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KEYNOTE ADDRESSOF

HIS EXCELLENCYLT GENERAL NIRBHAY SHARMA

PVSM, UYSM, AVSM, VSM (RETD),

GOVERNOR,MIZORAM

AtIndian Institute of Management, Rohtak

On24th July, 2017

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NORTH EAST OF INDIA – A GEO STRATEGIC ANDECONOMIC BACKDROP

Preamble

Prof Dheeraj Sharma, Director IIM

Distinguished Faculty members

Young students

Ladies and gentlemen

It gives me great pleasure to be here amongst you

and would like to thank the Director for giving me this

opportunity. For me, talking to the youth in particular

has always been very exciting. Therefore, when your

Director approached me to come and interact, I gladly

accepted the invitation and I look forward to a

meaningful interaction this morning.

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More so, since this IIM, though relatively new,

is fast emerging as an institution providing

quality education and training in management to

our young minds, who will shape the future of

India. In fact, you are amongst the best that the

country has, to take us ahead.

The topic of my talk is aimed at introducing

the North East and arouse your curiosity. You will

agree that it is very important for us to know about a

part of our country, which though increasingly relevant,

both geostrategically and economically, is still quite

distant in our minds. Barring flashes of a few incidents

occasionally highlighted on the TV channels, we have

huge gaps in our understanding of North East of India.

As practitioners of management, you will do well

to explore this part of India, for it is a land of

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opportunities and a gateway to our ‘Act East’

endeavour.

When one talks about the Northeast, there is fair

amount of ignorance and misconception that prevails.

To some, this region of unparallel ethnic and linguistic diversity

and isolated upland society is best left undisturbed. I have

often been asked as to why the region continues to be

backward and unstable despite all efforts of the last 70

years or more. Also, how crucial is it to the Act East

Policy.

Some years back, when I was a Member of the Union

Public Service Commission (UPSC) and interviewed the

candidates for the Civil Service, who had qualified after very

competitive preliminary and main written tests, you will

surprised to know that many amongst them didn’t know much

about the Northeast of India except, the names of the States

and perhaps, their capitals.

So, in the next one hour or so, I will initiate a

conversation with you on the Northeast. I will recap

the geostrategic and historical significance of the

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region and then, take stock of what we have done so far

and how do we move ahead hereafter. More

importantly, what is in it for you, the young

Professionals, who will have a lead role in making India

great again.

MAP OF ASIA

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Geostrategic Overview

This is the map of Asia, wherein India, China and

Indian Ocean are the geopolitical key stones in

the world’s fastest growing region. It is here that

nearly half of the world’s population resides.

Alongside, Indian Ocean matters today, arguably

more than ever. It occupies a privileged location at

the crossroads of global trade, with nearly 40% world’s

oil supply and 65% oil trade flowing through it.

Zooming in closer home, let us look at Tibetan

plateau, which is extremely important to the

world’s water cycle as approximately two billion

people depend on the rivers fed by the plateau’s

glaciers. The vital river basins of India and China from

Ganga to the Yellow River to Mekong are fed by the

Tibetan Plateau. These glacial rivers owe their

origin to a common source and thus sustaining

human civilizations of these two countries and

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also South East Asia at large. It is along these rivers

that the civilisations grew and trade and commerce

flourished. It has a natural socio-economic

connectivity encompassing eastern India,

Bhutan, Bangladesh, Myanmar, China (Yunnan),

Laos, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam.

In the mid-19th century, Burma (now

Myanmar) and the adjacent states and provinces

of India and China were home to perhaps 12

million people in total. Today in the same area,

we are looking at 25% of world’s population,

which is resource rich, but under-developed

landmass, part of and within the area of influence

of two strategic giants i.e. China and India.

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MAP OF NORTH EAST

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North East at a Glance

North Eastern States comprise Arunachal

Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram,

Nagaland, Tripura and Sikkim. Barring Sikkim it is

linked to rest of India through a 22 km long

Siliguri Corridor. 98% of border is bounded by

international neighbours namely Nepal, Bhutan,

China (Tibet), Myanmar and Bangladesh. Hence,

apart from mainland of India, it has to be viewed

in conjunction with the border regions of our

neighbouring countries, as also the Bay of Bengal

and beyond.

The region is overwhelming tribal, numbering

around 213 tribes speaking nearly 400 different

dialects. It originates out of confluence of people from

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East, West and North of Indo-Aryan, Austro-Asiatic and

Tibeto Burman culture.

It’s population is 40 million which represents

3.1% of the total Indian population. It is more

than the population of South Africa, Myanmar,

Argentina, Poland, Canada, Saudi Arabia, Australia and

Netherlands. The total area of North East is 2.62

lakhs sq. kms. i.e. about 8% of total of India’s

size and roughly 3/4 of the size of the State of

Maharashtra. It is larger than UK and almost equal to

Netherlands.

This is where the comparison ends and North

East’s all round backwardness takes over, despite

all the ingredients of prosperity. Tibet, our

immediate neighbour in the North has done much

better. With a population of 3 million and an area

of 1.2 million sq. Km., its GDP, according to

Chinese sources, is more than $ 13 billion with an

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annual increase of 12.1%. Although still affected

with socio-economic inequality, per capita income of

urban residents is $ 3722. An industry of US $ 2.7

billion, it welcomes 12 million tourists year on and

increasing. At another level, we are also

cognizant of the fact that not only roads, but

even Chinese railway lines are now touching

Nepal, Sikkim and Arunachal borders.

The economy of the region is essentially

agricultural. It is rich in biodiversity and flora and

fauna, but the infrastructural deficit is acute.

Among all the North Eastern states, only Assam

has an industrial base and elaborate transport

networks. It is the largest economy contributing about

60% of North East’s GDP. The state produces more

than 65% of country’s tea which is appreciated

globally for its aroma.

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Historical Perspective

The region enjoyed autonomy prior to the

British, with the presence of political systems

such as monarchy and chieftainship. Ancient

Assam was then ruled by Kamarupa kingdom

(4th-12th century), and by the Ahoms and other

chieftains during medieval times upto the 17th

century. During this period, Ahom-Mughal conflicts

took place, prominent being the Battle of Saraighat

(1671). It was followed by the Burmese invasion

of Assam in early 19th century, which was

followed by the colonial period. The process of

British rule in the North East began with the

Battle of Yandaboo on 24th February 1826, when

they drove out the Burmese from Assam.

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Initially, the British followed a policy of

isolation and non-interference. However, the

policy changed with the prospect for tea industry

and oil in Assam.

After 1826, the British made Assam a new

division of Bengal. In 1874, it became a province

of British India. Significantly, this new province

included the Sylhet region, which belonged to

Bengal. The British felt it practical to administer

Assam with the already educated Bengalis. This

was the genesis of movement to Assam from

Bengal.

Protection of economic interests was a key

factor leading to the annexation of the hill tribes.

Manipur and Tripura, which were princely states,

were reduced to subordinate status. Political

control over Nagaland was established in 1878.

Meghalaya was annexed in 1872-73, and

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Mizoram was brought under control in 1889.

Arunachal Pradesh was administered by an

Assistant Political Officer posted at Sadiya in

1882.

Coming to the 20th century, the region

witnessed the start of conflict in the form of

Insurgency. Political consciousness among the

Nagas began with the participation of a few

Nagas in World War I. As early as in 1918, the

Naga Club was formed. By 1929, the Naga

leaders had submitted a memorandum to the

Simon Commission asserting self-determination

of their own future. This was carried forward by

the educated elites, and eventually the Naga

National Council declared Independence on 14th

August 1947, under the leadership of Phizo.

In 1975, the famous Shillong Accord was

signed, by which a section of the NNC gave up

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arms. However, disgruntled factions formed the

National Socialist Council of Nagaland.

Subsequent tribal rivalries led to a split into the

NSCN (Isak-Muivah) and NSCN (Khaplang)

factions.

The spillover of Naga insurgency was seen

later in Manipur. Whereas in Assam and Tripura it

is attributed to influx from East Bengal (now

Bangladesh). Mizoram’s insurgency was

essentially due to neglect and deprivity.

There were something like 13 Peace Accords

which were signed between 1949 and 2005 in

the North East. Out of these, the Mizo Accord of

1986 is the outstanding success story.

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Causative factors (political and economic)

Various measures adopted by the British

sowed the seeds for the feeling of isolation and

exclusion amongst the North East tribals. The

most obvious of these was the Inner Line

Regulation. The Regulations restricted contact

between the hill tribes and the plainsmen, and also

aimed to curb clashes between the British subjects and

the tribals. This marked the beginning of isolation

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of the North East tribes. They became effectively

cut off from the political, economic and social

development in the rest of the country, including

most importantly, the National Freedom

Movement. Its adverse impact is felt even today

and is a big impediment in our economic

development.

Another development of immense

significance was the introduction of Christianity.

Prior to the British, the tribals were primarily

animists and worshipped different forces of

nature. The British missionaries introduced

Christianity in Mizoram, Nagaland, Meghalaya

and the hills of Manipur. They took great

initiatives in improving basic amenities, such as

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health and hygiene. The British introduced the

Roman script in Mizoram and Nagaland. Of

particular importance was the introduction of

education, as the newly educated elites would

play major roles in the formulation of ethnic

nationalism. Christianity fostered a sense of

difference from mainland India, which was seen

as primarily ‘Hindu’.

North East is ethnically, linguistically and

culturally very distinct from the other states of

India. Though cultural and ethnic diversity per se

are not causes for conflict, but one of the major

problem areas is that the Northeast is territorially

organized in such a manner that ethnic and

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cultural specificities are accentuated, giving rise

to discontentment and assertion of one’s identity.

Also, the colonial rulers took nearly a century to

annex the entire region, and administered the

hills as a loose ‘frontier area’, with the result,

large parts of the northeastern hill areas never

came in touch with the principle of a central

administration before.

Hence, their allegiance to the newly formed

Indian nation-state was lacking from the

beginning – accentuated by the creation of East

Pakistan (today’s Bangladesh) – which meant the

loss of a major chunk of the physical connection

between mainland India and Northeast India.

The partition of the sub-continent in 1947

inflicted damage to the economy of North East as

the rail, road and waterways which existed

throughout the colonial period, were closed one

after another.

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All these resulted in poverty, backwardness

and lack of good governance. It must be noted

that the GDP of North East pre-independence,

prior to the policy of economic exploitation and

migration from Bangladesh, was higher than that

of mainland India.

All these issues perhaps explain, through

briefly, the background of the “cause” – political,

economic and social.

What did we do

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The government has faced criticism in the

way in which it has been looking at the Northeast

as an issue of territorial security rather than

development per se. The fear of a growing

Chinese influence and inimical relation with

Bangladesh in the past have also cast their

shadow to reinforce this belief.

There is also a view that

politico-administrative arrangements made by

the Centre have also been lacking. For instance,

the introduction of the Sixth Schedule

Autonomous Councils ended up creating multiple

power centers instead of bringing in a genuine

process of democratization or autonomy in the

region. Consequently, there are ten such Councils in

the region and many more demanding such status.

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There have also been issues of political power

play, vested interests, and the militancy industry,

as also illegal migration from Bangladesh. All the

while, the centre of gravity also rested in Delhi,

with enormous dependance on Delhi for policies

and directions.

What we should do?

The region is one which is mired with

complex politico-economic issues. While factors

such as history, identity, ethnicity and various

others undoubtedly play significant roles, social

and economic upliftment of the region is our best

bet when it comes to finding a long-term

solution.

It may therefore also be pertinent to point

out certain socio-economic peculiarities to

understand the North East better.

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1. The politics of identity lie at the heart of the

bigger part of the current conflict constellations

in the Northeast. In this regard, the need of the

day is to change the narrative of States being

synonymous with ethnicity. Instead, these are to

be seen only as administrative boundaries.

2. A distinction must be drawn between

integration and assimilation. The old

apprehensions of the tribal societies must be put

to rest and I can do no better than quote

Mahatma Gandhi, who said, “I do not want my

house to be walled in on all sides and my

windows to be stuffed. I want the culture of all

lands to be blown about my house as freely as

possible. But I refuse to be an interloper, beggar

or slave.”

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3. The outcome of the amalgamation of a

multilingual, ethnic, cultural society is that the

people in the rest of the country or people in the

major parts of our country don’t understand their

social culture and vice versa. The net result is

reflectied in certain incidents of violence and their

criminal activities inflicted on the northeasterners by

misreading their food habits, dress code and liberal

social interaction between the genders. Certain

remedial measures in this regard have been

initiated, but more needs to be done.

4. The civil society in northeastern states has a

very strong tribal bond, which promotes a sense

of community wellbeing and is one of its

strengths. However, in those states which have

multi tribal societies, it is also a cause of conflict

and friction. Mizoram, my state, takes pride in

being peaceful and endowed with a vibrant

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society. It can be a model for many of our states

in the rest of the country as well.

5. Despite enjoying a very healthy climate and

nature’s bounty in abundance, basic health of the

people is of great concern. A large number of the

population, particularly the youth, suffer from

drug addition, alcoholism, HIV and so on. So,

preventive health care is a major issue and apart

from the modern medical facilities, we need to

look at traditional alternative resources of health

care, which this region has in plenty.

6. Although an agrarian society, the region is far

from self sufficient in food. Also, lack of

developed rural economy results in thinning out

from rural areas into the urban centres, which

creates a socio-economic imbalance.

7. One of the reasons for lack of

industrialization and major private investments

in the region is the restricted nature of the

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Industrial Policies of States. This will have to be

revisited, if the region has to realize its potential

and become the powerhouse of India.

8. The entire Northeast is under seismic Zone-V

and is prone to natural disaster; making

maintaining of ecological balance and

infrastructural safety including buildings,

absolutely necessary.

9. An economic powerhouse such as ours may

also actively develop the regions of these

countries bordering our Nation, which will play a

big role in stabilizing the border areas.

10. With regard to insurgency, the Union

Government has shown its willingness to enter

into dialogue with groups willing to abjure

violence and place their demands within the

framework of the Constitution.

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It is to the credit of the present government

that there is visible decline of insurgency in

recent times.

Box out – Act East :

In all, a regional perspective is required for

security and development, both being

synonymous with each other. Yet one size does

not fit all and specific causative factors of each

state should also be looked into. The huge

potential remains mostly untapped within North

East and its immediate neighbourhood. It is

awaiting to be explored. When unleashed, it will

be a game changer to say the least.

Let us look at each one of these and identify

the key result areas.

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a) Connectivity: The urgent need of the hour is

connectivity in all dimensions. Here, I must

mention that the flying time from Aizawl, which

is the capital of Mizoram, to Mandalay is of a

shorter duration than that of Aizawl to Kolkata or

Delhi. Accentuated by the emergence of East

Pakistan/Bangladesh and the security imperative of our

border with China, as also the need to break out into

South East Asia and beyond, demands construction of at

least 10,000 kms of roads and 5000 kms of railway

lines, reactivation/ development of waterways, airways

and digital network which will entail an investment of

more than a lakh crore of a rupees in the coming

years.

b) Energy: There is huge potential in terms of clean

energy. This region is surplus in power sector and huge

investments are being made to tap the hydro power in

particular.

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c) Agriculture: It is a paradox that this agrarian

society is not self sufficient in food. The areas requiring

investment and effort include encouragement of organic

farming, horticultural products, animal husbandry and

herbal resource. Cultivation of bamboo and palm are

also on the agenda.

d) Tourism: The region offers unique opportunities

in the field of eco-tourism and some other niche areas

including health resort.

All these will require a large amount of technical

and managerial capacity to implement the major

components of our Act East Policy. Alongside

effective border management, development of

human resource and marshalling of economic

potential of the region must be on priority. Only

then North East will ‘breakout’, so to say. It is

vital that the region is no longer be “boxed in”

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and breaks out both within and without, South

East Asia and beyond included.

Conclusion

This brings me to the end of my talk. May I

conclude by reiterating that all round development of

North East is a prerequisite to our success in the

‘Act East’ endeavour. It is truly the backbone of

Act East policy. We have to seize the opportunity

of building regional connectivity, and recognize

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that today’s opportunity may not present itself in

future. Let us identify the gaps in each segment

of development during the question-answer

session, which follows my talk.

More importantly, our record of poor

implementation, has to be broken. I am happy to

inform that a lot is happening in this regard. The

change is palpable. North East is getting its due.

You have one /two Cabinet Ministers visiting the

States every month. The NE Council and MEA are

interacting. The centre of gravity is gradually

shifting to the North East. But as Robert Frost

would say, “We have miles to go before we

sleep.”

In that, I urge the budding professionals like

you to explore North East more closely and

become the torch bearers of development. You

will have to make and work on new tools of

management to draw on the emerging canvas of

the North East. In that geostrategic and social

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factors have to be taken into account to write a

new narrative for a new India!

Ladies and gentlemen, I have made an

attempt to arouse your curiosity about the North

East and point out the opportunities that beckon

you. I have no doubts that you will pick up the

gauntlet and do us proud. For a start, I invite you

to the North East – a land of opportunities.

To conclude, I can do no better than quote

Swami Vivekanand, who said “Arise! awake! and

stop not until the goal is reached”.

Thank you, ladies and gentlemen for your

attention.

Jai Hind