A vicious cycle

THE DEVELOPMENT Vs security debate continues without any letup in the border States and those affected by militancy or insurgency. The Northeastern States and Kashmir have been put on a separate footing as far as funding and development projects are concerned. But unfortunately, very little progress is being made in the sphere of economic development in these States. The discussions continue on the financial burden of fighting militancy and who should take this burden - the Centre or the States? Last week, some of the Chief Ministers and Finance Ministers from the Northeast met the Prime Minister, Mr. A. B. Vajpayee, to discuss these issues. The Prime Minister wanted the States to share the burden in fighting militancy and also reviewed the progress on various Centrally-supported schemes to beef up security in the region. Considerable resources are being spent on security- related projects. But many of the essential development schemes, especially to improve the transport and communications sector, have suffered neglect. Till now, except for some special sectors such as plantations or horticulture, the bulk of the investments has come from the Centre, and this has also meant additional security for these undertakings and their top officials.

On a parallel track, a Northeast Chamber of Commerce and Industry delegation met the Finance Minister, Mr. Yashwant Sinha, and raised a plethora of problems for industrial development. Floods, erosion, transport and communication have emerged as the major roadblocks for development, in addition to the security threat and the chronic sickness of a large number of smallscale industries. It is becoming increasingly difficult to get the private sector involved in projects in the Northeast because of these problems. The State Governments, the bureaucracy and the lack of infrastructure have not been very useful in fighting against these odds. Corruption, leakage and the inability to move people and goods swiftly have added to the woes. The time has come for a broader debate on bridging the regional imbalances and making sure that basic development works do not suffer because of the militancy problem.

Mr. Vajpayee has himself visited the Northeast and learnt first hand the kind of problems faced by the region and its people. He has promised a hefty package for development programmes in the region and involved both the Finance Minister and the Deputy Chairman of the Planning Commission in finalising this package. There is a Northeast Council to monitor and implement any of these schemes. But the problem is the Centre has not delivered on any package promised in the past and the State Governments have failed to implement even the few schemes which came their way. As a result, most of the benefits have not reached the people for whom they were intended. The management of the finances has left a lot to be desired. Recently, the regional power corporation, NEECO, threatened to stop supply to the Northeastern States if they failed to pay up accumulated dues of over Rs. 900 crores. A fresh scheme of repayment has now been worked out.

It does not make much sense for the Chief Ministers to keep asking for a special cell in the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) to monitor the package. If the Northeast Council and the individual State Governments cannot take the responsibility, there is no use in getting the PMO to oversee these projects. Instead of confining themselves to just the security issues and the militancy problem, the Chief Ministers of the Northeastern States must address the root causes of this insurgency - which is lack of development. It is only through empowerment and involvement of the people at the grassroots level of democracy that there can be a forward movement in this region.

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