Dear Biswajeet Saikia: If you are Biswajeet Saikia, and if you are a Ph.D., which University gave you Ph.D and who wrote your thesis? For a Ph.D., you thought process and grammar appear quite convoluted. Not that I do not agree with some of your statements, but they are difficult to follow.
Barada Sarma ----- Original Message ---- From: biswajeet saikia <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: [email protected] Sent: Friday, November 2, 2007 3:19:51 AM Subject: [asom] Review of NIPFP document on Vision NE Dear all, I am writen a review as requested by Prof. Alakesh Barua for NIPFP's Vision North east 2020. First, the vision report prepared under the editorship of Prof. M Govind Rao of NIPFP does not represent any vision for north east. As already many objected the methodology they adopted to prepare the document, it neither represents voices of the people nor the people who are working on north east over decades. I have checked the profile of the total one dozen people who have written this document neither have any knowledge nor have written any single article till now except Prof. Barua on North east India. Secondly, while preparing the document, these authors never discussed earlier document like all the Human development reports of all north eastern states, all development report of four states, yearly evaluation reports of various schemes/ plan documents, report on the amendment of the constitutions, many PhD thesis written over last 10 years in different universities of north east and also in JNU, DU etc. Above all many organisation like C-NES have done a survey over 40,000 individual sponsored by NEC on the vary Vision of North east have not incorporated in this document. Even under NEDFI, 22 techico economy surveys has conducted during the Dr. Jayant Madhab have not incorporated for future development of infrastructure, agriculture and service sectors. Thirdly, being all the individual having from economics background, this report look like first chapter of my PhD thesis where in whole report they have provided background information of the economy of north east India. Not even the report able to suggest what to do in nest 12 years except few sections. Many data's like total areas of north east including Sikkim is written as 255000 while including Sikkim is 263181. Although in table 1 it is rightly put but copied from secondary sources these authors did mistake (I even know from which book they have copied). Secondly, data on GDP, total industries, manufacturing sectors contribution have mistakes. Thirdly, I think these authors might have problems in their calculators. They calculated total growth in 2017 -20 at 17.25% for Assam and 15.75 % in Manipur. How they have reached kindly explain? My problems with the reports that these authors not assess the actual potential of the region in the context to the total population of the region and future desired level of growth which could provide a standard of living with appropriate facilities of education, health and other infrastructure. If these people could provide alternate policy to reach a conflict free society with these appropriate social and economic infrastructure as documented in the report, we could able to say that we have a develop society. So, in my opinion, these one dozen author do not have even their own vision for North east. Therefore, they were not sure what the north east really looking. Infect, after 1997, Shukla commission report, we not necessarily should look another vision plan. Irrespective of that, we actually need a big scale evaluation of the development process in north east India since then. Since, 1997, we have a dedicated ministry specifically for the development of the north eastern region among all the ministries in India, a specific fund known as 10% of the all central ministry allocation as well as a non lapsable fund, a central sector bank known as NEDFi and a council known as North eastern council. Irrespective of that we are not able to receive a positive result. If it would have discussed that reason, these one dozen authors could reach some kind of conclusion. In various occasion including during a high level with Mr. Moni Shankar Iyar, I raised that while all these institutions we presently have not received free of cost, for that people of the north eastern region have given their blood over last sixty years. Therefore, assigning to prepare such report please 'dont dilute the aspiration of the people who scarify their blood and soul. Therefore, assigning to prepare a vision plan! to these one dozen author (except one) basically insulting people of north east. Still New Delhi is not understanding what the people of North east actually deserve. It is known to everyone that in north east India, we have few broader problems. These are: 1. Centre State Relationship Being the federal country, the north eastern states also represented by Central Government and hold all the natural resources, Defence, currency, and foreign policy including another fifty subjects and these are creating problems to many states and community over times in last sixty years. It is hampering the economic development process to some extent as the state not independently carries out own economic agenda for further development. So, over the years, many organisations including armed organisation emerges to justify their arguments. 2. Role Of State And Non State Actors While demanding such argument, many Non State actors emerges in north east India and in due courses violate the citizen's right along with the State. State becomes more repressive in the name of protection of the right and laws. 3. Ownership Of Community Resources Being the house of 224 communities, the north eastern region from Tibet to Bay of Bengal is the vibrant in their cultural identity, territoriality and language and dialect. At the same time it has history of inter-community conflicts for protection of their own territory and other economic resources. Being continued during the colonial days and post independent period, presently we have 15 autonomous districts which have specific right over the autonomous region assigned by the constitutions under the schedule six. To make the monopoly of the utilisation of the resources, every big community at present wants to declare their respective region as autonomous. 4. Political Space In The Formation Of State So, political space also another aspects to monopolies the economic resources of theses communities. While not appropriately getting representation in the form of Autonomous District Council, State Government and the Central Government, these communities are raising their voices and taking armed struggle to justify their arguments. In long run, each community in north east has one student organisation, a general organisation and an armed organisation at least. And it is creating huge pressure to gets economic development to these remote areas. 5. Layers Of Governance For receiving the fruit of the economic development through the political stabilization, we need good governance from local to top. But, in north east India, irrespective of Central, respective state government, and Panchayati Raj systems, the north eastern region have Autonomous District Council. But these ADCs are have very less financial, judicial and legislative power to control the development of the community. Being 15 in number, these ADC have no nodal agency to prepare policies for communities' oriented socio-economic development. So, it shows that, there are multiple layers of governance exist in north east India and there is no integration among all. 6. Cross Border Problems As the north eastern states is surrounded 99% by the foreign countries, so we have foreign problems also. While the region have illegal infiltration problems, closing of border connectivity hampering the trade and other activities. Being the federal country, the region can't have independent foreign policy to speed up the economic linkages with the like minded border state for exchange of goods and people. These six broader aspects deal mainly the all socio political-economic problems in north east India. if the vision document, could have able to address these six broader problems, then we could say that we have a vision. Among them, the very mantra for the vision of north east India at this 21st century, in my opinion, should be 'Open up the mind' Although I have never looked 'a vision' for north east, but I have 'a dream'. A dream that could change the map of north east India that could visible from all directions. So the other day, while discussing many aspects of the development policy with Dr. Jayanta Madhab, he asked what is your vision for north east or in a nut shell a mantra for future of north east India. As we were discussing this NIPFP's vision 2020 document. So, to understand the vision we definitely should have a dream. In my argument, the writers of the report don't have a dream even? Therefore, I try to understand what could be the vision for the region. Quickly in my mind, in my opinion the vision should be very simple to understand. I though, it could be 'open up the mind'. Former President A P J Abdul Kalam Says, 'Dreams give vision, vision gives thoughts and thoughts lead to action'. What is 'open up the mind?' Going to the background of the north eastern region, the region comprises more than 200 heterogeneous communities, which have distinctive differences within, have hundreds of years of history of conflicts, majority are endogamous and want to preserve their own community's identity. During the period of colonial occupation and the post independence period, intentionally and unintentionally, these communities are preserved in the name of autonomous territory; inner line permit and the reservation by identifying as 'tribal'. The political development and economic situation over the hundred years of the region stop these communities from interacting with the neighbouring country's own brothers and sisters, exchanging goods and above all prevent intercourse of harmony and friendship. On the other side also, no one has ever tried to understand these communities and always keeps identifying them as 'tribals' living in hills and jungles who keep fighting among themselves and are totally uncivilized. So I am not going to blame any one, I have a vision. That is 'open up the mind'. Giving a thought By opening up the mind, what will we get? A better society where there is no inter 'conflicts, better economic relation and good governance. How will we get these? Do our policies and actions should direct to that direction? First we need to strengthen our individual community by providing possible good and higher education. If it is done at least in the community level, then collectively we will reach to create a huge pool of human resources for competing with the members of the community in the world. We are able to produce a good amount of engineers, medical practitioners, academicians, bureaucrats, and the good politician. Secondly, we need to create economic policies where we can utilize the economic resources for the betterment of the community, exchange the economic products across the border by opening the border, opening all the closed roads to interact with all the communities that are involved in the economic development process. Thirdly, we need to prepare policies and actions for opening up our cultural boundary. Culture always enhances when it interacts with others. This is the very basic ethics of cultural development since the creation of the human being. By forceful preservation of the culture, no culture ever lasted and developed. By opening up of the cultural boundary with the world we would able to place the region in the centre of the global map. Fourthly, by providing a political space to each community within the region through a greater union of all the communities in the region, we could have reached political settlements of conflicts within ourselves. Providing of political space would lead to null and void in the struggle for autonomy and separation movements in the region. Recognizing the existence of the community in the political and economic development process will lead to the development of a conflict free society. So for that, if NEC could create as a platform for the equal representation of the all 224 communities in North east India and the nodal agency of all the ADC, with legislative, judicial, financial, and power to prepare foreign policy, in my opinion we could able to get some thing in next 12 years. Thus, we need to open up our mind to open up our discourse in political settlement and economic resource utilisation. We have to break our social and cultural mindset to achieve a conflict free society. So, our policies and actions needs towards that direction. As we are still kept closing our mind and not able to see the bright sides which is the major hurdle of all types of underdevelopment. Finally, I would like to conclude, while Prime Minister in every occasion talks about the concept of inclusive growth, our Vision plan comes from outside. (C) Biswajeet Saikia Re: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/assamonline/message/3776
