One factor, which seems to influence the framing of policies as well as defining the Government’s stance on the Northeast, is security. Thus, it is argued that the containing of violence, prominent in some of the Northeastern states, and the maintenance of security in the rest of India impacts on developmental schemes in the NER.
Development is also seen as the key to bringing peace and stability to the region. Appropriately, the nature of development seems to be decisive in achieving the aims of peace, stability and development. However, this is exactly the point at which opinions part. With economic liberalization and India’s Look East Policy since the early 1990s, one aspect of development saw Foreign Investment and International Financial Institutions (IFIs) being granted an increased access to the region. However, this also had adverse implications for the unique structures, traditions and resources in the states of the NER. Hence, it is important to treat this sort of development with caution as it has its side effects that might be irreversible, especially, it might further aggravate the conflict situation in the NER instead of ameliorating it.
In fact, there is a policy framework existing, which could serve the aim of developing the NER for the sake of achieving peace and stability, however, the efficiency, especially regarding the implementation of those schemes, still remains a question, being of vital importance for their success. Moreover, the real purposes of developing the region should be revealed and the nature of development brought to the region has to be carefully thought about, as particularly IFIs seem to have an adverse effect on a sustainable development profiting the region.
In conclusion, it seems that there is an urgent need for the policies and approaches towards the NER to be specifically applicable to the needs and specificities of that region. Also, the government policies for the development of the region must not only be framed keeping local needs in mind, but also, be implemented efficiently in order to achieve concrete results.
By Anne-Sophie Maier, HBF Intern, August 2009
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