Summary: New India @ 75 - Part 2
Ch 36: The North-East Region | Reading time - 4 mins
The Strategy for New India @ 75 put together by NITI Ayog is an attempt to bring innovation, technology, enterprise and efficient management together, at the core of policy formulation and implementation.
It will encourage discussion and debate and invite feedback for further refining our policy approach. We believe that economic transformation cannot happen without public participation. Development must become a Jan Andolan
- Prime Minister’s Foreword in the New India @ 75 report
Welcome back to the second part of the New India @ 75 report summary. If you missed the first part, you could check it here.
Question for You
What specific concepts have been highlighted in the above words of the PM?
(Answer at the end)
Ch 36. The North-East Region (NER)
Like in the previous chapter about balanced regional development, this chapter is focused on the NER. Take a look at the per capita Net state domestic product of the eight states in NER.
Some points to note from the report:
The heterogeneity among the NE states is noteworthy and calls for a state-specific development approach. [ Need for customised development plans ]
According to the Sikkim Human Development Report 2014, Sikkim
increased its social sector spending from 23 per cent of total expenditure in 2001 to 37 per cent in 2012-13.The female labour force participation rate in Sikkim is 40 per cent compared to the national average of 26 per cent.
Furthermore, according to the National Family Health Survey - 4,4 all states in the NER except Assam have a lower mortality rate for under-fives than the national average.
Lastly, Sikkim was recently declared India’s first fully organic state.
Major constraints for development in NER
The major constraints hampering economic growth in the NER are:
Inadequate infrastructure in terms of limited air, rail and road connectivity.
Under-utilization of available natural resources
Safety and security-related issues.
Difficulties in the transfer of land on lease to entrepreneurs.
Government Initiatives in NER
Way Forward
While the NER region is strategically important in terms of location and natural resources, effective steps have to be taken to overcome the constraints and ensure the development of the region.
Need for a targeted strategy involving the convergence of all the departments [ Whole of the government approach; Abstain from working in silos; Systems Theory]
Document and share best practices across the region.
To improve the inadequate connectivity in NER, the following steps can be taken:
Initiate transit treaties for the NER and its neighbouring countries
Expedite ongoing projects such as Kaladan Multi-Modal Transit Transport Project, the India-Myanmar-Thailand Trilateral Highway etc
Agartala-Akhaura rail project → 15 km long railway line reduces the distance between Kolkatta and Agartala by 1200 Km!!!
Design attractive rehabilitation and resettlement (R&R) packages to ensure successful completion of hydropower projects. This can be done through increased participation of local government bodies to understand the concerns of the people.
Answer to above question
In the words of the PM shared at the beginning of this article, we can connect the following concepts:
Policy formulation and implementation
3E approach: Efficiency, Effectiveness and Economy in administration
Good Governance → Public participation
Double feedback loop
Development dynamics: “Development must become Jan Andolan” [Use these same words while writing your answers].
Decentralised planning for economic development and social justice
E-Governance: Role of technology and innovation in administration and governance
When you get questions related to any of the above topics, you can mention that PM has emphasised about this concept in the New India @ 75 report.
P.S: If you have just started out your preparation, some of the above concepts might feel like aliens 👽 to you. Don’t get stressed out by them. Over time as you keep reading these concepts in the context of the examples shared you will understand them.
If you don’t understand any specific point mentioned in our articles, feel free to ask about it in the comments. We will try our best to explain. I firmly belive that there are aspirants who know much more than us reading these. They can also pitch in and share their opinion.
NOTE: There is nothing like a silly question. Each of us has been through these stages. It is only a matter of time and effort.
