The recent visit of Union Home Minister Amit Shah which was followed by a visit of the President of India Droupadi Murmu to Assam and Tripura, followed by the visit of the Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Nagaland and Meghalaya has once again underscored the importance of the region that the Centre is according to the North East of India. Gone are the days when the seven sister States of North East would wait for a high profile visit in the hope of a financial package than anything else. Now, the North East is fast integrating into the overall scheme of things for the Central Government.
Important leaders are not only coming here but doing so very frequently as if it is their routine job. Whereas the Home Minister met chief ministers and top ranked officials of all the States to seek greater coordination in its fight against drugs and evil money, the President’s visit was marked by a series of development schemes. The fact that this is among the first few visits that she has undertaken after assuming the highest post in the country has sent out a very clear signal to everyone that the region is as important to New Delhi if not more. It would be wrong to assume that this approach is to compensate the region for what was not accorded to it by the previous governments at the Centre. Rather it would be apt to credit the vision of the Central Government that it is investing in the region as a new growth centre, something which the Prime Minister loves to called ashtha lakhshmi.
Of special import are the initiatives that the Home Ministry is taking in facilitating dialogues to solve the lingering border disputes between various States, especially Assam. Not only will it act as a confidence building measure, but it will also clear ways for greater coordination among States for various development projects. This, in turn, will pave the way for investors to come to the region and explore its potential.
