Northeast’s Integration

From the very beginning of India's journey as an independent nation, the integration of Northeast India into mainstream Indian life has been a priority for the country.

Background

• Except Tripura and Manipur, British Assam essentially encompassed the whole present-day Northeast.
• Although there was no Inner Line established in these kingdoms, the British nonetheless erected comparable administrative structures to divide the "excluded" highlands from the revenue plains.
• India's first administrative tool for the tribal zone of undivided Assam was the Sixth Schedule.
• The Schedules required the creation of Autonomous District Councils, wherein tribal customary rules were among the things that were given validity.
• The majority of these autonomous territories split out from Assam in 1972.
• Arunachal Pradesh and Mizoram were made Union Territories, while Meghalaya was made a State. In 1987, these two were promoted to States.
• The Part-C States of Tripura and Manipur, which merged with India in 1949, was likewise elevated to the status of States in 1972.
• The Union Government established DoNER in 2001, and it was promoted to a full-fledged Ministry in 2004.

Significance of northeast

Growth Engine:

• The Northeast has the capacity to lead the nation's economic expansion. It is discussed in the context of the region's future, which offers numerous chances for development.

Act East Policy:

• Myanmar, a country in South-East Asia, is physically adjacent to the North Eastern Region. As a result, it might serve as the "Gateway to SouthEast Asia" for India.
• This is significant when considering India's connections with nations like Thailand and Singapore, with whom we get along well. They are wealthy nations that can assist India in eradicating poverty in the area.

Electricity Resources:

• The North-Eastern region offers enormous potential for hydroelectric energy due to the existence of the Brahmaputra and its tributaries.

• Similar to that, it has served as a source of natural gas and crude oil through the Digboi oil fields. The Arakan Basin has been identified to contain potential deposits of both oil and natural gas.

Resources for Agriculture:

• The North Eastern region is endowed with natural resources that are vital to the nation's economic development. For instance, Assam's tea estates provide a substantial amount of foreign cash for the nation. Similar uses for bamboo can be found in the furniture and cane industries. Mizoram's Bird's Eye Chilli is marked with a Geographical Indication (GI) label.

Tourism:

• Because of its lush green scenery, different tribal cultures, clean air, pleasant climate, and distinctive geography, the North Eastern region has the potential to become a major tourism destination. It can be used as a resource for both rural and ecotourism.
• The North Eastern Region, with its wildlife sanctuaries and parks, excellent scenic beauty, waterfalls, woods, and other natural features, is perfect for both passive and active ecotourism.

Challenges to the Development of the NER

Terrain Challenges:

• The North Eastern region is primarily mountainous, except for the state of Assam, which contains a sizable portion of plains. Because of the issue with access to remote locations, it is difficult for government projects to be implemented in the area.

Backward Areas:

• Additionally, in contrast to the mainland, residents of the North East India Region are still pleased with a basic way of life and a lack of technology in their daily lives. Due to a lack of opportunities for high-income generating, the level of living remains low.
• For instance, the farmers still use primitive farming techniques, while the tribal peoples in the nation continue to practice shifting agriculture.

Connectivity:

• India's North Eastern region is a landlocked area without access to the sea. The existence of the Siliguri Corridor, known as the chicken's neck for India, complicates this.
• The Siliguri Corridor, which connects India with its North Eastern region, is only 21 kilometers wide. India would need to protect the corridor in the event of war so that the Indian armed forces could effectively rebuff any prospective Chinese incursions in the northern half of the North-East area.

• It only has a little amount of maritime access. Similar to that, its challenging topography makes expressways and bigger roadways impractical.

Lack of Social and Physical Infrastructure:

• NER has complained of being treated like a second-class citizen by the mainland, particularly in the context of local development initiatives.

Insurgency:

• The absence of political and social stability in the region is one of the main reasons for the lack of growth in the region. The tribal communities in the area have not entirely embraced the artificial boundaries left over from the British legacy, which is made worse by political opportunism.
• Due to political factors and the diversion of young to insurgent organizations, which results in a lack of skill development and subsequent lack of opportunity, the region is still mired in a cycle of bloodshed.

Initiatives of the Government of India

• The program, known as Mission Organic Value Chain Development-NER, has been in place in the North-Eastern states since 2017. The mission's goal is to encourage organic farming in the area. It aims to substitute a cluster-based strategy for conventional subsistence farming.
• Seeds and Planting Material Submission (SMSP): It attempts to expand the supply of seeds for crops with high-yielding varieties. According to the Government, the overarching goal is to double farmers' income by 2022. The program is done in conjunction with other assistance initiatives including integrated farming systems and Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVKs)
• The North East Special Infrastructure Development Scheme (NESIDS) aims to improve both the social infrastructure in the form of health infrastructure as well as the physical infrastructure connected to power, connection, and water supply. It belongs to the central sector.
• NEC: North Eastern Council It was established by statute in accordance with the North Eastern Council Act of 1971. Its members are all of the state's governors and chief ministers. The North Eastern Regional Minister of Development serves as its vice-chairman, and the Union Home Minister serves as its chairman. ..
• Peace Efforts: Within the constraints of the Indian Constitution, the Indian government has made every effort to meet the needs of the local tribes and other residents. The Bodo and Nagaland Peace Accords, which have reduced insurgency and violence in the area and shifted attention back to the region's development, are two examples of the results.
• Earlier efforts in this aim include the Mizo insurgency and Bru or Reang relocation.
• Connectivity-related projects The Indian government has proposed additional routes via South East Asia to establish alternative routes to the region and lessen its reliance on Chicken's Neck:
• The Kaladan Multi-Modal Transit Project is a significant connectivity initiative that will link Haldia port with Mizoram via Myanmar. The route calls for a maritime trip from Haldia to the port of Sittwe in Myanmar. Through a network of roads and interior waterways, Sittwe would be linked to Lawngthai in Mizoram.
• The BCIM (Bangladesh, China, India, Myanmar) Corridor: The project is intended to improve communication between China and India's economies while also helping Bangladesh and Myanmar, two countries that are near the route. India is less excited about the projects China has proposed as part of the Belt and Road Initiative, such as the Kolkata to Kunming Bullet Train (K2K Project) (BRI). India, meanwhile, has continued to support the BCIM corridor, asserting that the concept predates the BRI project.
• The National Bamboo Mission aims to further the sector's overall growth by implementing a place-based, regionally-differentiated approach.
• The objective is to expand the area used for bamboo farming and marketing

About Northeast

• Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, and Tripura are the "seven sisters" of Northeast India.
• While Sikkim is a part of the Northeast and is separated from the other six states by the Siliguri Corridor, it is not considered to be one of the Seven Sisters, despite being a part of the region.
• Another name for Sikkim is the "Brother" of the Seven Sisters.

What is the Siliguri Corridor?

• Geographically separate from the rest of India, the Siliguri Corridor, also known as Chicken's Neck, connects the country's north-eastern region to the continent.
• There are 60 km in width and 200 km in length. It is only 17 kilometres wide at its narrowest point.
• The corridor runs from West Bengal's Terai, Jalpaiguri, and Darjeeling regions northward.
• West Bengal, Sikkim, Assam, Nepal, Bhutan, and Bangladesh all rely on the area for trade, business, and tourism.
• Through this corridor, all land trade between the North East and the rest of the nation occurs.

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