Great Cacophony: Liquor Prohibition; A Comparison between Nagaland and Kerala

As a Journalist and northeast watcher my first piece on Prohibition in Nagaland was published in 1990. Prohibition was a failed attempt in Nagaland and my apprehension that the misguided and outdated idea could boomerang also in Kerala. 

Mid-Day, Mumbai, 1990 piece

My father often ridicules me saying, I think like a Naga!

Nagas and Malaylis have been my weaknesses for varied reasons. While Nagas are a different lot and have unique virtue of their valiant tradition, respect for women, warmth and friendship, Malaylis (people from Kerala) to me have unique similarity with my own linguistic group, Bengalis, the Bongs, and often the follies. 

The uniqueness of Marxism mannerism, readiness to do anything in the name of job in ‘Gulfee’ – the pressure is deliberate – and the typical way of dealing with certain situation make me a familiar person among them. I call it crab-syndrome; we Bongs and Malaylis have tendency to run down our own people most!

Thus, this blog piece of mine on prohibition moves in Kerala by Oomen Chandy regime and drawing a similar campaign graph in far-off Nagaland in 1989-90 comes amid a number of contradictory dogmas. 

Firstly, I am reminded of a tale where in an author had once sent his first manuscript to the legendary, Dr. Samuel Johnson for his comments. Upon reading it, Dr. Johnson had remarked that it contained some good things and some new things. But he also added in his own trademark style: that the good things in the article were not new and the new things were not good.

To pass a most predictable verdict: that liquor prohibition could fail and possibly boomerang to a society in more ways than one, I would be saying something already spoken out and there’s hardly any ‘good’ in that argument.

Parl House: Corridors of Power

   

 Decades back, another legendary, this time an Indian, Sri Aurobindo had said: “The most vital issue of the age is whether the future progress of humanity is to be governed by the modern economic and materialistic mind of the West or by a nobler pragmatism guided, uplifted and enlightened by spiritual culture and knowledge”.

To me as a practicing Hindu with a soft-corner for ideological belief that for long Hindus have been discriminated in this sub-continent one way or the other, I must say, Christianity enviously offers a unique synthesis between the two materialistic pragmatism and an utopian dreams.

The demand for Prohibition either in Nagaland or in Kerala, to me, represents that conflict of a materialistic mind or pragmatism and the enlightened and an idealistic utopian situation.

I have been living witness to the campaign for Total Prohibition in Nagaland and as the law was enacted during the tenure of Congress (I) chief minister S C Jamir, now Odhisa Governor, I also saw how things had backfired.

The sale of India Made Foreign Liquor (IMFL) simply flourished. You could name the brand and get it in an hour – only for an under the table payment!!

There is also a twist in the tale of enforcement of Prohibition laws in Nagaland. A revenue-starved state generally banking on generous funding from the centre lost its own share of revenue and that too in good amount.

Secondly, in Nagaland, the country liquor or rice beer popularly called ‘Madhu (meaning Honey in local lingua-franca Nagamese in the absence of any unified Naga language) could not be banned as it is a traditional drink. 

In fact, offering Madhu is part of Naga custom and a visitor is offered the booze any time in the day even as early as 8 am in the morning with a characteristic pastoral query: ‘madhu khabo (Why don’t you take a sip of our rice beer?).

Naga kitchen and rice beer

Kerala or for that matter Malaylis (nicknamed Mallus) do not have such custom or tradition --- not that as a friend of Mallus I know about it.

But in terms of impact from revenue loss from liquor sale, it’s huge.

“Alcohol helps in giving Kerala's economy a good high - shockingly, more than 40% of revenues for its annual budget come from booze,” says a write up in BBC news website.

“Is Kerala Shooting Its Cash Cow?” ran a headline in Business Standard. In 2012-13, Kerala consumed 2.44 crore cases of Indian-made Foreign Liquor (IMFL) and one crore cases of beer, by far, the largest in the country.

The state’s total revenue receipts in 2013-14 was Rs 54,966 crore. It still ran a deficit of Rs 6,208 crore. To lose another Rs 10,000 crore could mean a hangover of a different kind, says a media report.

Again as it has been a booming industry with perhaps minimum investment, now a pragmatic question that needs to be asked is: how much closing the liquour industry would result in unemployment or other related problems.

In Nagaland, it did affect employment sector especially a large number of younger lot and women. 

My contention therefore has been that prohibition is an outdated idea, too idealistic and bound to fail and boomerang at some stages.

Mere prohibitory laws would not be good enough to eradicate the problem and it would rather require personal motivation to curb deep rooted addiction. Moreover, the hooch tragedies often reported from Tamil Nadu and Gujarat could visit God’s own country as well.  

Indo-Pak relations: Modi reverts to hawkish stance

Peace efforts with Pakistan have again fallen flat. The goodwill generated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s gesture of inviting his Pakistani counterpart Nawaz Sharif to his swearing-in in May have been lost. 

True, the dispute with Pakistan became a major preoccupation of the Indian Ministry of External Affairs and also the foreign policy engine room, the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO). 

Now, that occupational hazard has caught up with Narendra Modi, and he needs to walk the talk – either ways. India has cancelled the Foreign Secretary level talks scheduled for August 25 after Pakistani High Commissioner to India, Abdul Basit openly called Kashmiri separatist leaders like Shabbir Shah for consultations ahead of scheduled talks.

Peace with Pakistan has been among the top cherished wishes of Indian diplomatic leadership. In fact, New Delhi has never hesitated from taking the first step or running the important extra mile in its efforts to establish peace with that country braving several hurdles and domestic politics.

It was this spirit which saw in the 1990s, the then Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee making a bus trip across the border to Lahore. The similar gesture was shown more than once when Dr Manmohan Singh described his the then Pakistani counterpart Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani as a ‘man of peace’.

With the latest developments, the South Asian brotherhood juggernaut created by Prime Minister Modi when he invited all SAARC nation heads to his swearing in has also been defeated.

Close on the heels of envoy Basit’s meeting with separatist leaders as Congress and other opposition parties mounted pressure on Prime Minister Modi, India's foreign secretary Sujatha Singh on Monday summoned the Pakistani envoy and said "that Pakistan's continued efforts to interfere in India's internal affairs were unacceptable". 

"Under the present circumstances, it is felt that no useful purpose will be served" by a meeting between the two sides.

Predictably Pakistan has termed the episode unfortunate while Kashmiri separatists perhaps stunned by Ministry of External Affairs hawkish stance have been stating that even during Vajpayee regime such parleys between them (separatists) and Pakistani envoy had taken place in the past. But India has changed over last 14-15 years and especially under him, Modi would like to give the impression he will continue to call shots.

The pro-Modi government plea is powers within Pakistan did not approve of talks making progress between two Prime Ministers Nawaz Sharif and Narendra Modi. None other than Modi’s trusted lieutenant and country’s Defence Minister Arun Jaitley himself has said that “powers within” Pakistan disapproved of normal ties with India.

Snapping of Secretary level talks has brought doubts whether two Prime Ministers would meet on the sidelines of any other international meet.

Doubts have also surfaced over the trade ties and thus two prominent Indian business chambers CII and FICCI have urged both the countries to allow normal trade relations continue.

When India and Pakistan signed a liberalised visa agreement on September 8, 2012, in many quarters it was seen as a fructification of efforts of the lawmakers in both sides. The new pact replaces a 38-year-old restrictive visa agreement and will pave the way for greater people to people contacts and boost trade.

 Having said so, one must take note of the fact that the sudden hardliner stance from the Modi regime did not come all of a sudden.

In fact, during his recent visit to the trouble-torn Jammu and Kashmir, PM Modi himself raised the ‘proxy war’ bogey only to embarrass the Pakistani dispensation who termed it baseless rhetoric.

Was it deliberate on the part of Modi? His detractors are linking his proxy-war rhetoric and cancellation of formal parleys to by-elections in a number of states. Well, who would know the importance of elections better other than Modi?

It goes without saying that the relations between India and Pakistan, also a close ally of neighboring China, have a major impact on regional stability and thus developments like these – cancellation of talks – generate immense international interest.

In 2002, Modi had used his rhetoric against Pakistan and ‘Mia Musharraf’ as an electoral virtue; but in 2014 he is not a mofusil leader of ‘six crore (60million) Gujratis’.

 ends 

Indo-Nepal relationship and Modi

 

Insurgency in northeast also owes its support base to South Asian neighbours. Narendra Modi’s recent Nepal visit appears as a typical synthesis of Nehurvian vision and Atal Behari Vajpayee’s confident sparkle in the Indian Prime Minister, and thus could a go a long way in helping curb insurgency.  

India’s huge size has truly able to secure for itself the respect and attention of global powers like the US or whether it was the Soviet Union or even smaller neighbours like Nepal. On its part for Nepal, the relationship with India has remained a pillar of its foreign policy. Thus, the love-hate relationship between two not misgotten neighbours has withstood the test of time. 

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Nepal visit sought to achieve a few multi-dimensional goals for New Delhi. One primary aspect would be to regain some of the ground lost by India in recent years in pursuing the Indian diplomatic path especially in neighbourhood and guiding the national security policy. 

The favourable press that Modi got both within India and in the Himalayan nation has even left his detractors amused.

The Congress lawmaker in the Lok Sabha, Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury from West Bengal admitted in the floor of the House that Indian Prime Minister is ‘expert in mustering appreciation’. But as the Congress MP too asked, is the laudatory comments about his two-day visit all that well deserved?

In other words, it is time a real time and objective stock taking is done about

Modi’s two-day visit to a country that makes it a point to maintain equally cordial relationship with China.

Checkmating China need be his agenda, but, Modi is already being described as a visionary. He is also being compared with Pt Jawahar Lal Nehru, the father of foreign policy for post-1947 India.

One enthusiastic observer in Nepal wrote in no unambiguous words, “Modi’s dreams are big, centred around the idea of bringing back the Asian dominance of the 16th-17^th centuries”.

This is little far-fetched and just being going overboard.

However, Modi’s focused South Asian approach is deservedly creditable.

The policy of ‘development and friendship offensive’ undertaken by the Modi regime in South Asia is seen as a game-changer and aimed at building a new emerging block.

Prime Minister Modi has made his intentions clear about working together with BRICS and also Japan and other Asian countries to redefine how the global economy will be shaped over the next 20 years. 

So what has Modi’s visit achieved?

The mere goodwill generated being seen on the face value is no mean achievement. Moreover, putting aside recent past skirmishes, even established anti-India players in Nepal like the Maoist leaders Pushpa Kamal Dahal, alias Prachanda and Baburam Bhattarai had lauded Modi’s visit and his address to the constituent assembly.  

In fact, Baburam Bhattarai, Maoist ideologue and former PM, tweeted Modi had won the ‘hearts and minds’ with his ‘magical address’. 

With Maoist leader Pushpa Kamal Dahal Prachanda

Indian diplomats also said that Modi has appealed to both the hearts and minds, this is something that Nepalis would remember for a long time.

 
Besides the series of agreements reached between two sides about cooperation in power sector, granting of one billion dollar line of credit by India to Nepal and construction of a motorable bridge over the Mahakali River, is Modi’s ability to fire the imagination of Nepali population that they too can dream about a change and that change will come with their own efforts.

Modi creditably lived up to his reputation of doing plain speaking and made it absolutely clear that New Delhi would prefer a friendly tie but ‘would not interfere in internal matters’ of Nepal. This would bring in a salutary impact as over the years the alleged ‘big brother’ approach had made India very unpopular with Nepali civil population and also the political class.

When Leaders of Madhesi parties, outfits of Indian origin people, asked Modi if he would support their proposals to create separate electorates based on ethnicity Prime Minister’s Modi categorical assertion that Nepal’s Constitution should bind Nepal’s people together was a masterstroke. 

It strongly hinted that India would favour electorates (in Nepal and India) divided by geography, not ethnicity.

Despite suggestions, Modi declined to meet up King Gyanendra – implying that the world’s largest democracy true to the sentiments of common Nepalis was not in favour of Nepal returning to monarchy either.

Nepal, importantly, also offered assistance in security measures and also assured Indian side Nepali soil will not be used for anything inimicable to Indian interests. This is a win-win pointer.

Agony of a Father -- a short story

He wiped his nose as his tears subsided. The pain was still in his heart. John Samuel’s feet burned from the unaccustomed walking in the sun. Perhaps he was trying to run away.. run away from his house, his family and perhaps the large mirror in his room. It was framed well in Italian marble or so as his son Vijay had told him.

Samuel’s face was stern as he walked into the house, now almost looked like a bungalow in the well to do urban-village. He should have been a happy person, nothing seemed to have changed in last 12 hours or so. But much has changed. 

The news of his cricketer son Vijay’s arrest was flashed on television. It was a bolt from the blue. The thought of it almost chilled him. 

Vijay has been arrested on the charge of match-fixing. It was just matter of hours that life of a celebrity cricketer has been doomed. There was some chirping of the birds around. 

To Samuel, as if the voices of unfamiliar birds began to rise from the trees. He walked inside and sat underneath the shower and unknowingly wept for a while. Perhaps he won’t be able to recognize himself again. Father of a ‘match fixer’, a greedy cricketer’s parents – the thought appeared dreadful.

Why Vijay had to do all these? Why? The details of the gory episode were still not clear. Is that girl, Vijay’s fiancée to be blamed? That girl’s family did not have good reputation. Her father was a middle level politician – better known as ‘middleman’ or go between among netas!

At last, he thought his son has fallen victim to this greed. A scheming father’s daughter, who wanted to make big as a politician, was in hurry also. Perhaps Vijay has been forced by that girl. Vijay perhaps saw money not as a goal in itself, but definitely as a by-product of his cricket; and hence the tragedy.

Cricket was known as a gentleman’s game. Samuels too are gentlemen. But alas!

Coming out of the bathroom as he toweled himself dry, all of a sudden Samuel thought of pulling the old family album. He saw his wife blinking at him in moist eyes. He told her to bring the old wooden box. She looked puzzled but walked away and returned in no time. She made an attempt to dust the box.

Seeing their son’s name and photograph on television screen in action and in newspapers gave them immense pleasure once ….. a sense of proud; but today everything has been washed away.

The sun had completed its day’s journey. Samuel’s wife switched on the light. Samuel dressed himself in traditional Malayali attire, walked towards the study table and picked up his glasses. The wooden box lay on his bed.

He saw his wife going away slowly. Life has almost come to a standstill. By now, his usual coffee would have come, but probably not today. His wife must have forgotten about it wondering what her son was doing inside the jail. Samuel too did not have the appetite.

In the neighbourhood, one young boy played music loud:

Life is old there Older than the trees Younger than the mountains ……

Samuel pulled the box and sat on his cot, opened it and pulled out the album. The brown album has all photographs of Vijay since childhood.

True to that song coming from the neighbour’s house: ’All my memories gathered 'round … Samuel thought the same about his son. Tears welled up momentarily yet again after long time. Suddenly his attention focused on a snap of high school going Vijay. They were in far off northeastern state of Mizoram then. Samuel was a civil servant and was posted for a while in Mizoram.

Vijay had one day come to his office to find out what his papa was doing - a normal curiosity of any young boy or girl of his age.

Samuel was lost in his ‘office work’. He was pleasantly surprised to see his son but had a tight schedule. He promptly telephoned Vijay’s mother and told her about Vijay’s visit so that she did not worry. 

Mizoram was still reeling under insurgency and on odd occasions children were being kidnapped by groups to demand either release of their fellow militant-cadres or ransom. 

Samuel was in a ‘good government department’ and thus that chance was not altogether ruled out.

 Having assured his wife, Samuel ordered for some ‘jalebis’ for his son from the office canteen and got engrossed into his work. He started clearing files.

And as jalebis came in, Vijay had dished out a genial smile…almost sage like – who knew what’s stored in for him.

The state of Kerala hardly knows the winter chill. So Samuel room’s window too was not shut. The soft moonlight seeped through widow and fell on the floor and bed. 

His attention from Mizoram days was distracted. He found the moonlight outside lovely though the pangs of pain in him did the usual churning. A few night birds were crowing. He stared outside and wondered what his son could be doing now.

His wife came in asking when will he have dinner. The coffee has been given a slip. During the day both Samuel and 

his wife could not relish lunch too. He simply blinked towards his wife rather helplessly. “This is all my fate,” said Samuel’s wife cursing herself for the folly and the punishment meted to her son. Samuel sat calm and after a pause simply remarked, “call me when its ready; I won’t have much”. 

There was a long pause in the room. His wife did not ask him even what he was doing with the old album. Of course, she knew the obvious.

Suddenly she was walking out of the room briskly, stopped for a while and then told him rather in terse manner, “you remember the story from Mahabharata .. the poetic journey of the Pandava brothers towards heaven and a dog accompanying them. Everything is in this life” – and she walked away faster.

Samuel stood in silence for a while and again sank himself onto the bed staring helplessly towards the wooden box and the old album.

BJD pinpricks 'social justice' plank vis-a-vis Growth

They have been trying to be friends often. But Trinamul, Biju Janata Dal differences on economic issues come to the fore in Lok Sabha and that too quite clearly when BJD member virtually pin-pricked Saugata Roy's rhetoric on 'social growth' plank.

While they took the budget debate to a newer heights with key members from both parties waxing  

eloquent on the same they clearly had diametrically opposite views on key issues.

While Mr Saugata Roy articulated TMC's views on growth and social justice, BJD member Jay Panda
lauded Finance Minister Arun Jaitley's maiden budget for trying to address the "fiscal deficit".

"I compliment the Finance Minister for starting his Budget with a very bold initiative in committing to the
inherited fiscal deficit, which is the lynchpin of the economic health of this country," Mr Panda, MP from
Kendrapara in Odhisa, said.

Participating in the debate on the Finance Bill, Trinamul member, Saugata Roy earlier said, "We are
not against growth, but we believe in growth with social justice. Pursuing growth alone will lead to
millions of poor people unfed".

Mr Roy, also a former minister in the UPA-2, charged the Modi regime with siding with the corporate.
"I always say that the philosophy of the present government seems to be inclined towards the so-called
growth and inclined towards the corporate which I do not appreciate," he said.

The vocal TMC member alleged that among other lacuna, the budget does not pronounce any step to address black money related issues. He also said that the government has neglected "progressive property tax reforms".
He said BJP member Mr Nishikant Dubey, who also spoke in the debate, almost sounded like a
spokesman of the corporate, a charge, of course was denied by the ruling party MP.

But the BJD member, Mr Panda maintained the government is on the right track while focusing on achieving growth and cautioned that those who support more subsidies and even "higher fiscal deficit" do not understand the adverse impact of such a situation. Almost countering TMC member's 'social justice' argument, Mr Panda said, "people who criticize and say that perhaps more money should have been spent and the fiscal deficit could have been higher. These people do not understand that a higher fiscal deficit leads to many other ills such as devaluation of our currency and higher inflation".

Referring to a famous statement made by legendary socialist leader Biju Patnaik in 1990s, Mr Panda said,
"states should be given fiscal independence" and allowed to augment own resources to meet the expenditures".

Narendra Modi's : First multi-nation visit: Success or Failure

Of all the things said by politicians and experts, some self-proclaimed and some genuine, in last two months, one statement that needs real dissection is Shashi Tharoor’s eloquent remarks. “An ambitious man, Narendra Modi appears to realize that ….. he wants to make a success of his government,” wrote Tharoor in his now famous blog for The Huffington Post. Undoubtedly this principle guides Indian Prime Minister both on home front and when he is overseas shaking hands with world leaders. A section of media in India has already hailed Modi’s latest diplomatic sojourn for BRICS summit and his one-on-one interactions with a few world leaders including the illustrious Vladimir Putin

It is simply too early to judge Narendra Modi vis-à-vis the canvas of the comity of nations. But it is also true, the real assessment of his engagements with these leaders would be worth a study in recent international studies.

Both the Prime Minister Narendra Modi himself and his critics or admirers either way would do well to curb the impatience and leave the answer to that query to the womb of time.

But the fact that Narendra Modi, armed with a huge mandate in a fiercely contested most democratic elections in the world, was available at the world stage for the first time. Although, Modi had visited Bhutan last month, in all practical sense his trip to Brazil and stopover at Berlin in Germany was the first brush with hardcore diplomacy. Thus, there is nothing wrong in analyzing his performance as the Prime Minister of world’s largest democracy.

In lay man’s language, it went off well. But in depth scrutiny of Modi’s interactions, the developments in BRICS Summit and his meetings with a galaxy of leaders like Putin and a ‘missed’ dinner with the German Chancellor Angela Merkel reveal that Modi has left a distinct mark with his unique aplomb. 

One single most achievement was perhaps an attempt has been made by the ‘chief executive’ of world’s largest democracy to change a global perception that its foreign policy is generally non-committal, passive and mostly guided by short term and emotive agendas. Modi has able to punctuate the crucial tactical visions in Indian foreign policy. 

But those who expected giant leap from Modi’s maiden overseas travel are apt to be disappointed.

Well, one could sound a bit skeptical but cannot help remarking that if a country which does not look at its past and present to draw a foreign policy is actually on a flawed roadmap. Modi seems to have done his home work prior to all key meetings.

And as the Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who had a humble origin of being a son of a tea vendor, wrapped up his first major multilateral visit having separately met China President Xi Jinping, Russia President Vladimir Putin, Brazil President Dilma Rousseff and South African President Jacob Zuma, there is a strong feeling that an opportune use of the occasion has been made. 

Feedback from intelligence agencies suggest even among the mandarins from other countries; the occasion was ‘exploited’ well as a good opportunity for India to assume a greater role for itself as a future global player. “We have the aspirations and when opportunities come, the new Prime Minister took two steps forward when the expectation was only one step,” says one insider in the Ministry of External Affairs.

Others say, his handshakes were ‘firm’ as if he had rehearsed the events pretty well and typical to his characteristic took note of minutest things like German Chancellor Merkel’s birthday and thus when he spoke to her over phone, he did extend the birthday greetings.

Modi talking to German Chancellor over phone

The aptitude to do proper homework about each leader and countries came in handy for Modi when the actually meetings took place. Thus, his carefully tailored oneliners with each leaders at every bilateral meetings went off well.

Modi apparently floored his foreign counterparts with his carefully tailored comments at every bilateral meeting. With a robust Putin, Modi mirrored an image of a confident man.

Similarly, with China, he did not seen to be bogged down by any bitterness of the past. Although Shanghai has been selected as the venue for BRICS Bank, the fact that first presidentship for the New Development Bank for India came with the backing of Brazil and South Africa is also significant.

However, insiders suggest Modi was particularly keen for having the Bank in India but apparently weak campaigning in last one year by the previous Manmohan Singh regime vis-à-vis Chinese campaign led to the set back that it went to Shanghai. 

The proposed bank is expected to cater for cross-border infrastructure delivery projects, says officials adding the bank would have a launching capital of US$50-billion. As per plans, resources are to be pooled from member partners to deliver on infrastructures, especially in Africa in initial stage.

However, insiders in the foreign policy making body in India also maintain that the BRICS should not be viewed merely in terms of concrete issues such as the development bank, but also as a collaboration on strategic political issues.
With an assertive Indian approach and body language of a time-tested ear-on-ground leader (Narendra Modi); there is broad feeling among other BRICS nations also about the growing failure of the west, especially on the economic front. 

Modi’s country-specific interaction with the world leaders also suggest that having claimed it well that SAARC is vital, at the next level, Modi left no ambiguity to underline that BRICS is equally vital if not more if the member nations have to make their presence felt. 

It was Indian side’s confident maneuver that the BRICS Declaration at Fortaleza clarified that China and Russia reiterated the importance they attach to Brazil, India and South Africa’s status and role everyone would play in international affairs and support their aspirations to play a greater role in the UN.

Many of Modi’s ideas, like the one on a BRICS University, found mention in the declaration. 

With Brazil President Dilma Rousseff 

North East India - Modi and Financial Management

A myopic bureaucratic and political class lacks the will to overcome north-east India’s institutional deficiencies, but now it is high time for northeastern states to wonder as to what they can really do for the country.

Development cannot be a mere destination. Rather it has to be a method of life. This is easier said especially in the context of northeast India, as in this development-starved region cradled amid hills and valleys generally we are used to phrases like non viability, collapse of road sector, financial crunch. And how they have derailed a host of developmental and infrastructure projects. The near 50-day Modi dispensation has tried to show the mirror about northeast India’s projects to the states in the region and perhaps also to itself. 

Firstly, the White Paper on National Highways Authority of India brought to light menaces like “undue importance” given to projects without considering project preparedness and viability factors. 

Thus, nationwide we have 189 projects in ‘dispute’ with the total amount of money at stake being Rs 27,209.56 crore. Out of these, 8 projects in north east India are in ‘dispute’ and the amount in question is Rs 608.52 crore.

In terms of national budget, this is definitely peanuts; but for the development-starved 7 or 8 sister states it comes to significant number of projects and also money.

Again during the presentation of the Railway Budget 2014-15, the Railway Minister D V Sadananda Gowda did some plain speaking and showed how various crucial projects and papers related to them were gathering dust.

"Railways have been suffering heavily because of time overrun and cost overrun due to poor project management," the Minister said adding there are as many as 23 railway projects underway in the northeast. Official sources point out that among them a few like, Lumding-Badarpur-Silchar Gauge Conversion in Cachar region in Assam is pending for about a decade now.

The project was decided and launched in 1996 with a 10-year deadline but the work progress is at snail pace and far from satisfactory. The Railway Minister proposed a quantum leap in fund allocation for these projects saying there will be near 54 per cent jump over allocations than previous year. With higher allocation and close monitoring of works, it is hoped, Lumding-Badarpur-Silchar Gauge conversion (Assam), Dudhnoi-Mendipathar (Assam-Meghalaya) new line, Harmuti-Murkongselek (to help connectivity in Arunachal) and Balipara-Bhalukpong sections will soon get commissioned.
The Northeast Frontier Railway has already ear-marked that the branch line from Balipara to Bhalukpong will be ready by January 2015. The 20 km Harmuty-Naharlagun was identified as crucial to national security owing to the presence of Chinese railway infrastructure on the state’s borders.

Then came in the Budget 2014-15 where in the Finance Minister Arun Jaitley has made a realistic assessment of things and according to none other than the Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, presented a ‘ray of hope’.

Over the decades, Governance and Developments or the lack of these two aspects form the cardinal factors about providing an administration to the northeast. There need not be a shed of sentimentalism in the argument but it goes without saying that irrespective of inherent cynicism, true developments and upliftment of native people’s condition always seemed to give a moral brooding to local youths not to go haywire.

The absence of development is a catalyst for the younger lots and others towards age-old insurgency or anti-India movements in India. The taste of the cake is in its eating. 

It is more in the region as job-accountability is a fast eroding commodity these days. The Modi government’s maiden budget for 2014-15 lists out a few new and revamped projects for the northeast. The true test for the Modi government will be to ensure that these promises are implemented and the projects get commissioned at the earliest. 

The implementation is much with the state governments. Here, Congress party is in power in important states like Manipur, Meghalaya, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam and Mizoram. No chief minister is known in these five states for delivering exceptionally well. Moreover, opposition-parties - Left in Tripura, NPF in Nagaland and SDF in Sikkim due to plethora of factors including a myopic bureaucratic and lack of a national vision. 
The Finance Minister also spoke about the need to generate ‘more resources’ to fuel the economy. Having said these, I come to the stage where, for instance, compatriots in a state like Nagaland in 1990s had opposed the imposition of income tax provisions on locals.

The plea that these states in northeast fall under Special Category states is also no healthy argument as the funding pattern to northeast was also changed by the 9^th Finance Commission in 1991-92. Therefore, as Arun Jaitley moots bold steps to enhance economic activity and spur growth, it is high time northeastern states too wonder for themselves as to what they can really do for the country, mainstream India.

A far-sighted vision or the lack of it is what got the northeast where it is, only a neo-pragmatism and responsible economic management can now save the day and also take the region to newer heights.

ends