: Northeast disconnect #IndiaNEWS #News By Rituparna Kaushik Bhattacharyya The morning of June 22, 2022, saw a crowd of journalists and reporters huddled outside a luxury hotel in Guwahati to ensure

Northeast disconnect #IndiaNEWS #News
By Rituparna Kaushik Bhattacharyya
The morning of June 22, 2022, saw a crowd of journalists and reporters huddled outside a luxury hotel in Guwahati to ensure that not a single nitty-gritty of the horse-trading was missed. While #MaharastraCrisis trended, the entire Assam grappled to breathe out of overflowing rivers, landslides, and disconnected life and livelihood.
The tragedy that hit the State is unprecedented. The Brahmaputra and all its tributaries are overflowing; the flood has brought both human and animal life to a standstill with abysmal relief. Yet, what qualified national attention in the region was a bunch of legislative Assembly members from Maharashtra switching parties. The massive damage to the road, rail infrastructure and private property, and the displacement of millions of people did not get prime-time attention. The persistent failure of the nation in general concerning the Northeast is disappointingly not new.
On the Backburner
The region has been on the backburner since independence. While States in mainland India were experiencing growth and development in terms of industry, road, railways, etc, the prospects of development in the Northeastern States remained bleak. Despite being endowed with mineral resources, Assam was the only State with a few industries, mainly natural gas, oil and tea. The city of Digboi had the first-ever oil refinery established in Asia in 1901, yet Assam failed to capitalise on its probable growth perspective.
While the nation’s attention was riveted on the bunch of MLAs from Maharashtra plotting defection, Assam reeled under unprecedented floods
In 1950-51, the State’s per capita income was 4%, above the national average. However, in 1998-99, it was 41%, below the national average at current prices and 45%, below the national average at constant prices (1980-81). Many blamed the Central government’s negligence and the shift in policy and focus. For instance, Assam yields more than 50% of India’s tea production and contributes equally to its exports, but there was no tea auction centre in the region until 1970! When it came to crude oil, revenue-sharing issues between the Centre and the State hampered financial capitalisation on this valuable resource.
Digboi had the first-ever oil refinery established in Asia in 1901, yet Assam failed to capitalise on its probable growth perspective
In addition to underinvestment in industries, far low investment in physical infrastructure hindered the region’s economic progress. Given its rugged terrain and vulnerability to hostile neighbours, the region deserved significant investment in physical infrastructure not just from the point of integration but also from the point of defence and strategic policy interest.

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