NE & Viksit Bharat

The Northeastern region, the true sentinel of India, is gradually shifting from the margins to the central core of the nation's progress. As India forges ahead toward becoming a developed nation, the Northeast's immense potential in areas of connectivity, tourism, energy, and human capital is being increasingly recognized as foundational to the vision of Viksit Bharat 2047. One must always remember that the Northeast has remained largely neglected during successive Congress regimes since independence and has figured in New Delhi's priority list only in the last decade or so. Today it is literally propelling India's growth and national security as the central core of the Viksit Bharat journey. Several strategic pillars are facilitating this development. From the strategic viewpoint, the region serves as the physical and diplomatic anchor for India's Act East Policy by connecting the subcontinent to the rapidly expanding Southeast Asian markets. Number two: as a sentinel, the region's border security, robust infrastructure, and sovereign defences are vital for maintaining regional stability. Massive improvements in the region's railway, road, and digital networks have significantly reduced travel and transmission times and linked remote areas. This has positioned the region as a critical trade and supply chain hub. It is in this backdrop that Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Friday said that the Northeast is entering a decisive phase of development where stronger institutions, implementation capacity and partnerships are as important as investments. She was delivering the keynote address in a two-day conference organized by the Department of Economic Affairs, Ministry of Finance, in Shillong. Several policymakers, state government officers, representatives of multilateral development banks, bilateral agencies and development practitioners took part in this conference to deliberate on strategies for enhancing the effectiveness of externally aided projects and accelerating inclusive and sustainable growth across the region. Sitharaman outlined several key enablers that will shape the next phase of development in the region and also underlined the importance of leadership. Alignment between the Centre and the States immensely helps accelerate development outcomes and strengthens public confidence, she said. Another area which she laid stress on was the need to strengthen institutional capacity for effective planning, implementation, monitoring and service delivery. Pointing at the region's demographic strengths, she rightfully described the Northeast's youth, entrepreneurial energy and women leaders as key drivers of growth. She highlighted that the vast opportunities for private investment in sectors such as tourism, logistics, agribusiness, food processing, renewable energy, digital services, manufacturing, and the orange economy could significantly impact the region's growth. However, it is essential to educate the region's youth about the current needs so that they can become the most significant and genuine stakeholders in the Viksit Bharat 2047 journey. It is for the colleges and universities of the region to take the initiative. Simply teaching from textbooks is not enough. The future is in the hands of the young people.