Institutional Framework for Development of North-East India: The Role of the North-Eastern Council
| Date | 01 October 2016 |
| Published date | 01 October 2016 |
| Author | Lalnundika Hnamte,Ivaturi Ramabrahmam |
| DOI | 10.1177/0019556120160412 |
| Subject Matter | Article |
INSTITUTIONAL FRAMEWORK FOR
DEVELOPMENT OF NORTH-EAST INDIA: THE
ROLE OF THE NORTH-EASTERN COUNCIL
IVATURI RAMABRAHMAM AND LALNUNDIKA HNAMTE
The North-Eastern Region
(NER),
in
the decades following
the independence
of
India, was
faced
with administrative
challenges including socio-economic. backwardness, huge
infrastructural gap with mainland India, regionalism
and
insurgent movements
for
independence.
With
the emergence
of
new political units as a result
of
the reorganisation
of
the
region, the North-Eastern Council (NEC) was created by
an
Act
of
Parliament
in
1971
to
act
as
an
intergovernmental organ
and to coordinate the constituent units towards a planned
development. This article also analyses how this institution
can be made more efficient and vibrant.
INTRODUCTION
THE
NORTH-EASTERN
Region
(NER)
or
simply
North-East
is
a
conglomeration
of
the eight States
of
Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur,
Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim and Tripura. It covers an area
of
about 2.6 lakh sq.
km
with a population
of
a little over 39 million.
It
is
composed
of
some 475 ethnic groups and sub-groups, speaking over 400
languages/dialects. The region covers about 7.98 per cent
of
the country's
total geographical area and accounts for as little as around 3.79 per cent
of
India's total population.1 The
~orth-East
region shares international borders
with China in the north, Bhutan in the west, Bangladesh in the east and
Burma in the south and no part oflndia occupies such an important strategic
location as the NER. The region, however, is connected to mainland India
only
by
the 27
km
Siliguri land corridor, the so-called "Chicken-Neck".2
Prior to India's Independence in 194 7, the whole
of
present North-East
was a part
of
Assam except Manipur, Tripura and Sikkim. Manipur and
Tripura were princely states that became Part C States under the Constitution
of
India to
be
administered
by
the Central Government through
Chief
Commissioners or Lieutenant Governors. Sikkim was an independent
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Himalayan kingdom and is not even directly linked with the rest
ofNorth-
Eastem states.
It
joined India
in
1975 and became a part
of
the 'seven sister
states' only since its inclusion in the North-Eastern Council (NEC) in 2002.
Why the North-Eastern Council?
With the independence
oflndia,
the issue
of
administration
of
the tribal
areas
of
North-East came as a challenge as the region was already affected
by politics
of
regionalism. A constitutional provision in the form
of
the Sixth
Schedule was created for the administration
of
these tribal areas. The Sixth
Schedule is referred to in Articles 244(2) and 275(1)
of
the Constitution
of
India and includes provisions for the administration
of
the Tribal Areas
in the States
of
Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura and Mizoram.
It
provided
for a District Council for an autonomous district and a Regional Council
for an autonomous region. These Councils are endowed with a certain
degree
of
legislative, executive, judicial, and financial powers. The Sixth
Schedule, however, did not resolve the regionalist demands
of
the region.
Underdevelopment, especially poor governance, corruption, unemployment
and low economic achievements sustain conditions for insurgency and
alienation in the region. Politically, the region has undergone phases
of
insurgencies and ethnic conflicts, and reorganisation
of
the present North-
Eastern states took place till the late 1980s. Nagaland was the first and A.Z.
Phizo declared independence as early as August 15, 1947, and under his
leadership, the Naga National Council (NNC) organised a plebiscite on the
question
of
being independent or remaining in India on May 16, I 95 I .
3
As
a matter
of
fact, Nagaland gradually attained statehood in 1963 to
b_ecome
the first Indian state that
is
not carved out on the basis
of
linguistic lines.
The Hill State Movement soon followed. The Mizo national movement
spearheaded by the Mizo National Front (MNF) also followed suit in I 966.
The process for the reorganisation
of
the region took place till 1987. Due
to these, the
NER
is often perceived
as
a region
of
conflicts and tensions.
The
NER
is also economically backward in comparison to the rest
of
the country. Owing to its lack
of
infrastructure and poor governance
coupled with low productivity and access to market (both domestic and
international), this region has remained as one
of
the most backward regions
of
the country. Some
of
the challenges are: "inadequate development ofbasic
developmental infrastructure; geographical isolation and difficult terrain
that reduces mobility; high rainfall and recurring flood in the Brahmaputra
valley; lack
of
capital formation and
proper
enterprise-climate; slow
technology spread; absence
of
a supporting market structure and adequate
institutional finance structure and low level
of
private sector investment"
.
4
The North-Eastern States have primarily depended on central funding for
their developmental works. They were given the status
of
Special Category
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