Shillong, August 27 (MExN): Parliamentary Secretary for PWD (Housing), Er. Levi Rengma has asserted that a society cannot do without unity. Speaking at the ‘Cultural Meet’ in Shillong organized by Naga Elders’ Forum Shillong and Naga Students’ Union Shillong on August 25, Er. Levi stated, “In every walk of life we find that it is our unity that gives us strength. No home can be strong, happy and peaceful without unity.”
He pointed out that North East India constitutes about 8% of India in size with a population of approximately 40 million as per 2011census, which is about 3.1% of total Indian population. “But God has blessed our North-East with abundant natural resources and beauty which we can harness for our development, keeping in mind the need for preserving environment and ecology for our future generations to come.”
Being comparatively small in size, North-East people, he said, should come together in unity and understanding so that the region can be developed, especially in the field of tourism, and projected as one of the world tourist destinations.
Questioning why the North-East States are still lacking in developments, the MLA maintained that the rest of Indian people have to recognize the North-East as a part of India and not treat people from the region as “outsiders”. “At the same time we North-East people should also project ourselves in the positive right way in our behaviors and conducts.” Er. Levi said it is “our” duty to change the concept of negativity of “our” land and people to outside world.
Meanwhile, he pointed out that the power to tap into the tremendous potential comes from one’s identity. “In order to understand your identity you have to know about your past history, culture and traditions because knowing your own history, or the history of your culture is important for development because it helps you to know who you are while moulding the future.” Cities and towns today, he added, is a huge melting pot of different cultures, where it can be easy to feel lost and confused. In such a situation, self-reflection is crucial to the cross-cultural learning process, and knowledge of one’s own culture is crucial, he said. The MLA also said understanding cultures will help one overcome and prevent racial and ethnic divisions.
According to him, unless the people from North East first learn to understand other’s culture and respect them, we will continue to be what we are. “Like any other people in the world, we the people from North East are proud of our own culture and traditions but we seem to fail to understand and respect each other’s culture and traditions. Culture can give people a connection to certain social values, beliefs, religions and customs. It allows them to identify with others of similar mindsets and backgrounds. Understanding our cultural heritage can give a sense of personal identity.”
Talking on the economic development of North East region, he said despite efforts at policy formulation to cater to the developmental needs of the states in the region, nothing significant has come out yet in the last several years. “It is as such unwise to approach the problem in the Northeast as merely a law and order problem; neither can it be handled as purely political one. The roots lie deep in the fundamental economic dynamics of insurgency movements. The problems of political violence, insurgency, ethnic conflict, migration pressure, inter-state disputes and underdevelopment have become integral to the understanding of political process and economic development of the region.”
Further, he opined that the root of the matter lies in the failure of several North East states to develop their internal financial resources, and their continuing reliance on Central Government for contribution towards meeting their internal non-plan expenditures etc.
