YEAR END REVIEW 2004
The UPA government stressed its commitment to the goal of rapid development of the North Eastern region of the country by taking two important decisions this year. It upgraded the department of North East Region to the status of a ministry and it took steps to revitalise the North East Council (NEC).
Some of the highlights for the ministry this year were-
1. Up-gradation of the Department of North East Region:
The erstwhile Department of North East Development was upgraded to a full-fledged Ministry on 27th May, 2004 in order to sharply focus on the development of North East Region.
2. Revitalization Of North East Council:
The Union Cabinet accepted the recommendations of Srivastav Committee that was setup to suggest ways to revitalize the North East Council. Some of the suggestions of the committee accepted by the government relate to-
Organisational and functional restructuring of NEC Secretariat;
Setting up of sectoral empowered committees;
Financing of regional plan from General Budgetry Support instead of Non Lapsable Central Pool of Resources;
Monitoring and evaluation of development projects;
Increased role of NEC in border trade; and
Operationalising NEC’s mandate relating to security and public order.
The Government also accepted the recommendation to appoint Minister DONER as Chairman, NEC to facilitate coordination with the central government and the NEC. Similarly, the government decided to nominate Member (North-East) in the Planning Commission as one of the members of the NEC. The nomination of two other members to NEC will be done based on their experience of the Region and expertise in socio-economic planning.
3. Revised Guidelines for NLCPR
The existing Guidelines governing administration of Non-lapsable Central Pool of Resources (NLCPR) were revised and the new Guidelines ssued on 07.07.2004 to accelerate programme implementation in the Region. The ministry also streamlined procedures and ensured equitable distribution of resources among the NE States.
4. Establishment of IIM for NE Region
Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region has taken an ‘in principle’ decision to provide funds for the infrastructure to establish an Indian Institute of Management (IIM) in the North Eastern Region. This will boost the economic and educational development in the Region.
5. Externally Aided Projects in North Eastern Region
The Ministry has started a new initiative of external cooperation for development of North Eastern Region. In this regard, Externally Aided Projects (EAPs) in core sectors have been taken into consideration. The initiative aims at two basic goals, to narrow the resource gap currently existing in core sectors through EAPs and secondly introduction of scientific management and programme implementation process for viable capacity building in the North East. As a result of this initiative, ADB has agreed to provide Technical Assistance for two important projects - North Eastern Urban Development Project and Integrated Road Network Project.
6. Advocacy & Publicity
Under the Advocacy & Publicity Plan Scheme, DONER-NEWSLINE, a Quarterly Newsletter on the activities and achievements of the Ministry was launched on 18th June, 2004. This includes information on projects funded through NLCPR and NEC, programmes and events supported under the Ministry’s Plan Schemes and other important initiatives of the Government of India and the State Governments. This News line is likely to usher in a process of dialogue with all stakeholders in the process of development of NE Region apart from bringing in transparency and accountability in the whole process.