Relevance: GS-2: Government Policies and Interventions for Development in various sectors and issues arising out of their Design and Implementation.

Key Phrases: Political apathy; the governance philosophy of Sewa, Sushasan and Gareeb Kalyaan; new growth engine of India; UDAN scheme; NERAMAC; NMEO-OP.

Context

• The North-Eastern States have been neglected over the years in terms of budgetary allocation, adequate governance measures and political attention.
• In recent years, the government has adopted a multi-pronged approach for solving this issue of neglect.
  • Various solutions ingrained in the governance philosophy of Sewa, Sushasan and Gareeb Kalyaan have been implemented.

Steps Taken

• Rebranding Northeast
  • The Northeast has been branded as the “new growth engine of India”.
• Utilising the inherent advantage of Northeast.
  • It has extraordinary natural wealth.
  • It has a strategic advantage as the gateway to Southeast Asia.
  • It has unrivalled economic potential.
• Replacing Political Apathy with Political Engagement.
  • Regular meetings of CMs and Secretaries of these 8 states.
• Measuring developmental performance in a granular manner.
  • District wise comparative analysis of the performance on not only economic parameters but also socio-environmental parameters through North East Region District SDG Index and Dashboard.
• Revival of the NERAMAC and the NMEO-OP to leverage the region’s potential.
  • NERAMAC - North Eastern Regional Agricultural Marketing Corporation.
  • NMEO-OP - National Mission for Edible Oil (for palm oil).
  • The Edible Oil Mission aims to increase cultivation from 40 K hectares to 3.4 lakh hectares (700%) in the Northeast.
  • More than 50% of the Mission's Rs 9,000 crore outlay will accrue to the Northeast region.
• All-inclusive development
  • In the past 8 years,
    • more than Rs 10,000 crore under Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PM-GKAY) and
    • more than Rs 64,000 crore under the National Food Security Act (NFSA) have been spent.
  • More than 4 crore accounts have been opened under Jan Dhan, and
  • Rs 31,000 crore has been spent under MGNREGA.

Benefits of these steps

• Law and Order Situation
  • Since 2014, militancy incidents have been reduced by 74%.
  • Civilian deaths have come down by 84%.
  • 800% increase in surrenders by the extremists.
  • AFSPA has been lifted from some districts for the first time in decades.
• Decades-old standoffs have been resolved through political will and leadership.
  • This can be seen through the resettlement of the Reang Community.
• Foundations of prosperity have been laid through appropriate budgetary allocations.
  • It has risen by 110% [from Rs 36,108 Cr (2014) to Rs 76,040 Cr (2022 )].
  • Cumulatively, since 2014, over Rs 3 lakh crore has been spent in the region.
• To impart the power of mobility and connectivity:
  • Railways
    • Till 2014, only Guwahati was connected.
    • In 2014, Arunachal Pradesh and Meghalaya were connected.
    • Recently, Arunachal Pradesh’s Itanagar, Tripura’s Agartala and Manipur have been connected.
    • The project connecting the remaining 5 capitals is nearing completion.
  • Roadways
    • Over 38,000 km of rural roads have been completed since 2014.
  • Airways
    • There are 15 new airports in the Northeast (NE) now, from just 6 in 2014.
    • The region is a priority area under the UDAN scheme with 46 operational routes.
  • Communications: Mobile Connections and Internet
    • Tele-density has increased from 44% (2014) to 61% which is above India’s average (58.5%).
• Tele-density refers to the number of phones per 100 people.
  • 20 Gbps international bandwidth for the NE has been commissioned through Cox’s Bazar in Bangladesh by BSNL.
• It will provide a quantum leap in internet connectivity.
• This will also address issues of latency and network congestion, it will empower NE to become a leader in the BPO and IT industry along with the establishment of software parks and high-speed data centres.

Way Forward

• Central Government to work with committed state governments by drafting a concrete plan of action to leverage the inherent strengths of the region in sectors like
  • Agriculture
  • Tourism
  • Textiles and
  • Handicrafts
• The formation of a joint agri task force to provide strategic direction to these initiatives will ensure speedy resolution and implementation of various agri and allied sector schemes.
• The tradition of cooperative federalism and collective responsibility for the development of the region can be promoted.
  • Consensus could be developed regarding this at the planned meeting of CMs and Secretaries.

Conclusion

• There is an ambition of making the Northeast
  • the hub of sports in the world
  • a leading exporter of exotic horticultural products
  • a hotbed of startups
  • as the most attractive tourist destination in India.
• It is now time to brace for Amrit Kaal and herald a glorious chapter of growth for the Northeast.

Source: New Indian Express

Mains Question

Q. What are the recent steps taken to improve conditions in Northeastern States? How have these steps changed the status quo in the region? What more can be done?