By Dipankar Borah
“If the western region of the country can develop, if other regions of the country can develop, I see no reason why the North East region of the country cannot develop. I am also convinced that India can move forward if all the regions develop including the North East region. The North East region is also very important to us for strategic reasons. And it is my conviction that we have to bring this region at par with the other developed regions of the country.”
– Prime Minister Narendra Modi while addressing the 65th Plenary Council Meeting, May 2016
Seeing the immense possibilities, cultural strengths and natural resources of the region Prime Minister, Narendra Modi termed the eight States of the region as ‘Ashta Lakshmi.’ This is an inspiration for the states to grow at a faster pace.
The role of NEC is changing over the decades from Advisory body to Nodal Agency to Regional Planning body etc. But, the primary goal remains the same – to accelerate the pace of socio-economic development of the region so that all the States of Northeast may enjoy growth parity with the rest of the country by focusing on connectivity, capacity building, resource and skill based industry, trade and tourism, harnessing cultural strengths and creativity with massive investments. To understand the role of NEC at present and for future development, we must know the history of NEC and its great achievements over the past decades in the Northeastern region.
History at a Glance
North Eastern Council (NEC) was established by an Act of the Parliament in 1971 (Act no. 84 of 1971) and its formal inauguration on 7th November, 1972 at Shillong, Meghalaya by the then Prime Minister (late) Mrs Indira Gandhi, marked the beginning of a new chapter of concerted and planned endeavor on the part of the North Eastern region consisting of the states of Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland and Tripura. The national leaders in their wisdom, decided to reorganize the North Eastern region, and to constitute a regional body styled as North Eastern Council, to look after the common economic interests of the different States of the region. The constitution of the North Eastern Council in 1972, may therefore be described as one of the most significant events in the direction of planned and co-ordinated development of the north eastern region as a whole.
North Eastern Council (Amendment) Act, 2002 (68 of 2002) came into force with effect from 26th June, 2003 and the main features of the Act are:
i) Sikkim included in NEC
ii) President of India to nominate Chairman
iii) Three additional members are to be nominated by the President of India
iv) NEC to function as the Regional Planning Body for NER instead of Regional Advisory Body.
The first Chairman of NEC was B.K. Nehru and the first Secretary of NEC was D.K. Bhattacharjee. The first Plenary Meeting of NEC was held on the day of inauguration itself and the second plenary session was held on 22nd July, 1973.
Development across North Eastern region
Since its inception, the council has made significant contributions to the cause of the socio-economic development of the North Eastern region in its capacity as an Advisory body and later as a Planning body. The NEC has always worked in close coordination with the State Governments and other implementing agencies for the success of development efforts undertaken by it. The NEC has worked towards the goal of development not only through State Government and NGOs but also through various Central Government organizations (like the BRO etc.) and its own associate organizations (like the RIPAN, the RIMS, LGBRIMH, NEPA, NEEPCO, NESAC, NERAMAC, the IFAD, NERCRMS and other projects) that cater to the needs of the NER as a whole. Till now, with the funding of NEC more than 11500 kms of Roads have been constructed and supported in the installation of more than 694 MW of power generating capacity and also constructed 2540 kms of transmission and distribution lines. NEC has also taken up the improvement of infrastructure of 5 major airports in the region – Guwahati, Dibrugarh, Jorhat, Imphal and Umroi, Meghalaya in collaboration with the Airport Authority of India. The council has also undertaken and completed Eleven Inter-State Bus Terminus (ISBT) projects and Four Inter-State Truck Terminus (ISTT)projects across different States to ease out interstate movement of people.
Over the past five decades, NEC has been instrumental in setting in motion a new economic endeavor aimed at removing the basic handicaps that stood in the way of normal development and ushering in an era of new hope in this part of the country with full of great potentialities. Some of the landmark achievements and developments of NEC across the region during these years listed below.
1) Regional Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS), Imphal, Manipur, 1972
2) Dr B Borooah Cancer Institute (BBCI), Guwahati, Assam, 1974
3) North Eastern Electrical Power Corporation (NEEPCO),Shillong, Meghalaya, 1976
4) Regional College of Nursing, Guwahati, Assam, 1977
5) North Eastern Handicraft and Handlooms Development Corporation (NEHHDC), Guwahati, Assam, 1977
6) North Eastern Police Academy (NEPA), Shillong, Meghalaya, 1978
7) Regional Institute of Pharmaceuticals Science & Technology (RIPSAT), Agartala, Tripura, 1979
8) North Eastern Regional Agricultural Marketing Corporation (NERAMAC), Guwahati, Assam, 1982
9) Regional Dental College, Guwahati, Assam, 1982
10) North Eastern Regional Institute of Science & Technology (NERIST), Itanagar, Arunachal Pradesh, 1984
11) Koliabhomora Bridge, the second bridge over river Brahmaputra connecting Tezpur and Nagaon, 1987
12) North Eastern Regional Institute of Water and Land Management (NERIWALM), Tezpur, Assam, 1989
13) Lokapriya Gopinath Bordoloi Regional Institute of Mental Health (LGBRIMH), Tezpur, Assam, 1999
14) North Eastern Space Application Centre (NESAC), Umiam, Meghalaya, 2000
15) Cane and Bamboo Technology Centre (CBTC) currently known as North Eastern Cane and Bamboo Development Council (NECBDC), Byrnihat, Meghalaya, 2004
16) North Eastern Tourism Development Council (NETDC), Shillong, Meghalaya, 2016
17) Dr APJ Abdul Kalam Policy Research and Analysis, IIM Shillong, Meghalaya, 2016
18) Girl’s Hostel for NER Students, Bangalore University, Bangalore, 2019 and the list goes on.
Much has been done; much more needs to be done
In 2016, during the 65th NEC Plenary Session held at Shillong, Hon’ble Prime Minister of India Shri Narendra Modi expressed the views regarding northeastern region of India and termed it as ‘Ashta Lakshmi’ and suggested to focus more on the development of the region. The role of NEC in this regard is very significant and can be a unique mechanism in the development of this part of the country. In regard to that recently, Prime Minister Modi also announced a special development scheme named PM-devINE (Prime Minister’s Development Initiative for North East) to accelerate the pace of development in the region.
As Vice-Chairman of NEC and Hon’ble Minister, Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region (MDoNER) Shri G. Kishan Reddy has said in the 70th Plenary meeting held at Assam Administrative Staff College, Guwahati – this is the Amrit Kaal of North Eastern Region to grow at par with other parts of the country or even exceed that, but the tasks which still lie ahead continue to be difficult and challenging. Despite all the progress that has been made over the last 50 years, the North Eastern region of India still needs to do more considering it has enormous potential. A lot has been done but a lot more has to be done.
(The writer is Librarian, North Eastern Council)