Need to Empower Ethnic Minorities in North East: Tarun Gogoi

July 15, 2013

Guwahati: One way of containing insurgency in North East India is by delegating powers to the ethnic minorities so that they can fashion their own development, said Chief Minister of Assam, Shri Tarun Gogoi while inaugurating a two day conference titled, ‘North East India: Strategic and Developmental Imperatives’, in Guwahati on July 15, 2013. The conference is jointly organised by the Institute for Defence Studies and Analysis (IDSA) and the Special Branch, Assam Police.

Speaking on the occasion, Shri Gogoi emphasised on the need to understand the culture and psyche of the people of North East, while framing policy alternatives. He stressed on the importance of restoring and developing connectivity between the North East region and the neighbouring countries, which got disrupted after independence.

The conference was also attended by His Excellency the Governor of Arunachal Pradesh, Lt. Gen. (Retd.) Nirbhay Sharma, who delivered the Key Note address. Lt Gen Sharma described Assam as the “Gateway” to the North East, as well as the South East Asia and East. The Governor underlined the importance of developing connectivity in the region, both within and with neighbouring countries, as well as harnessing the hydroelectricity potential of the region keeping in mind the environmental considerations of the region.

Director General, IDSA, Dr Arvind Gupta, in his remarks highlighted the importance of developing the North East region’s stakes in India’s Look East policy. There is an urgent need to develop a practical roadmap for enhancing North East’s involvement in India’s look East Policy, he emphasised.

Speakers at the conference stressed upon the importance of the studying the complex phenomenon of illegal migration, which remains a pressing problem. The emergence of Bangladesh has also created many problems for the North East region. It was pointed out that universities in the region were not studying the neighbouring regions sufficiently. These lacunae must be addressed. According to them, the security in the region remains complex. Arms and drugs smuggling are major problems for the region. Speakers highlighted the importance of closer relations with Myanmar. They argued that India should help build infrastructure in Myanmar, where China has already become active.

The conference is organised as a part of the Institute’s outreach programme to Indian states.