NORTH EAST, INDIA

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NORTH EAST, INDIA
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NORTH EAST, INDIA
The north-eastern region of India consists of
seven sister states

1. Arunachal Pradesh,
2. Assam,
3. Manipur,
4. Meghalaya,
5. Mizoram,
6. Nagaland,
7. Tripura,

North east has 39 million population and
approximately add to 4 of the countrys
population
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Complexities
The seven States located in Indias north-east
cover an area of 2,55168 sq km. Constituting 7.9
per cent of the countrys total geographical
area, but have only 39 million people or about 4
per cent of the total population of the country
(2001 census). Over 68 per cent of the
population of the region lives in the State of
Assam alone. Religion Hinduism, Islam,
Buddhism, Christianity.
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Complexities continues

• The density of population varies from 13 per sq.
  km. in Arunachal Pradesh to 340 per sq. km. in
  Assam.
• The predominantly hilly terrain in all the States
  except Assam.
• The region has over 160 scheduled tribes and over
  400 other tribal and sub-tribal communities and
  groups.
• It is predominantly rural with over 84 per cent
  of the population living in the countryside.
• According to the 2001 Census, the total literacy
  rate of the population in the region at 68.5 per
  cent, with a female literacy rate at 61.5 per
  cent, is higher than the countrys average of
  64.8 per cent and 53.7 per cent, respectively

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Diversity in Languages North East is the most
diversified states in the country with multi
lingual, sects and cultural backgrounds
Languages Spoken in 7 states Hindi, English,
Assamese, Garo, Jaintia, Khasi, Bengali, Mizo,
Manipuri, Nagamese, Lepcha, Limboo, Bhutia
(Sikkimese), Bhutia (Tibetan), and several other
local dialects
Diversity in Tribes The North-East India is home
to varied number of tribal groups (almost 166).
Each tribes has their own distinct culture
dialects and practises.
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Tribal hostility long-standing and fierce
conflict between the Kukies and the Nagas, the
two dominant tribal groups of the region is a
major issue
Against the Indian state for sovereignty and
independence Armed separatist movements
demanding political autonomy - Naga, Mizo, Boro,
Manipuri and ULFA and other movements and
insurgencies
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Insurgency
The Naga insurgence, which started in the 1950s,
known as the mother of the Northeast
insurgencies, is one of the oldest unresolved
armed conflicts in the world. In total, Manipur,
Assam, Nagaland and Tripura have witnessed scales
of conflict that could, at least between 1990 and
2000, be characterised as low intensity
conflicts. Currently, most of the states in the
region are affected by some form of conflict,
expect for Arunachal Pradesh, Mizoram and Sikkim
in which the situation is at the moment
relatively stable.
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Land and ethnic conflicts

• Concerns
• Primarily people depend on land
• Most of the conflicts are on land
• Changes in tribal concept of land from territory
  to livelihood
• Competition begins between various ethnic groups
  for what is left over
• In the name of national development poor peoples
  lands are grabbed
• Many tribal states community land is transferred
  into individual ownership
• Increase in the commercial crops

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Development induced displacement
The Dumber Hydroelectric Project in Tripura
forced the relocation of about 200,000 tribal
people. The Pagladiya Dam Project in Assam, if
implemented, will displace about 105,000 people.
Dams have displaced massive numbers. In Assam 2
million people displaced between 1947 to 2010
Displacement due to natural causes
continuous environmental degradation, floods,
riverbank erosion and landslides have become
endemic, leading to huge loss of life and
population displacement. It is estimated that at
least three million peasants have been displaced
in recent years by erosion of prime agricultural
land by the River Brahmaputra.
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Agriculture

• Concerns
• Single crops system
• Three types of land history Jhum Cultivation,
  Aksonia Patta and Zamindary
• Lack of skills in multi crops system
• Lack of marketing
• Shift from community agriculture to individual
  farming

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Marketing

• Concerns
• There are n proper marketing of the goods
• Lack of inadequate infrastructure and
  transportation adds to the poor marketing
• Providing tax to underground

Immigration

• Concerns
• People from outside states comes to North East
  states for agricultural labors dude to their
  poverty
• People from NE also goes to other parts of the
  country for job

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Government inadequacy
Border Security Forces, special divisions of the
Indian Armed Forces, continuously patrol the area
and paramilitary Central Reserve Police Forces
are in place to control the insurgencies
The AFSPA (Armed Forces Special Power Act) for
instance, shows the inability and reluctance of
the government to solve the conflict with
adequate political measures. The AFSPA was passed
on 18 August, 1958, as a short-term measure to
allow deployment of the army to counter an armed
separatist movement in the Naga Hills, has been
in place for the last five decades and was
extended to all the seven states of the Northeast
region in 1972 (with the exception of Mizoram).
It was part of a bundle of provisions, passed by
the central government, to retain control over
the Naga areas, in which the Naga National
Council (NNC) demanded further autonomous rights.
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Inadequate representation of Legislators
The north eastern states, having a comparatively
small electorate (4 of India's total population)
are allotted just 25 out of a total of 543 seats
in the Lok Sabha (4.6 of the total number of
seats).
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Infrastructure
The biggest problem facing the North East is the
lack of adequate and reliable infrastructure.
Building infrastructures like power, road, rail,
river routes and airports in the fragile hills
and in plains crisscrossed by innumerable rivers
is both time consuming and costly. Lack of access
to markets both within India and outside deters
the producers and farmers to produce for surplus.
While some progress has been made in social
infrastructure like education, health, a lot more
to be done.
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Environmental Issues
Deforestation, Flood, Automobile Exhaust
Emission, Water quality of river Brahmaputra,
hydroelectric projects and Industrial activities
like Coal mining operation, Crude oil
exploration, Petroleum refinery, Fertilizer
industries, Paper industries, Cement industries.
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Human Trafficking
Trafficking of women and children from the
North-Eastern states of India and the bordering
countries in the north-east is a serious issue
but has so far not drawn public attention. The
result of a survey done by NGO reveals a fact
that 10,000 people, mostly children, are
trafficked into the Northeast with a good number
smuggled in from Bangladesh, Nepal and other
South East Asian countries. India has been
identified as a source, transit and destination
point in the international circuit. Most of the
trafficked are engaged as cheap labour in coal
mines of Meghalaya, tea gardens in Assam and
prostitution.
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Lack of investors in North East and unemployment
To make the economic condition worse, investors
shy away from the NE India as ethnic disputes and
insurgency raises its ugly head at alarmingly
regular intervals. Businessmen and investors
are especially wary of setting foot into the
perceived muck. In this context it is easy to
understand why that the unemployment levels are
very high. With the number of private investors
and businesses at a bare minimum, the Indian
government has become the major employer for
these people
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Other Issues
Corruption Unemployment Easy access to
drugs Malaria TB HIV
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HIV/AIDS situation in North-East India
In Asia, an estimated 4.7 million 3.8
million5.5 million people were living with HIV
in 2008. Asia, home to 60 of the worlds
population, is second only to sub-Saharan Africa
in terms of people living with HIV. India
accounts for roughly half of Asias HIV
prevalence. (source UNAIDS). 2.5 million Indians
are HIV positive of which the northeast accounts
about 45,000. Manipur alone has an estimated
25,000 people living with HIV/AIDS.
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HIV/AIDS situation in North-East India Continued
The HIV/AIDS epidemic in north-eastern states is
becoming heterosexual in nature. It is an ominous
sign for India's AIDS control programme. Experts
from NACO have evidences of intravenous
drug-users in the north-eastern states infecting
their partners with HIV by having unprotected
sex. Nagaland has already reported such a trend.
India is home to nearly two lakhs IDUs of these
over 50,800 people are from Nagaland, Manipur,
Mizoram and Meghalaya. Over 20 of them are HIV
solely due to sharing of contaminated needles.
The situation is really threatening as now IDUs
are indulging in high risk behaviour. Manipur may
soon follow
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Manipur
Manipur stands highest among HIV infection and
mainly through sexual transmission and by needle
sharing HIV status (Data as on January 2011) No
of HIV patients 31256 No Of AIDS cases
4724 Deaths due to AIDS 658
(source http//manipursacs.nic.in/assets/docs/epi
dem_jan_2011.pdf)
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Mizoram
Mizoram stands second in prevalence of Aids/HIV
amongst the North Eastern states and was only
next to Manipur. According to the Mizoram State
Aids Control Society (MSACS), sexual contact was
a major cause of the high incidence of HIV/Aids,
followed by blood transfusion and sharing of
syringes and needles by drug users HIV Status as
on April 2011 HIV positives 5650 HIV Death
204 (source http//mizoramsacs.nic.in/newsite/hi
v_status/latest_status.html)
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Nagaland
State data on current HIV status as on March 2011
Source NSACS office documents)
No Categories Number
1 HIV Positives 11092
2 AIDS stage 3789
3 AIDS related death 532
4 On ART 2359
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Assam
ASAM State AIDS Control Society reports that as
on March 2011, there are 4251 HIV positives and
1070 AIDS cases reported in Assam. "A record 86
per cent of the people living with HIV contracted
the virus through promiscuous sex. With Assam
considered the gateway to the northeast, truckers
from outside the region are to a great extent
responsible for spreading the virus," said Health
Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma.
( Source http//www.hindustantimes.com/HIV-AIDS-c
ases-on-the-rise-in-Assam/Article1-556241.aspx)
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Tripura
The HIV threats loom large over Tripura though
the situation is not at all alarming yet. But
going by the figures released by the government ,
the situation warrants immediate attention and
effective prevention campaign. As per official
statistics, as on date Feb 3 2011 there are now
168 AIDS patients. Among them 36 are female, 128
are male. Of them four are children -3 male and
one female. Besides, there are total 580 HIV
positive including 20 children. Among them 150
are female and 410 male
(Source http//www.tripurainfo.in/admin/ArchiveDe
t.aspx?WhatId9497)
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Meghalaya
According to the records available with the
Meghalaya Aids Control Society (MACS) as on
February 2011, A total of 430 HIV positive cases
have been detected in Meghalaya. They include 208
males, 206 females and 16 children
( Source http//www.sentinelassam.com/meghalaya/s
tory.php?sec2subsec8id69938dtP2011-03-31pp
r1
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Arunachal Pradesh
As many as 158 cases of HIV positive have been
detected till March 2010  as per the records
available with the government
http//www.dancewithshadows.com/pillscribe/hivaids
-spreading-fast-in-arunachal-pradesh/
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North east State wise HIV Statistics 2010
State Estimated Adult HIV Prevalence Estimated Adult HIV Prevalence
Male () Female ()
Arunachal Pradesh 0.2 0.12
Assam 0.1 0.06
Manipur 1.89 0.9
Meghalaya 0.1 0.07
Mizoram 0.97 0.64
Nagaland 0.94 0.61
Tripura 0.18 0.12
Source http//pib.nic.in/newsite/PrintRelease.asp
x?relid67292
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Government efforts
Vision 2020
On July 3, 2008 the Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan
Singh amidst the presence of Union Minister,
Governors and Chief Ministers of North Eastern
States, launched the Vision 2020, a compendium of
various strategies, proposals and action plans
for achieving peace and prosperity in the NE
Region and for its people. He said, The north
eastern region is the land of rising sun for
India. The time has come for the sun to shine on
it and shine brightly. This Vision 2020 defines
the path to that bright future.
http//www.asthabharati.org/Dia_Jan2009/madh.htm
and http//icrindia.org/?p270
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Vision 2020 official signatories
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North East The challenges identified in the
vision 2020

• To ensure peace and progress in the region are
  formidable.
• The gap between the region and the rest of the
  country in terms of various developmental
  outcomes, productivities and capacities of people
  and institutions is large and growing, and has to
  be bridged.
• Even within the region, there are vast
  differences, particularly between populations
  living in the hills and in the plains and between
  those living in the towns and villages. Given the
  vast disparities
• within the region, a development strategy will
  have to be evolved depending upon prevailing
  resources, conditions and peoples needs and
  priorities.
• Further, the development strategy for the various
  tribes in the region will have to be
  participatory and should be calibrated in their
  own setting.
• The successful transformation of investments into
  developmental
• outcomes requires a variety of strategic
  initiatives

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vision 2020 Progress to Peace and Prosperity way
forward
Catching-up with the Rest of the
Country Improving the standard of living of the
people would require sustained increases in per
capita income levels and its fair distribution
amongst all sections. By 2020, people of the
North East should have living standards
comparable to people in the rest of the country.
North Eastern region will have to grow have to
grow at 12.95 per cent per year on an average, or
at 11.64 per cent in per capita terms Structural
Transformation Growth acceleration in most of the
North Eastern States requires structural changes
in these economies. Acceleration in economic
growth will have to come from agriculture,
manufacturing and non-government service sectors.
This calls for significant changes in the
development strategy followed so far, and the
creation of an enabling environment for private
investment in productive sectors
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vision 2020 Progress to Peace and Prosperity way
forward continued..
Poverty Eradication in North East The vision of
the people is to banish poverty from the region
by 2020. Maximising Self-governance Maximising
self-governance for the people and building
capacity in people and institutions to achieve it
in all the areas in the NER is extremely
important not only for the political and economic
empowerment of the people to determine their own
destiny but also to create a sense of pride and
belonging through participation in the
development strategy. Sustainable peace and
prosperity in the NER is possible only when
people participate actively in political and
economic decisions. An equally important
component of Vision 2020 is the establishment of
peace and harmony. Security of life and property
is essential for the happiness of the people
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vision 2020 Progress to Peace and Prosperity way
forward continued..
Harnessing Resources for the Benefit of the
People The vision of prosperity for the people
requires participatory development by harnessing
the resources of the region. The region is rich
in resources, including natural resources such as
land, water, minerals, forests and of course,
people. It is also important to utilise the
savings of the people which are deposited in
financial institutions for investment in the
region. The people would like to see the large
river systems converted into a source of
prosperity. Mineral wealth can be used to create
opportunities to increase employment and income.
They would like to harness the vast hydroelectric
energy potential and use the comparative
advantage to expand economic activities in the
region
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vision 2020 Progress to Peace and Prosperity way
forward continued..
Building Capacity in People and Institutions An
important component of the peoples Vision 2020
is to achieve a high level of human development.
Raising the quality of education and health is as
much a goal in itself as it is a means to enrich
the quality of life for people, and expand their
life choice Creating a centre for trade and
commerce Opening up trade routes will expand
economic opportunities for the region and
accelerate its growth process. The region can
regain its place as a centre of flourishing trade
with East and Southeast Asia through the land
(silk) route to China and Myanmar and through the
sea port from Chittagong and Kolkata.
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vision 2020 Progress to Peace and Prosperity way
forward continued..
Strengthening Infrastructure The people in the
region envision having state-of-the-art
infrastructure not only to enhance the quality of
life but also to dictate the pace of economic
activity, and the nature and quality of economic
growth. The infrastructure deficit is a major
deficit in the region, and acceleration in
economic growth and the regions emergence as a
powerhouse depend on how fast this deficit is
overcome. The lack of connectivity has virtually
segregated and isolated the region not only from
the rest of the country and the world, but also
within itself. Poor density of road and rail
transportation within the region has not only
hampered mobility but also hindered the
development of markets. The traditional
transportation routes through inland waterways
have become virtually non-functional after
Partition. The region is also poorly linked by
air, and sea routes have been blocked.
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vision 2020 Progress to Peace and Prosperity way
forward continued..
Effective Governance Establishing Peace and
Harmony An integral part of the peoples vision
of development is of a land living in peace and
harmony, and free from insurgency. Without peace,
progress is not possible. Insurgency has taken a
heavy toll on economic progress and peoples
happiness in the region. The people of the North
East would like peace to return to their lives,
leakages to cease and development to take
precedence.
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Vision 2020 - The Strategy

•                                                   
                                                    
            
•  The strategy propounded in the Vision document
  has six components
• Empowerment of the people by maximizing
  self-governance and participatory development
  through grassroots planning. This will help in
  creating conditions for development, in
  determining pattern of development based on the
  resources of the region according to the needs
  and aspirations of the people.
• Rural development with focus on improving
  agriculture productivity and creation of non-farm
  employment opportunities.
• Development of sectors with comparative advantage
  such as harnessing the enormous hydropower
  potential, tourism, agro processing, sericulture
  and investment in manufacturing based on
  available resources.

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The Strategy continued

• Improving skills to enhance their productivities
  to generate a class of entrepreneurs and to
  increase capacities to implement plans and
  programmes.
• Augmenting infrastructure like road, railways,
  inland water, air transportation, power through
  hydro, coal, bio-fuel, and communication network.
  Connecting Myanmar and through it to China and
  South East Asia. Developing transit routes
  through road, rail and inland water cargo across
  Bangladesh to rest of India. Access to Sittwe
  port of Myanmar and Chittagong in Bangladesh will
  provide outlets to the outside world. Creation of
  a hospitable investment climate for private
  investment is an important element in the
  strategy.
• All these will require huge investment and,
  therefore it is imperative that adequate fund
  flow for public investment needs to be assured.
  Most of the funds, at the beginning will have to
  come from the Central Government, and partly from
  State Government, and later, when congenial
  atmosphere is built up, private sector
  participation is likely

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"Development and North East India is seen to be
opposite to each other. One of the strategic
regions of India with seven vibrant states with
each having distinct social, cultural, economic
indicators, the region needs fruits of
development along with rest of the country. It is
high time that political representatives, policy
framers, policy executioners, corporate entities
and development experts focus on increasing
development requirements in the region. We at
Development Association of Nagaland are making a
small efforts in enabling development initiatives
in the region across diverse sectors. We urge
various stakeholders to join us in these efforts
to enable development reaching the communities at
the grassroots in the distant lands of North East
India."