Act fast and act first for North East !
– Insights from Budget 2023-24 -

G Kishan Reddy *

Winning the public mandate nine years back, the Government led by Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi exemplified the philosophy of “Karma Paramo Dharmaha”, to work harder than ever with undeterred grit and honest intention. No matter the formidable challenges ahead, the dream of making Bharat a “Vishwa Guru” kept us firmly on our path.

While the entire Nation has witnessed a paradigm change in these past 9 years, the rise of the North East region from the shadows of neglect and peril, to emerge as the growth engine of India, is an inspiring tale of unprecedented efforts and unrelenting will. This has resulted in an era of holistic progress and development.

As Finance Minister Nirmala Sitaraman recently announced the budget for 2023-2024, it is worth analyzing the path to progress with a North East Region lens. Without doubt, the Ashtalakshmi States are set to benefit across the 7 priorities laid out as the Saptarishi - Inclusive development, Last Mile, infrastructure, investment potential, green development, youth and the financial sector reforms.

The enhanced budgetary allocations of the Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER) for 2023-24 of Rs 5,892.00 crore is 114% over the RE allocation of 2022-23 (Rs 2,755.05 crore). This is undeniable and incontrovertible proof of intent meeting actions. It is noteworthy that, out of this Rs 4,093.25 (92%) have been provided for capital expenditure dedicated for the creation of capital assets.

Additionally, since 2014, there has also been a massive increase in the funds earmarked by 54 Union Ministries under the mandate of dedicating 10% of their Gross Budgetary Support for the North East Region. This has now risen to Rs 94,679.53 crore which is almost 30% more than the allocation of 2022-23.

Taking a vantage view of the financial impetus that the North East Region has received over the years, it is evident that 2023-24 provision for 10% GBS shows an increase of almost 281% over the actual expenditure of 2014-15, which was just about Rs 24,819.18 crore.

Approximately Rs 5 Lakh crore rupees would have been spent in the North East Region by the end of this financial year and this is a reaffirmation of the Prime Minister’s vision of making the North East Region as a gateway to South East Asia as elucidated in our Act East Policy.

The fiscal push is accompanied by well targeted packages and schemes of DoNER to ensure maximum impact on ground. For instance, Rs 6,600 crore allocated under the new Prime Minister’s Development Initiative for North-East (PM-DEVINE) scheme is aimed at revitalizing infrastructure growth with bigger sized projects in the North Eastern States whilst creating livelihood opportunities for youth and women.

The budget’s focus on strengthening our roots and empowering the last mile through initiatives like Pradhan Mantri PVTG (Primitive Vulnerable Tribal Group) program for the development and upliftment of tribal groups or the support to Self Help Groups (SHGs) under the PM Vishwakarma Kaushal Samman Yojana will also give a major boost to the huge potential for women led SHGs in the region.

The Agri-Horti sector of the North East is brimming with potential and the Budget opens several opportunities to tap into it. The North East Region can stand as a success story and inspire the Nation to achieve the target of bringing 1 crore farmers under natural farming. Similarly, the agri-accelerator fund established will boost the existing potential for startups in the sector.

Along with this, our focus on skill development, development of tourism potential, digitization and emphasis on sustainable development and green interventions complement the existing efforts being undertaken by the Government of India towards sustainable development of the North East Region.

Security and peace was a key challenge of the region, but today, with constant efforts of the Government and close collaboration with States, the North East has entered an unprecedented era of peace and stability. Since 2014, the region witnessed a 74% decline in insurgency, and more than 8,000 youth have surrendered their arms and are today looking at a brighter future today.

Similarly, the North East has witnessed no less than a revolution when it comes to connectivity. Before 2014, only Assam was connected to railways. Now Agartala and Itanagar have been connected while other capitals will be connected. To ensure seamless road connectivity in the North East through our National Highways, the Government is spending Rs. 1.6 Lakh crore.

In terms of air connectivity, five North Eastern States of Mizoram, Meghalaya, Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh and Nagaland witnessed flights take off for the first time since independence. From just 9 Airports in the region in 2014, the number of airports in the region has almost doubled to 17, with Donyi Polo of Itanagar being the latest addition. Telecom connectivity is also witnessing a major uptick with the Government of India setting a target of 500 days to provide complete telecom connectivity in the region by end of 2023.

The final and most important building block is that of establishing people-to-people connect and deepening the emotional bond in the spirit of ‘Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat’. Under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, cultural and emotional integration of the North East with the rest of India and removing the feeling of alienation has been a top priority.

Youth cultural exchange tours will now be conducted under ‘Yuva Sangam’ to bring strong cultural ties among the youth. At least, 16 Union Ministers visit the NER every month to reach out to the people, interact with them, monitor implementation of schemes and undertake immediate action to resolve issues.

To quote Hon’ble Prime Minister’s clarion call at the recent North East Council’s Golden Jubilee celebrations, ‘Act Fast for North East, Act First for North East’ is the mantra for the North East Region’s journey ahead. Henceforth there is no looking back. There is no mulling over excuses as those days are over. The die is now cast firmly !