistance in terms of funds for infrastructural development, human capital and overall development of the region to bring it on par with the rest of the country. Factors such as Insurgency, crumbling Infrastructure, and impotent governance which have repressed the regions ability to grow and develop can be weeded out through strong political will, implementation of infrastructural projects, and development of the rural economy. The people and the region as such have been alienated from the rest of the country and it is high time that the contribution, both current and potential, of the region in the countrys development be appreciated. The recipe for the development of NER needs to be prepared from the point of view of the region rather than being externally enforced, policy measures have to use the local knowledge base, ideas and innovate upon them to provide a sustainable roadmap for the inclusive development of the North-East Region.

REFERENCES
Agriculture:
Indigenous agricultural systems of Northeast India by Lalsiemlien Pulamte www.Indiaagristat.com

Infrastructure:
Journal of Social and Development Sciences Vol. 2, No. 4, pp. 162-180, Oct 2011 (ISSN 22211152), Infrastructure and Regional Disparity A Case Of North Eastern Region of India by Komol Singha, Institute for Social and Economic Change, Bangalore, India. Performance Evaluation of Polymer Coated Bitumen Built Roads by Central Pollution Control Board, August, 2008

Socio-Political:
14th Home Secretary Level talks between India and Bangladesh, Press Information Bureau
http://pib.nic.in/newsite/erelease.aspx?relid=97344

Price Waterhouse Coopers NER Summit 2013

http://www.pwc.in/en_IN/in/assets/pdfs/publications/2013/north-east_summit-2013.pdf

Indo-Bangladesh Enclaves (LBA)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indo-Bangladesh_enclaves

Bangladesh-India Land Border Issues and Management Brig Gen. Abdus Salam Chowdhury, National Defence College

 Insurgency of NER (Secondary Source)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Insurgency_in_Northeast_India

Historical Signing of the Land Border Agreement: September, 2011 by NDTV

http://www.ndtv.com/article/india/india-bangladesh-sign-historic-boundary-agreement-teestatreaty-on-hold131829

Note on the figure of road construction:

*According to the Central Pollution Control Board study of the August, 2008 cited in the reference the cost of constructing 6.90 KM of polymer coated bitumen based roads in the Nilgiri Hills came to about 34.250 lacs. Therefore, the per km cost of constructing the road comes down to Rs. 4.5 lacs. ** SARDP-NE : Special Accelerated Road Development Program North East