Topic - Sunrise States : Realising growth potential of North East

Shining North East : Reforming Indias Development

Team Voice Raisers

Rajat Kant Goel (Co-ordinator), Shaharyar Shaukat, Shikhar Garg, Syed Sahil Abbas Zaidi, Vibhu Varshney

North East At a Glance

Important features:
Consist of 8 states- Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim, Tripura

Why North East?

Strategically and geographically crucial region of India
Gateway to South East India Higher availability of international boundary for foreign exchange Better scope of development in era of globalisation

Occupy about 8% of total geographic area and account for 4% of total population

Alienated and isolated part of India from economic resurgence

Insufficient communication Low contribution to countrys GDP Less utilization of skill based human resources

Shares more than 4500 km of international boundary

Untapped resources rich in natural endowments

Important tourist destination and food producing area

Natural fertility of soil High potential for hydro-power generation Huge forest expanse with variety of flora and fauna

Government Schemes addressing North East Region

North Eastern Council Act Hill Area Development Program (HADP)
Emphasis on development of environment and ecology Evolve plans to socio-economic growth, development of infrastructure Establishes an advisory body which looks into the matters of economic & social planning Formulate & review of regional plans, projects & schemes

National Policy for integral development in Himalayas

Formulates policy for development of the Himalayas Implementation of schemes in areas of environment, forest, agriculture, Industrial Infrastructure, tourism, etc.

North Eastern Development Finance Corporation Ltd

Provide financial assistance to enterprises for setting up industrial infrastructure & agriculturalallied projects Provides consultancy & advisory services to state government & other agencies

Ministry of Development of NER (DoNER)

Deals with matters related to socioeconomic development of NER Acts as facilitator between central ministries & state government of NER in economic development

Look East Policy

Look forward to political integration with rest of India & economic integration with rest of Asia Cultivate extensive economic & strategic relations with South East Asia

Challenges And Possible Action

Major Challenges in Government Policies

Remedial Actions for current Government Policies

Involvement of Panchayati Raj and awareness of various government schemes to local people Projects of regional nature and economic importance of mutual benefits to be able sustain after withdrawal of NEC support should be emphasised Less projects with more efficiency resulting in decreased financial burden and improved scrutiny process Well coordinated relationship between NEC and DoNER by step-by-step process of implementation at both sides Total transparency about procedures of sanctioning and allocation of funds by keeping monitoring system online and regularly audited Providing vocational, entrepreneurial and managerial skills to youth by training at graduate level

Policies still remain a Governments policies and not a peoples programme due to lack of Local Support Sub-optimal results of schemes due to inefficient implementation Poor evaluation and monitoring due to inconsistent flow of funds through State government Inadequate development of schemes inspite of higher fund release Lower transparency and high time & cost overrun Local trade influenced by insurgency results in reduced local financial autonomy

Infrastructure A stimulant to growth in NorthEast India

Education Sector

In the underdeveloped region of North-East India, infrastructure is of utmost priority . Setup of institutional base be it education, healthcare, communication , transportation or employment , it is important for any scheme or plan that could be efficiently implemented. Infrastructure is itself a broad term, gives no scope to apply for policies that could easily reach and benefit local people. Education sector requires schools and colleges to provide a support system to other sectors, Health sector requires not just hospitals but also include sanitation, hygienic environment, clean drinking water and many more. Disaster Management also acts as a cushion for development of setbacks during emergencies and hence prevents economy from a slow down. So, infrastructure development is basic requirement for any area to flourish and for North-East, it would prove to be a tool for stimulating all-round development. Infrastructure should be backed up by proper planning of schemes to be implemented and manage common issues prevailing in the region.

Employment

Transportation

Infrastructure

Health Sector

Disaster Management

Key points for implementation of policies:

Education Sector

Infrastructure for education sector should be taken as a priority. High literate population show that people are interested in learning. Existing government schools should be revitalized to new educational curriculum & trained teaching staff. New institutes for primary education set up in rural areas. Institutes for vocational training also to be set up for existing literate & unemployed population. Lack for teaching staff can be adjusted with IT enabling virtual classrooms. Proper management & monitoring required at each step. Local existing professionals could volunteer mass awareness campaign about the schemes & institutions. Down to top approach can be implemented in drafting and implementation of the schemes To improve transparency of schemes, book and record keeping & surveying should be kept in online database.

Local Surveying for area specific schemes State And Government Approval Establishing Auditing And Managing Institutes
Monthly report

Hiring Professionals and Ground Staff from pool of recent undergrads and grads

Providing sufficient infrastructure

Constant Auditing of the resources utilized

Funding

Better Education System

 Health Sector
Local dispensaries at regional level Govt. hospitals with well managed wards at each district Medical college with proper teaching & non teaching staff at state level Dispensaries & hospitals to provide basic facilities & first aid for local diseases & ailments prevalent in the region Setup and organisation backed up with Centre-State funds and support Mass awareness & medical check up camps to be held for promotion Migration of staff from other parts of India & providing courses for nursing to local people for staff demands Sending medical students to other parts of India from NER leading to better social connections of NER with other parts of India Tie ups with NGOs & private institutions More research & development for effective ways of curing diseases prevalent in NER
From Local Bodies for Monitoring

Identifying location to setup institutes

Awareness & promote schemes Formulate costeffective schemes

Local Bodies

State Government Interaction

Check State Governments internal order & auditing of schemes

Allocate Funds

Central Government

Manage implementat ion of schemes

Functions of Local Bodies

Make aware of schemes

Monitoring Schemes & planning activities at Local level

Address local problems & issues, report to State Government

 Employment And Skill Development

Government financial support must complement private investment States should act as key players Deployment of Funds without disturbing the time span and technological advancement as well as regional relevance should be considered as heavy weight Focus on molecular, short-term and relevant courses to jumpstart initial development Creating facilities for on-campus training and encouraging apprenticeships Affective assessment and credible certification on both qualitybased and time-based criteria Restructuring employment exchanges as career guidance centres Expanding formal employment as it is fiscally attractive but more amenable to financial innovations Vocational training for women. Skilled workers for hydro power plant; could generate employment.

Identified potential (MW)

Capacity yet to be developed

Meghala Arunach

Others

State Government

Megh Aruna Sikkim Others

Central Government Funding
Trained Professionals

60000 40000 20000 0

100.00% 50.00% 0.00% Sikkim

Monitoring

Policy Making

Local Government Bodies

 Disaster Management
Trained manpower is the first requirement for mitigation, monitoring and management of disasters Preparedness, promoting innovative strategies of mitigation, emergency response Bringing to a common platform the stakeholders of construction sector, policy and decision makers, scientists, technologists, representatives of industry, etc. Developing dams, weirs, barrages and embankments Creating information umbrella and action strategies in case any disaster strikes Training of civilians for disaster mitigation Teaching basic skills at school & college level to ensure moderation of impact of disaster Basin wise integrated water management strategy based on the principles of water and soil conservation Strengthening existing institutions and appropriate reorientation of policies
CABINET COMMITTEE ON SECURITY

Government
HIGH LEVEL COMMITTE CABINET COMMITTEE ON MANAGEMENT

NDMA NEC States

State Police

Fire Services SDMAs

State Disaster Response Force

Districts
Local Authorities

Community

 Transportation
Construction of public roads with involvement of multiple sectors within the government Four-lane connectivity between capitals and industrial cities Two-lane connectivity for other cities Trans-North East highway connecting it to rest of India Inland water transport could be exploited for viable, cost-effective alternative. Loaning money from international organisation for transport facilities. Overcoming natural constraint in river system, using rivers for efficient public transport. Building bigger airports in major regions and use bigger planes rather than smaller ATR ones.

Project Director

Project Manager

Support staff

State Controlled

Government appointed Supervising staff

District Manager

Support Staff

Local Government Department Controlled

Managing Staff

Project Coordinator

Contractor

Locally Controlled

Challenges to implementation plans

Unattended issues of the past have accumulated, multi-layered and have become multifarious Fund crisis by government Non-cooperation by locals Constraint of hilly areas for construction Delay in projects due to occurrence of disaster Cutting into forest

Conclusion
India is moving into a new era of economic liberation so North east region should not be left out. The framework for development of the region can be broadly based upon four vital components :- Social empowerment, Economic empowerment, Partnership development, Project management. Social empowerment needs to empower rural communities, create sustainable institutions so that they manage common activities around microfinance, livelihoods and natural resource management. Economic empowerment 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. Partnership development should be to partner with various service providers, resource institutions and public and private sector organisations to bring resources such as finance, technology, and marketing into the project so that the community groups are able to improve their livelihoods. Final component, project management should facilitate various governance, implementation, co-ordination, learning and quality enhancement efforts in the project. With some of the changes that we attempts to deliberate upon, a process could be set in motion that could support the North East in its endeavour to contribute to the economic resurgence of the home region as well as to the development of the rest of the country that is what our aim is Reforming Indias Development by Shining North East.

Remedies to these challenges

Public-private partnership and assistance from other institutes for funds supply Connecting locals emotionally by creating awareness among them about schemes and including local leaders as stakeholders Mapping disaster prone areas and taking precautionary steps for mitigation Afforestation drives

References
North East Summit, 2013 Looking East Through Indias North East, Namrata Goswani Transforming The North East, Planning Commission Annual Report, Ministry of Home Affairs Globalization and North East India: Challenges and Opportunities, N. Bhupendro Singh Education And Employment In Disaster Management, Dr. Anup Kumar Internet