Prime Minister’s Development Initiative for North East Region (PM-DevINE)

• A new programme known as the Prime Minister's Development Initiative for the North East Region was recently authorised by the Union Cabinet (PM-DevINE).
• In the Union Budget 2022–23, PM-DevINE was introduced to address development gaps in the North Eastern Region (NER).

PM-DevINE Scheme: What is it?

• With an investment of Rs 6,600 crore, the programme will run for the final four years of the 15th Finance Commission, from 2022–2023 to 2025–2026.
• With a focus on job creation, PM-DevINE will aim to create infrastructure, support industries, social development projects, and create livelihood opportunities for young people and women.
• All primary healthcare facilities and government schools will have the bare necessities as part of these projects.

Finance and execution:

• It has 100% government funding and is a central sector programme.
• The Ministry of Development of the North Eastern Region (DoNER), the North Eastern Council, or central ministries and agencies will execute PM-DevINE.

Importance of North East India:

• North-East India serves as a strategic entryway to South-East Asia and beyond. It serves as Myanmar's land border with India.
• The northeastern states are on the eastern edge of India's engagement, according to its Act East Policy.

Cultural Significance:

• One of the world's regions with the widest cultural diversity is North East India. There are more than 200 tribes there. The Hornbill Festival in Nagaland and Pang Lhabsol in Sikkim are two well-known celebrations.
• India's northeast is a Dowry-Free Zone.
• Highly developed Folk dance genres like Bihu in the Northeast reflect the region's complex tapestry of cultural influences (Assam).
• In Manipur, it is customary to worship nature in sacred woods known as UmangLai.

Economic Significance:

• The region has a wealth of "TOT" natural resources (Tea, Oil, and Timber).
• With a potential hydropower output of 50,000 MW and a large supply of fossil fuels, it is a true powerhouse.

Ecological Significance:

• The Indo-Burma biodiversity hotspot includes the North East. It represents one of the Indian subcontinent's highest levels of bird and plant biodiversity.
• This region is renowned for housing every type of bear found in India.

Tourism

• North-East unique geography, biodiversity and culture attract tourists from all over the world and India and have huge potential to create employment in the region.

Obstacles to the NER's Development

Terrain Challenges:

• The North Eastern region is primarily mountainous, with the exception of the state of Assam, which contains a sizable portion of plains. Because of the issue with access to the remote locations, it is difficult for the government projects to be implemented in the area.

Areas in Need of Improvement:

• Unlike mainlanders, residents of the North East Region are still pleased with a basic way of life and a lack of technology in their daily lives. Due to a lack of opportunities for high-income generating, the level of living remains low.
• For instance, the farmers still use primitive farming techniques, while the tribal peoples in the nation continue to practise shifting agriculture.

Connectivity:

• The North Eastern Territory is a landlocked region, as was already mentioned. As a result, it only has a little amount of maritime access. Similar to that, its challenging topography makes expressways and bigger roadways impractical.
• The lack of a train infrastructure in the area makes this more difficult.

Lack of Social and Physical Infrastructure:

• NER has complained of being treated like a second-class citizen by the mainland, particularly in the context of local development initiatives.
• The absence of political and social stability in the nation is one of the main reasons for the lack of growth in the region. The tribal communities in the area have not entirely embraced the artificial boundaries left over from the British legacy, which is made worse by political opportunism.

Insurgencies:

• Porous borders along Bangladesh, and Myanmar has made the region vulnerable to insurgencies. It also leads to the issue of arms and drug trafficking along the border.

What are the Northeast's Major Infrastructure Projects?

• There are plans for 4,000 km of highways, 20 railway projects covering 2,011 km, and 15 air connectivity projects.
• Better connection is being provided by the development of national waterways. (National Waterways (NW)-1 on the Ganges, NW-2 on the Brahmaputra, and NW-16 on the Barak).
• 5,000 km of navigable waterways will be made available as part of the Eastern Waterways Connectivity Transport Grid, which would link the northeast with the rest of India.
• The North Eastern Region Power System Improvement Project (NERPSIP) is a significant step towards the North Eastern Region's economic development by bolstering the intra-state transmission and distribution n

Northeast India

• Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, and Tripura make up the Northeast Region, also known as the "seven sisters" of Northeast India.
• While Sikkim is a part of the Northeast and is separated from the other six states by the Siliguri Corridor, it is not considered to be one of the Seven Sisters, despite being a part of the region.
• Another name for Sikkim is the "Brother" of the Seven Sisters.

Way Forward

• In addition to creating jobs, infrastructure investment would significantly hinder secessionist activities in the North-East region.
• National and international infrastructure development will be the best option for inclusive development in India's Northeast because it is bordered by national and international borders.
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Read Also: Northeast’s Integration