Prime Minister of India - Dr. Manmohan Singh

Prime Minister's address to the North Eastern Council

"I have great pleasure in being present at this first session of the reconstituted North Eastern Council that is now the statutory Planning Body for the North Eastern Region. I wish I could go to the NE Region for this, but the time-constraint stood in the way. The initiative for shaping the future course of this highly vital region's social and economic development is in the hands of this august body. I wish it well in its endeavours.

The North-Eastern Region is my second home. Over the past two decades, as a representative of the region in the Rajya Sabha, I have become its adopted son. The unbounded love, regard and affection shown to me by its people is indeed overwhelming. I cannot repay this in this life-time. It is a small token of my gratitude that I have taken personal interest in revitalizing the North Eastern Council, so that we can ensure an integrated and holistic development of the region.

Thanks to natural and locational advantages, the North-Eastern Region has great potential. Income-levels of rural families can be substantially enhanced practically on a mass scale by harnessing the vast readily available potential in the field of agriculture, horticulture, medicinal and aromatic herbs and bamboo, water and wind-power and minerals, to name just a few sectors. Given the economic and geographical size of the States of this region, a regional approach to development has great merit. I sincerely hope the North-east comes together as a single whole, dedicated to the entire region's economic, social development and prosperity.

The NEC was established to provide this integrated, holistic, regional perspective to development. It was meant to focus on issues having a larger regional relevance. As a mini-Planning Commission for the North East, it was meant to capture the externalities that are there in a regional approach to development, particularly of physical and human infrastructure. It was expected to provide the necessary regional perspective to all development programmes planned for the North East. It was also meant to be a body that would develop the necessary capabilities to provide project design, formulation and implementation assistance to State Governments to enable them to implement large projects. In addition, the NEC was to have focused on both development and security, given the intrinsic link between the two.

However, I think, we must recognize that the NEC has not fully lived up to these expectations. Rather, it has become a fund disbursing body, mechanically allocating whatever little resources it has among the States. I regret a lot of effort still needs to be done to revitalize this body and make it capable of fulfilling its original and now, reinforced mandate. The security dimension has been almost completely ignored in its activities in the past, we cannot afford to do so in the future.

NEC has been reconstituted in a manner that facilitates the discharge of the heavy responsibility placed on its shoulders. Given the composition of the NEC, there should no longer be occasion for anyone to complain about delays in processing, getting approvals or in the decision-making process. With the concerned Member of the Planning Commission as one of the three nominated Members of NEC, there ought to be total synergy between this Regional Planning Body and the National Planning Commission. The other two full-time nominated Members, with their vast experience, expertise, long association with the Region and understanding of its problems, will no doubt contribute considerably not only in the policy-making functions but also in ensuring that implementation is efficient, effective, expeditious, economical and in perfect coordination with the Central Ministries and the State Governments.

The first requirement then, is to have a holistic Road-map covering the various sectors, for all to see. I am happy that the Chairman is getting an Action Plan made out for formulating a Vision Document with a 15-year perspective, the NER�2020. I am also pleased that this Vision Document will be drafted with the involvement of different sections of the People. It should be perceived as a People's Plan. This approach would also be in tune with the strong traditions of self-governance in the North Eastern Region. Intelligent involvement of the youth, especially university students and faculty for various items of the Planning exercise, would give them a glimpse of the future being planned for them. They should develop faith in the Vision and see constructive avenues being made available to them.

Development and security should go hand in hand. Given the collective wisdom of the Region, the NEC is in a good position to synergise developmental goals and efforts with security needs. The suggestion made in the Revitalisation Report with the consent of the Home Ministry should be carefully studied.

One problem may be lack of in-house Planning expertise in NEC. The answer may lie in extending the philosophy of people's involvement to outsourcing of talent for the purpose. All the necessary talent and expertise is now available largely in the Region itself, ready to be harnessed by NEC. Formulations presented by them may be indeed more acceptable to the people. Also involvement of outsourced experts, academics, civil society groups, panchayats, urban bodies and community organizations in concurrent monitoring and evaluation functions can improve accountability. We all complain about the problem of leakages in most of our development projects. In some ways this problem is more acute in the North Eastern region. I sincerely believe that stoppage on preventing or controlling these leakages should be an important concern of process of governance, of course, in the rest of country but particularly in the North Eastern region.

Development of human resource available in North Eastern Region needs to be taken up on the highest priority. Upgrading of skills of the work-force, as are relevant to the area, may be taken up in the vicinity. In this convention, I should point out that teaching of science and mathematics in many North Eastern States happens to be a very weak point and the result is we are producing students, graduates who do not possess employable skill. Therefore, redesigning of the educational map of the North Eastern Region should assume a priority concern of this Council as well. The problems of weak educational base are particularly acute in areas administered by District Autonomous Council. I do not think that falls within the purview of this council, but a holistic planning of education, vocational skills is essential if we have to provide to the youth of the North Eastern Region enough opportunities for gainful employment. S&T inputs at the grass-root level would be needed to improve quality, cut costs and add to the variety of products. Simultaneously the marketing chain has to be developed. Value addition at the primary local level will enhance income at the family level and provide financial security and a sense of psychological satisfaction. That would also give them the confidence to borrow from banks for upgrading their enterprise and make timely repayments from profits. That would lead to sustainability of the enterprise. Credit-deposit ratio in the North Eastern Region has characteristically been low for a large number of years. This has to change. That means that there must be enough viable projects in the development planning for the region. Of course, avenues of marketing would have to be developed to complete the chain particularly when we are talking of resource base industries, agro processing and all that.

I suggest, NEC may like to visualize and plan Growth Centres with easy connectivity to market centres, catalyzing and imparting of marketing skills, streamlining procedures, and easing of local problems that discourage raw entrepreneurs.

Full advantage may be taken of the Look East policy of the Government of India. ASEAN markets provide big opportunities for NER, particularly in areas such as promotion of horticulture, floriculture and medicinal herbs. Affinity in the cultural background will make our products acceptable and saleable once the land connectivity is improved. Air connectivity could also be considered when the need arises. Potential Sectors in this regard are IT, tourism, mine & minerals, gas, oil, downstream industries, education and health services, etc. The collective wisdom of NEC is in the best position to take a holistic view at the regional level and catalyse the implementation of Government policies in liaison with the concerned Ministries.

I am confident that as the Planning Body for the North Eastern Region, the NEC will be able to engage the people in profitable and creative endeavours, creating in them a vested interest in the maintenance of law and order and public peace so that they could continue to prosper and thus lead the Region on the road to progress, peace and prosperity.

The North-East stands today at the cusp of a new wave of development, peace and prosperity. I want to assure the people of this region that our Government will always be with them, and remain firmly committed to their welfare and progress. I wish the NEC all success in its deliberations."