NE suffers from development deficit

By Staff
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Google Oneindia News

Guwahati, Oct 14 (UNI) Though the Community-level functioning is strong in North East, the region suffers a 'development deficit' due to less investment, administrative loopholes, bureaucracy and corruption.

The reasons responsible for NE's relative backwardness in comparision to the rest of the country were identified by the World Social Forum, India's central committee member Raghunandan.

Dr Raghunandan at the North Eastern Regional Consultative Meet here said, '' I feel there is a development deficit in the NE and people at the lowest levels are not benefitting enough from the developmental schemes.'' Talking to UNI, he said the community-level services were strong in the region and women enjoyed better status.

'' You won't get landless farmers here. Though there are poor people here, the level of poverty in the region is much less than in other parts of the country,'' he said.

While education and health sectors remained to be areas of concern in NE, Dr Raghunandan identified displacement of people due to developmental projects, internal migration, militarisation and impact of globalisation in wake of 'Look East' policy as issues more specific to NE.

'' Other problems also exist in the region, but these topics had been specially emphasised in this meeting,'' he added.

He admitted that infiltration was an important issue for NE, adding, ''We have to consider that migration of the middle-class from India to abroad is also a type of influx.'' He stressed on the need to identify the reasons for the flow of migrants from neighbouring countries to India and collectively work for their remedial.

'' People will continue to move to places where they get better living facilities,'' he added.

Highlighting the reasons for the migration of the youth in the NE region to other states for better career prospects, Dr Raghunandan urged the need to create better avenues for them here.

UNI SG PP RD 1528

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