Keeping in mind the strategic importance of the northeastern region and its unique and vitally important developmental needs, the Government of India set up a separate ministry for the development of northeast region (DoNER) in September 2001. Prior to that, in October 1996, the central government had put into effect a policy of earmarking at least 10 per cent of planned budgets of various central ministries or departments for the development of northeastern states. Another important step taken by the planning commission is that it allocates special plan assistance funds every year to eleven special category states, which include all the northeastern states.
Even prior to the creation of the DoNER ministry, a northeastern council (NEC) was constituted in 1971 by an act of Parliament. This high-powered apex body, comprising the governors and chief ministers of all the northeastern states, marked the beginning of a new chapter of focused and rapid development of the region. The mandate of the NEC is to take action in the fields of economic and social planning, transport and communications, and matters relating to power and flood control concerning the region as a whole. The council also has a role to review the security situation in the member states and recommend action as required. However, because of numerous reasons, most important of which is the lack of infrastructure and connectivity, the desired pace of development has not taken place. Therefore, with the active participation of all states, a comprehensive study was carried out under the aegis of the NEC to spell out the goals, identify the challenges and suggest implementation strategies. This resulted in the evolution of a document titled, ‘Peace, Progress and Prosperity in the Northeastern Region: Vision 2020’. At an NEC plenary session at Agartala on 13 May 2008, all the governors and chief ministers became signatories to this important document, and it was formally released by the prime minister on 2 July 2008 in New Delhi.
India’s Look East Policy is not only an external economic policy, it is also a strategic shift in India’s vision in the world and India’s place in the evolving global economy. Most of all it is about reaching out to our civilizational neighbours in Southeast Asia and East Asia.
– Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.1
Although the results of this policy have not yet manifested themselves in the northeastern states, there is huge potential of boosting the economy of this region by linking it to Southeast Asia through surface trade routes. Thus, the answer lies in encouraging Indian investment in infrastructure in neighbouring countries, and resolving outstanding issues of investment, trade and transit. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s government deserves to be complimented for giving a boost to our Look East policy. His visit in October 2010 to Malaysia, Vietnam and Japan is a pointer to India’s increasing engagement with Southeast and East Asia. Analysts who see this as encirclement of China are looking at it in an unreal and sensational manner. India needs to open up with its eastern neighbours for the economic benefits that would accrue to people in our northeast. No doubt this initiative also has its ramifications on the political and security domains. An encouraging development is the expression of intent by the ASEAN to jointly fight terrorism and transnational crime.
With a highway connecting Kolkata-Dhaka-Guwahati-Myitkyina-Mandalay-Kunming-Hanoi or going to Laos, Thailand and Singapore, the whole economic profile of the region would get transformed. Having seen the benefits of the 160-kilometre Tamu-Kaleywa (India-Myanmar) friendship highway to Mandalay, we need to focus on the opening of the historic Stilwell Road that linked Assam, Myanmar and Kunming in Yunnan province of China during the Second World War. Only a small portion of about 150 kilometres needs to be made motorable from Pangsau Pass (which is connected on our side by a national highway) to Shingbwiyang. This road would connect Ledo, an important logistics base of Second World War fame in Assam, with Myitkina through the Pangsau Pass on the Arunachal Pradesh-Myanmar border, and on to the frontier area of Yunnan province of China, a distance of about 600 kilometres. (The original distance from Ledo to Kunming was 1760 kilometres.) This recommencement of formal border trade will truly give a boost to the economy of the northeastern states, particularly Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Nagaland and Meghalaya. As timber will be one of the major items of import, it would help in the revival of wood- and timber-based industries in the northeast. These had to be closed down following the Supreme Court’s restrictions on timber operations in 1996. I have been making this point ever since I took charge as the governor. Since this subject concerns many ministries and agencies, the decision-making has been delayed. But I understand that it is still under consideration of the NSA. If media reports are to be believed, the Chinese have beaten us to it and might probably go ahead and complete this road upto Pangsau Pass from the Myanmar side.
1 http://www.southasiaanalysis.org/%5Cpapers37%5Cpaper3662.html