North East Vision – 2020
The North Eastern Region Vision 2020 Document was unveiled by the Government in July, 2008. Subsequently, seventeen thematic groups incorporating sector experts were constituted by this Ministry to develop specific action plans to operationalize the Vision 2020 Document. These sectors were:
- Major Road connectivity
- Inland Waterways
- Air connectivity
- Railways
- Power
- Panchayati Raj and Local Self Government
- Poverty Eradication
- Human Resource Development
- Industry
- Rural Roads
- Tourism
- IT-enabled services and Cyber connectivity
- Health
- Rural sector
- Financial Services
- Sports, Art & culture; and
- Look East Policy.
Challenges:
- The physiography of NEI, it is highly hilly and mountainous terrain. Except for the Brahmaputra valley, almost all other parts are hilly, and not just undulating hills, but rugged hills. Arunachal is more of higher Himalayas and thus making it more farther to reach. Presence of 800 km of border with China makes it more vulnerable.
- Forest cover is another issue. Not an issue actually but instead of forests becoming an ideal resource for tourism, it has rather become more of issue due to poor lack of government support.
- Lack of rail and roads is another major issue, because connectivity is the most important aspect for growth of tourism.
- Example: In Maharashtra, Vidarbha constitutes to about 60% of forest cover but due to lack of availability of connectivity, Vidarbha remains neglected.
- Another major point is the border part. The area near Siliguri is very narrow. This 27 km broad strip is known as Chickens Neck. This hinders most of the development in NEI and thus, NEI remains neglected from mainland India.
- But with the efforts of present government, the railway has opened up in Arunachal, broad gauge in Mizoram, Manipur Nagaland etc. Assam will be soon developed as much as other states in India.
- Lack of medical facilities and poor storage of grains and other food items is also another hindering factor. This causes malnutrition in small children. Heavy rains and mudslides are common, disrupting the daily lives.
Way Ahead:
- Look east policy of the Government will also help to a high extent.
- The bridge built over river in Arunachal (Dhola-Sadiya Setu) will help in increasing civilian as well as military connectivity.
- Cross border infiltration from Bangladesh into Assam must be stopped.
- Illegal religious activities of converting illiterate people into Christianity also should stop. (Not against Christianity)
- Terrorist attacks on the India-Myanmar border and illegal Rohingya people should be refrained from entering India. The current government is somewhat successfully planning a step towards this.
- Literacy rates are quite high some states (Mizoram, Manipur, Meghalaya, Nagaland, etc.) We can make use of this literacy rates to bring North Eastern people into mainstream.
- Connectivity in this region on the backdrop of Digital India should be considered and the Government of India should develop Big Data centres in NEA as the climate is conducive for it.