Envisaging our Development Pattern
Dr Asangba Tzüdir
The Nagaland Vision 2020 was envisaged with the “will to excel” as part of the Nagaland State Human Development Report 2004 focusing on key areas of peace, population stabilization, national and international connectivity, sustainable agriculture, infrastructure and services, industrialization and action oriented missions. It visualized a future Nagaland as “an evergreen state, the Switzerland of the east.” As Nagaland prepares the Vision 2030 plan, the begging question is what we have achieved from the vision 2020 plan, and where we are today and what should be our way forward.
Assessing our strength and weaknesses and the looming threats at the base of the plan, the pattern of development becomes central to this vision document and thereby the need to conceptualize the term development within our context. This brings us to the key areas of development and how we want to develop. As a footnote, a tragedy to development is that, the State General Election is taken as the parameter of development and the grand promises fails to go beyond lip servicing and thereby the idea of development fails to progress.
Now, within the context of our State, a facet of the idea of development should necessarily include restructuring and revamping. Keeping in mind the looming climate of political uncertainty, the present Nagaland Government political set up is in need of re-structuring. Contrary to the idea of ‘government/cabinet expansion’, and considering the developmental results from the existing structure, Nagaland government is currently feeding an ‘oversized’ legislative assembly, which needs to be reduced especially the parliamentary secretaries. Besides their assigned roles, they become a channel for people to engage in unabated corruption. Further, certain sectors like the Nagaland State Transport (NST) and the kind of service it provides calls for serious deliberation on the lines of privatization.
Education as a marker of any civilized society is another sector that requires thorough systems revamp and work towards building a system that will bring out the best in every teacher making effective use of human resources towards producing quality and qualified students. The National flagship programme on ‘education for all’ with the motto, “Read All, Progress All” Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) came with free goodies but it has had a detrimental effect on the education system of Nagaland. To this end, certain rational measures need to be adopted in addressing the issues related to SSA and further work out possibilities of absorbing the current SSA teachers under the state scheme. In the higher education section, besides the need for structural changes including curriculum/syllabus etc, those students who are unable to pursue higher education due to family financial constraints should be encouraged through special scholarships. Well, there are so many issues that require urgent attention in order to achieve the goal of quality education towards developing human resources. We may talk of development and its associated patterns but without quality education in place economic dependency syndrome jutted by the increasing number of educated unemployed/unemployable will make matters worse leading to increased corruption and illegal activities in the state.
One of the strengths of Nagaland lies in her natural resources but currently natural resources which cannot be replaced especially the non-renewable resources are plundered at will greatly. Sadly the policies regarding the extraction of natural resources are inadequate thereby the economic performance remain not only poor but has opened the window towards far reaching detrimental consequences. On another level, tapping of natural resources should be backed by policies that would enhance revenue generation. The pattern of development should be such that, it should look at diversifying the revenue to other sectors to augment development. This calls for proper investment policies especially on revenue generation with focus on shifting the pattern of economic development towards manufacturing and service sectors.
Industrialization of both small and big industries is another major concern for economic development. Today, of the two major industries, one is in the ‘process’ of revival and the other is heard no more. The revival of Tuli Paper mill is an urgent necessity if Nagaland is to revive economy. Further, having a pulp centre for the paper mill in each district will definitely lead to work efficiency, employment generation and increased production. To this end of end of industrialization, power and electricity is another major concern.
Another big challenge to economic development comes from road and connectivity. Proper roads and connectivity are vital to economic development but the condition of the roads is hampering the economic and social progress of the state. Proper roads and a viable transport system is a lifeline. It will effectively bring multiple socio-economic reforms in terms of economic transformation especially in the rural areas through increased social mobility, booming market, production of consumer goods, reduced poverty which will result in a transformed way of life. These are incentives to augment socio-economic development and a sustainable growth. On the whole, the ‘lack’ of proper roads in Nagaland is a real presentation of a major ‘stumbling block’ in the emergence of Nagaland as an economic powerhouse. The pattern of development especially in the rural sector should necessarily address the problems associated with rapid urbanization. To this end, improved roads and connectivity, a system of agriculture that encourages farming and school education will go a long way in solving the problems of urbanization.
Well, for all the failed vision, plans and policies, Nagaland is in urgent need of a proper policy research centre. This will go a long way in transforming visions and developmental models into reality. Nagaland should chart out a pragmatic vision plan and not any grand dream.
Above all, this vision should work on patterns that create democratic spaces for growth and development and also a noble vision mission to build a corrupt free Nagaland by 2030. For now Nagaland is in need of ‘peace’ and to come together as a ‘political’ community…and the many ‘unions’ and ‘groups’ are not helping at all.
(Dr. Asangba Tzüdir is Editor with Heritage Publishing House. He writes a weekly guest editorial for the Morung Express. Comments can be mailed to asangtz@gmail.com)
