National Seminar : Economic Transformation in Northeast India
Date: 20-21 November, 2015

CALL FOR PAPER
Two Day National Seminar

Economic Transformation in Northeast India:
Predicaments, Potentials and Policies
Organised by: Department of Economics, Manipur University
Sponsored by: ICSSR, New Delhi
20-21 November, 2015

Concept Note:

North East India, a latecomer in India’s development process, has witnessed a troubled history and an unfriendly geography from the post-independence period. Economic development has been eluding the region because of a number of complex issues including both exogenous and endogenous. The region has gone through a number of misguided policies and also missed opportunities from the post-independence period. North East India is a paradox in itself – endowed with rich culture and natural resources and equally rich in ethnic and political related tensions. The region has seen a long turbulent phase where social and political tension has pushed the economic issues to the edge. A region which has been in the news for all the wrong reasons now is in the centre of attraction for India’s development process. A region which has been engulfed in a long history of political-social tension is now cherishing for a vibrant and dynamic economy.

Economy of North East India can be described as a backward tertiarised economy – an economy which is dependent more on exchange than production and also has a very weak internal economy. The economy in terms of income is dominated by service sector (it accounts for about 60 pc) which comes mainly from government services and construction. And employment scenario is dominated by agriculture and allied sectors contributing about 60 pc of total workforce. Though the structure of the economy to some extent resembles India’s economy as a whole, NE’s economy has seen inordinate growth of government services as compared to India’s booming IT, telecommunication, banking and other service sectors. But NE economy is lagging far behind rest of India in terms of basic infrastructure and other development indicators.

NE economy has remained far removed from India’s growth story. The region’s backwardness has been one of the keenly debated topics in the post-reform period which is evident from the setting up of Shukla Committee, DONER, and North East Vision 2020 etc. Some of the reasons for NE’s backwardness are geographical isolation, hostile topography, insurgency, central apathy etc. North East India has undergone a number of critical phases of development approach since the post-independent period – from the centralise planning to regional planning (NEC), from closed economy to liberalization, from liberalization to Look East Policy (now act east policy).

In recent times a number of policy push has been initiated to bring NE on par with the national scenario. The present focus is on elevating NE India’s development on par withthe rest of India, rather than economic isolation, where the centre plays a pro-active role. Economic transformation in NE India has become a sine-quo-non for India’s three very crucial and critical agenda – firstly, India’s grand and ambitious Act-east policy (for fostering greater economic ties with SEA, China, Burma); secondly, developing NE economy to a robust one, transforming the so called dependent economy to a vibrant and strong production base economy which will address India’s achilles heel of regional inequality/disparity; and lastly to address long drawn development related social and political issues/tensions. The proposed seminar will be a platform to deliberate, discuss and debate on the myriad issues pertaining to the strength & weakness of the economy and policies to be embraced in transforming the present economy of North East India to new heights. In pursuance for a threadbare discussion on these very critical issues in hand, the sub-themes of the seminar are classified into the following:-

1. Agricultural Diversification and Rural Development: North East India has large proportion of population under rural and hill area and prevailing structural morbidness of economy can only be transformed only through strengthening the rural base of the economy which will generate both forward and backward linkages. With mono cropping of paddy becoming unattractive and stagnant day-by-day, agricultural diversification to high value crops like vegiculture, pisciculture, and horticulture, where NE has huge comparative advantage and potential, will be an answer to growing rural distress. The robustness of rural agrarian base will translate into growth of non-farm sectors.

2. Trade-Industrial Linkages and Growth: North East India though sharing 4500 kms of international boundary with five countries viz. Bangladesh, China, Myanmar and Nepal, is unable to reap the geographical dividend due to a hostile political order. But due to the emerging world order (read globalisation) strengthening trade ties with the neighbouring countries is the new development mantra and NE India emerges as the vanguard for fostering greater economic ties with South Asia, SEA and East Asia. The success of India’s ambitions Act East Policy and NE’s meaningful participation can be through greater connectivity within NE, NE with rest of the country and with neighbouring countries. Trade-Industrial linkages in the region will be a critical part for fostering the ailing and stagnant industrial base of the region. It is time to look at the prospect of trade as engine of growth in NE India.

3. Role of NITI, NEC and DONER: India is witnessing a paradigm shift in development approach, cherishing for a faster and inclusive development with the formation of a think-tank and policy dynamo, NITI Aayog, by dissolving the outdated Planning Commission. What are its implications on NE India?, Is NEC, a regional planning body, still relevant?; What are the roles of agency like DONER in the coming years. These agencies (NEC & DONER) were established to act as catalyst for NE development and their achievements, failure and role in the new economic order has to be addressed meticulously.

4. North East India and New Centre-State Financial Regime: North Eastern states had been categorized as Special Category States and Central Plan assistance to these states were provided on liberal terms. As of now, the Special Category States has been scrapped and a new centre-state financial regime is shaping with the coming of NITI Aayog and 14th Finance Commission. The recommendation of 14th Finance commission calls for greater role of the state. The Commission is of the view that sharing pattern in respect to various Centrally-sponsored schemes need to change. It wants the States to share a greater fiscal responsibility for the implementation of such schemes. NE India which has been relying heavily on central funds for development activities has to adjust and adapt to the new regime which will be a herculean task. Is this a blessing in disguise and what are the challenges ahead?

5. Hill-Plain Development Dichotomy and Search for Convergence: One of the biggest hurdles to NE development has been the hill-plain divide where the plains has left the hills far behind in most of the development indicators. Hill-plain development disparity is widespread and a source of both economic and political tension in the region. Like India’s Look East Policy, NE regions also needs to ponder over on having its own Look Hill Policy to address the bottlenecks to development in hill regions and bringing them on par with plain areas with focus on land reform, infrastructure, health, education etc.

6. Governance, Rent Seeking Agents and Institutional Bottlenecks: Good governance has now become a sine-qua-non for development. But good governance is an uphill task in NE India with prevalence of multiple power centres and rent seekers. NE is home to diverse ethnic groups which are still practicing their age old polity and want to maintain their political dominance and space. Apart from this, there are number of multiple power centres in the region comprising of both state and not-state actors which are trying to influence anything to gain something. These numerous institutional bottlenecks have to be addressed at the earliest to rescue NE from a regressive social cauldron and transform it into to a resourceful and productive region.

Abstracts within 500 words and full papers within 6000 words in MS-word using Chicago style of citation should be submitted by email to the Organising Secretary. All accepted papers will be discussed by discussants hence no incomplete paper will be accepted for presentation.

Last date of full paper (with abstract) submission: 10th November 2015

Communication about acceptance of paper: 12th November 2015

Last date of registration: 19th November 2015; Registration Fee: Rs. 500

No TA will be paid for attending the seminar. Outstation paper presenters will be given a modest boarding and lodging in the campus.

Seminar Convenor
Dr. Ch. Priyoranjan Singh
Associate Professor, Economics Department, Manipur University

Organising Secretary
Dr. Hanjabam Isworchandra Sharma
Assistant Professor, Economics Department
Manipur University
isworhanja(aT)gmail(doT)com