From Make in India to Make in NE : Opening the eastern doors
- The Sangai Express Editorial :: January 22, 2015 -

From Look East to Act East. From Make in India to Make to Make in North East (India).

Special recruitment drive of North East youth in Delhi Police and the BJP led NDA Government in Delhi certainly seems to have come around to the idea that in any effort to bolster ties with countries in South East Asia, the North Eastern States cannot be overlooked.

Not that the BJP is the first political party to have realised the geographical importance of the North East region for the Look East policy was enunciated more than two decades back long before the BJP came to power at Delhi.

However what is important to note is the seeming seriousness of the BJP led Government to look eastward towards countries like Myanmar, Thailand and others.

It is here that the Make in North East initiative enunciated by DoNER Minister Dr Jitendra Singh gain prominence.

Call it co-incidence, but it is nonetheless wonderful that just as Dr Singh was announcing the Make in North East initiative at Delhi, Secretary of the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, V Chibber assessed the proposed bus service between Imphal and Mandalay.

India, it seems is ready to start the bus service and only a formal communication from Myanmar is awaited.

It is against this backdrop that March has been tentatively fixed as the deadline for the international bus service to kick off.

The effort to open the eastern gateway is unmistakable and it is something which should be welcomed by all.

However it is important for Delhi to keep in mind that whatever gains that may accrue from such an initiative, the benefits should percolate down to the local people, that is the people of the North East.

Will not make much sense if the people are deprived of the benefits that are sure to come from such a policy.

This is where the State Governments of the region will have to chart out their respective policies.

Manipur in particular will have to have the imagination and the sincerity to fully maximise the benefits likely to accrue from the Act East policy of the Government of India.

Has the State Government or Imphal drawn up a plan to ensure that the benefits reach the people here ?

No doubt the road or National highway linking Imphal and Moreh, the border town on the Indo-Myanmar border has seen rapid improvement in the last couple of years.

However roadways may not be the only answer to maximise the benefits that will come.

Has the State Government really studied the significance of Prime Minister Modi’s address to the Association of South East Asian Nations sometime back ?

Has the State Government charted out any plans to develop Moreh to befit the status of a trading hub ?

Policies can be made, agreements can be inked, but what ultimately matters is how well is the Government prepared to let the benefits seep down to the people.

Ideally the State Government should have been ready a long time back, for the Look East policy is not something which has been cooked up recently.

Remains to be seen whether India’s decision to look and act eastward will really benefit the local people here or not.

The Centre seems serious about doing something about the North East. The only question is whether the State Governments are ready.