Paradigms for development & peace
- Hueiyen Lanpao Editorial :: August 25 2015 -

Few years back some self acclaimed keen watchers of Northeast India have noted that the development of “underdevelopment” in the region was primarily due to the reluctance or the “non-intervention” of Indian corporate bodies to create a favourable business environment in the region.

While not probing further deep into the validity of this type of views, one can see that the belief in such observation has been primarily triggered by a premeditated alignment of the necessities and pigeonholing all development projects within the paradigm of capital animated globalization.

The reason attributed to the cause of underdevelopment in the region has been not aimed at dissuading the flow of global capital into the region but it is one of the many ways to magnetize national corporate bodies or multinational companies or even foreign financial institutions to invest in the region.

With Narendra Modi led Government’s renewed vigour in infusing fuel to what has now been called Act East Policy, the national corporate bodies, multinational companies or even foreign financial institutions will be tempted to come to the region.

It should however be noted that the interests of these corporate entities are not necessarily spawned out of the Government of India’s effort on charting a new pathway.

Over the years, many of these entities have noted that the region is rich in mineral and natural resources apart from burgeoning human resource pool with huge potentials.

Unlike conjectured in the past, the Government of India has not actually withdrawn from its assumed role albeit the difference in the totality of objectives.

If one sees the current obsession of the Northeast States with hydro power projects, tourism and hospitality sectors, it can be easily assumed that the Government of India will eventually serve as protectors of the corporate and global bodies even if there are chances for few qualified local entities.

This would fulfill the interests of Centre over and peripheries despite persisting differences as to how the resources of the region are to be extracted, developed and used.

Towards the legitimization of the process, there has been repeated emphasis given on peace as a requisite for development.

Here, it should be noted that the forms of peace sought by the people of the region has been qualitatively different from the one overstressed by the Centre.