Go back as empowered people, DoNER Minister advises JNU students
Source: The Sangai Express / Ninglun Hanghal

New Delhi, March 02 2015: DoNER Minister Dr Jitender Singh today urged NE students studying at JNU to go back to their respective States after their studies as empowered NE youth rather than a typical "brand JNU" who stay put in Delhi.

"You should go back as JNU empowered youth, but not as a brand, that will alienate you from your own people " he told a large gathering of scholars, academics and faculty members, comprising mainly of North East.

The Minister was speaking at a round table discussion on "Unfolding Development Potential of NE region - Sustainability and Policy Perspective" organized by JNU in collaboration with the Ministry.

On a positive note, the Minister acknowledged that out of the 8000 strong JNU students, 512 are from the North East States which he say is significant and remarkable.

"The academic potential of North East is under exploited" said the DoNER Minister.

Singh told the gathering that North East students in JNU should have the liberty and freedom to choose what they want to learn and study, underlining that there should be no intellectual diktat.

"NE students must study what subject they want, not what they are told by some one from South East country or somebody from elsewhere," said the Minister.

The Minister also stated that things are not as bad as it is projected by the media which he says only reports on crimes and negative news, be it in the region or in metro cities.

Talking of various initiatives that the Ministry is taking up after the new Government came to power, Dr Jitender Singh mentioned that the DoNER Ministry will collaborate with JNU - North East Study Programmes in various academic levels and research.

He also assured that a NE hostel will be completed soon.

On the matter of funds being unutilized or utilized elsewhere, the Minister while admitting that it is a major concern stated that in terrorism affected areas, many a times, funds go into the wrong hands.

In the recent Budget presented by the Union Finance Minister an amount of Rs 2362.74 crore is allocated for the development of NE, Singh told the gathering.

" A film institute will be set up in Arunachal Pradesh," said Singh.

An innovative plan was also announced by the Minister, where a moving capital in the lines of J and K was proposed.

A DoNER camp Secretariat will be rotated among the eight States.

The much hyped Look East policy that has been re-termed Act East is a fancy word used in several context said the Minister.

'"But how far have we acted ?" asked the Minister and added "to act east we have to act within the borders." Talking of assimilation, the Minister underlined the diversity of the country and the region.

He urged JNU to look beyond academic confines and hold events around "diversity within diversity" where NE is in itself a diverse region with diverse forms of conflicts and strategies and even weapons, he said.

Prof SK Sopory, VC - JNU in his address stated that various programs under the North East Study Programme have been initiated in the field of social sciences, environment, language, culture, international studies.

With the continued rise in crime against people from North East in Delhi, recently a counselling and support centre have been set up with one faculty member as a nodal officer, said the Vice Chancellor Bhagat Oinam , former Director of the North East Study Programme, JNU in his presentation underlined the need to change the security paradigm of development in NE and the welfare approach of development packages.

He also mentioned that there is a disconnect between the academics and the Government, which he said should engage each other.

In the same line of negative portrayal of the region and its people, Oinam stated that while the people of NE are only seen as employed in hospitality sector and security guards in metro cities there are several NE youth in the IT sector, teaching etc.

Oinam further mentioned that the proposed North East hostel will not be an exclusive hostel for the NE students but will also cater to students from other parts of the country as well.

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