One feature which distinguishes the recent session of the State Assembly is the raising of some significant issues by the opposition for discussion. One such issue is the Indo-Myanmar trade. The response of the Minister to this issue betrays lack of appropriate understanding of the emerging scenario. The issue is of much more significance to the land, people and society of Manipur than implied by the Minister. Hence, it needs wider debate by the public now and the necessary interventions identified without any further delay.

First of all, it should be clear to all of us that the emerging relationship is not one of border trade but of trade and much more. Whereas border trade is, as the very name implies, a very limited exchange of commodities, trade implies free and full fledged trade. Whereas the Minister interpreted trade as just movement of commodities, in reality it is much more than that.

A full fledged trade includes, besides movement of commodities, flow of services, investment, technology and above all people. The people who are going to be mobile through this medium would include many possessing intelligence above average in their own local population.

Here it may be in place to note that though the-Moreh trade, as we call it, has been declining over the years, yet India has emerged over the same period as a very important export destination for Myanmar through the sea route to Mumbai.

This juncture:
It is at this juncture that we need to identify the area of our strength and the spots in our economy. The national Government is pushing the new Look East Policy with a sense of purpose and urgencies and, of course, with a clear national agenda. One grievance of the region so far has been that it has not been given the investment it deserves. This is going to be addressed with a gusto compressed within a short span of time, a span of time shorter than a decade but all with a national agenda.

One fine morning in this period, we are going to find the isolation of Tamenglong and Chandel disappeared. Besides these interventions within the region, the national Government is planning to go in a big way in investing in the neighbouring countries. From the earlier policy of maintaining aloofness to protect economic and political interests, the national Government has decided to face the competition head on.

In All This:
In all this, Manipur is going to be the land port for the unfolding exchange of goods, services, technology and investment and arena for massive international human interaction. The question before us is: How prepared are we for the forthcoming onslaught of investment, services, technology and intelligence?

While trying to address this question, we need to be very clear of two things. First, given the physical size and resource base of the State, no tangible product based purely on the local resources would be enough to constitute a sizable fraction of international trade. This implies the State has to look for her comparative advantage elsewhere in the services sector. The beauty of the modern services sector is that, despite it intangibility, the value-addition is quite high. Secondly, the intervention requirements are different in the two topographical regions of the State. The valley has somehow mastered the capability to appreciate and utilise modern technology, though it has yet to join the dynamic race for it.

The picture is quite different in the hills; the hills are yet to understand the basics necessary for appreciating and utilising modern technology, forget joining the dynamics of it. In such circumstances, we are going to find the isolation of Tamenglong and Chandel removed in a period less than a decade. These are realities which we cannot resist.

State Agenda:
As the national Government is pushing its own developmental interventions with a broad national agenda and as we have to accept these as given, the only thing remaining to enquire about is our preparedness. The positive impact of the interventions of the national Government can be maximised only when the State level interventions are dovetailed to them.

The State should now be deciding as to what exactly is the kind of land and development we visualise for ourselves in the next fifteen years or so. Where we want our people to be placed, where we want our health facilities, where we want our educational institutions, where we want recreation facilities, where we want out marketing centres, what about the security structure, etc. these are the questions we have got to answer without any delay. Simultaneously, we have to evolve an agenda of action which can prepare our people, particularly in the hills, to face the forthcoming onslaught of investment, technology and intelligence unless we intend to convert all our womenfolk into prostitutes and men-folk into slaves.

Above all, we should be ready to issue the completion certificate of our agenda of action within less than a decade.

The challenge we are going to face is of a very tall order, but, they say, the kite flies against the wind.