The other day I witnessed a very touchy scene in a prelude to 'kaun banega Crorepati' on an Indian TV channel where Amitabh Bacchan asks a girl hailing from NE India the name of the the country where Kohima is located. The girl feigns ignorance and opts for audience poll. The spectators express surprise over her ignorance. Amitabh Bacchan conducts the audience poll and apprises her that 100% audience has opted for India. The girl replies, "jaante to sab hain par maante kitne hain"? Well, this appears to be the perception of my country men about the 7 north eastern states of India, more popularly known as the 7 sisters. They have always lagged behind in the race for development in the Indian Union for the reasons best known to its political masters. As far as development is concerned, even the state of J&K, where majority of Indian legislations do not even apply, is also way ahead.
It is not that these states do not possess the potential for development but because of the apathy and neglect over the years they have remained under developed. As a result, people have taken up arms against the State. Militancy which started in early 60's is still thriving, though at a its low ebb. The entire region is culturally very rich, beautiful and full of untapped resources. Some of the most beautiful places form part of the region. Mokokchung in Nagaland is so beautiful that it is known as 'Paris of the East'. Mizoram is a state known for music, guitar and care free life. Manipur is known for sports whereas, Towang in Arunachal Pradesh is known for its Monastries. Meghalaya possesses some of the most beautiful scenic spots in the country. No tribe in the country can match the natural instincts of Konyaks, inhabitants of Mon district of Nagaland. Village heads in Nagaland are known as Angs. They still maintain village museums where human skulls are preserved. Head hunting, as a result of tribal rivalary, was prevalent in these areas till late 90's. Hence, these areas are a world by themselves. The entire region possesses tremendous untapped potential for tourism. The Centre and the states together can convert the region in to a beautiful tourist destination which will bring in much needed revenue in to the region.
It needs to be examined seriously as to why the entire NE region has remained backward even after 67 years of Indian independance. Low priority for the region set by the Central Govt and indifferent attitude of the State Govts appear to be the main contributing factor towards this. Other reasons responsible for under development are the remoteness of the area, inclement weather, corruption and militancy. It would be shocking to note that locals in some of these areas have to walk for miles to fetch basic neccesities like salt. For medical facilities too, they have to travel long distances. In majority of these areas black top roads though, exist on paper but on ground you will hardly find foot tracks.
With increasing Chinese threat on our northern frontier and Modi govt at the Centre, it is expected that NE states of Indian Union will see a better future. India off course can not progress without taking NE states on board. Recent Union budget which talks about infrastrure development in the border areas appears to be a positive step towards this. Let us pray it becomes a reality.
It is not that these states do not possess the potential for development but because of the apathy and neglect over the years they have remained under developed. As a result, people have taken up arms against the State. Militancy which started in early 60's is still thriving, though at a its low ebb. The entire region is culturally very rich, beautiful and full of untapped resources. Some of the most beautiful places form part of the region. Mokokchung in Nagaland is so beautiful that it is known as 'Paris of the East'. Mizoram is a state known for music, guitar and care free life. Manipur is known for sports whereas, Towang in Arunachal Pradesh is known for its Monastries. Meghalaya possesses some of the most beautiful scenic spots in the country. No tribe in the country can match the natural instincts of Konyaks, inhabitants of Mon district of Nagaland. Village heads in Nagaland are known as Angs. They still maintain village museums where human skulls are preserved. Head hunting, as a result of tribal rivalary, was prevalent in these areas till late 90's. Hence, these areas are a world by themselves. The entire region possesses tremendous untapped potential for tourism. The Centre and the states together can convert the region in to a beautiful tourist destination which will bring in much needed revenue in to the region.
It needs to be examined seriously as to why the entire NE region has remained backward even after 67 years of Indian independance. Low priority for the region set by the Central Govt and indifferent attitude of the State Govts appear to be the main contributing factor towards this. Other reasons responsible for under development are the remoteness of the area, inclement weather, corruption and militancy. It would be shocking to note that locals in some of these areas have to walk for miles to fetch basic neccesities like salt. For medical facilities too, they have to travel long distances. In majority of these areas black top roads though, exist on paper but on ground you will hardly find foot tracks.
With increasing Chinese threat on our northern frontier and Modi govt at the Centre, it is expected that NE states of Indian Union will see a better future. India off course can not progress without taking NE states on board. Recent Union budget which talks about infrastrure development in the border areas appears to be a positive step towards this. Let us pray it becomes a reality.
No comments:
Post a Comment