1. Manthan Topic: Sunrise States: Realizing
the growth potential of North-East
ROUTES TO ROOTS
An indigenous model to empower North East
India
Team Details
Akash Purohit ; Manu Bajaj ; Mukesh Rawat ; Sruti Sriram ;
Supriy Ranjan

2. • I dia s e port olu e : $2 . illio
• North East s share : $0.01 billion
• I dia s North east regio has 9% of geographi al area a d o tri utes 3%
to the ou tr s GDP.
• About 98% of regio s orders for I dia's i ter atio al ou daries.
• Unfriendly trade environment is making the trade expensive . The field
survey shows transaction costs at Land custom stations are very high,
which vary between 2500 -500 INR per transaction
• Informal/illegal trade between Bangladesh and India accounts to ¾ of the
regular trade.

3. Developing north east as an export hub through
specific infrastructure development in the region.
Overview of the solution proposed
Developing NER as a centre for
Horticulture and floriculture produce
70% of people are presently employed in agro-based
work.
The climatic condition of the region is highly conducive
towards development of this industry.
Opening up of mechanized industries in the region would
disturb the social fabric of the tribals.
Low investment and environmental friendly.
Implementation model
Identification of region specific horticulture and floriculture
produce.
Setting up of seed banks keeping in mind the variety meant for
export.
Declaration of MSP and the establishment of localized
procurement processing and storage facilities.
Agro based vocational education to be imparted.

4. Advantages over the existing model
It would cater to the needs of the 14
million people unemployed in the next
decade by providing self employment.
Scheme aims to
develop both the
physical
infrastructure
and capacity to
use it.
Proper
exploitation of
climate and
terrain in an eco-
sensitive manner
.
Scheme focuses
on primary sector
hence it will
affect the people
at the grassroot
level directly.

5. Physical
infrastructure
Will cater to the
infrastructural demand
in the
production,processing
and transportation
stages of the agro
produced.
Capacity Building
Emphasis on imparting
agro based technical
skills so as to enhance
the capacity and skill of
the masses for the
optimum utilization of
infrastructure.
Allied industries
Development of
handicraft and animal
husbandry as a
supporting industry.

6. R&D by agricultural university for the
development of export variety
sapling.
Encourage cultivators to change land
use pattern and adopt terrace
Farming.
Declare MSP as a confidence building
Measure.
Panchayat level set up procurement
centers Horticulture and Floriculture
goods with direct payment mode.
Minimum one government storage and
processing unit at district level
 Roadways
• Connecting export centres to cold storage
and processing units by 2/4 lane highways.
• Interconnection of state capitals
• Extension of east west corridor from Silchar
to Chittagong via Sabroom (Southern Tripura)
 Railways
• Connectivity of Southern north east with
Chittagong port via Sabroom.
• Penetration of railways to Palel in Manipur to
cater to the needs of exporting town of
Moreh.
 Airways
• Development of Imphal airport as an
international airport which will serve as a
export point for Horticulture and
Floriculture.

7. Technical skills and capacity building
• Distribution of High Yielding Variety (HYV) seeds.
• Subsidy on organic fertilizers.
• Seed banks and vocational centers at Community level.
• Compulsory welfare services for a minimum period of 1 year by the students of
Agricultural universities.
Seed Revolution
•Rainwater harvesting : creation of surface storage tanks.
•State subsidies on drip irrigation.
•Making efficient network of canals.
Irrigation
•Efficient application of SHG schemes and their proper robust connectivity with banks at
block level.
Self Help Group

8. Diversification of export basket by exploiting the
handicraft and animal husbandry industry
Handicraft and Handlooms
• Mass production of handicraft based on the
Thailand model of targeted one village one
product system.
• Efficient procurement of handicrafts and
artefa ts through ri h et ork of Shilp Kala
Ke dras .
• Marketting of handicrafts at global level by
organizing international events,cultural fairs and
exchange programmes in the NER.
• Setting up north east specific cultural and
research centres both in india and at the global
level.
• Standardization of handicrafts to protect them
from similar produce from mills in ludhiana and
jalandhar .
Animal husbandry
Poor availability of fodder in NER and
uneconomical demand of meat in Southeast
Asia makes export of fish and flesh unviable.however
they need to be developed for huge internal
demand.
EXPORT purpose :
Industries like honey rearing, sericulture and wool
rearing have a bright future owing to the fact that
NER is a bio-diversity hotspot and the climatic
condition are very conducive to it. they should be
encouraged by capitalising the infrastructure
development of the scheme with state incentives.
DOMESTIC demand :
Develop indegenious pisciculture and poultry farms
to make it self sufficient and not dependent on the
mainland india.

9. Allied sectors benefitting from the model
• A great boost to tourism industry by way of opening of an
international airport.
• Penetration of rail and road in deeper pocket which can be tourist
hotspot.
TOURISM
• The rich connectivity of roads to the interior region would help in
delivering better health care facilities.
• High growth of herbs and other medicinal plants can be used to
research and develop new ayurvedic medicines and internally
circulated.
HEALTH CARE
• Development of large number of agro based trade and export
centers would ultimately result in creation of job avenues. This
would lead to the development of global agro based research
institutes.
• The robust infrastructure development would also cater to the
security and the strategic demands of the nation.
EDUCATION AND
EMPLOYMENT

10. Drawbacks of the Model
For coming years, in order to strengthen the regional capacity and integration,
an exclusive approach would be needed from center and NER states.
The benefits may not be encashed in short term, but the economic
prosperity and intrinsic sufficiency will be a huge dividend to the exchequer
and in turn contribute in building regional capacity.
The challenges to internal security and the conducive environment for
drug smuggling plays a major a major hindrance to the scheme. This can
be tackled by rigorous awareness and rehabilitation camps with
assurance of economic stability.

11. Appendix
• Indian Chambers of Commerce Report 2013 (by price water house
cooper)
• Research and information system, Ministry of Development of
North-East Region (North-East Council, Oct 2011).
• Report of the committe on informal cross border trade, Ministry of
Commerce.
• Look East Policy and the North Eastern States,(mdoner,GOI).
• North Eastern Region Vision 2020 (mdoner,GOI).
• North Eastern Industrial and Investment Policy(NEIPP) 2007,deptt.
Of Industrial Policy and Promotion,Ministry of comm.,GOI
• Export potential of horticulture products from north eastern India,
agricultural and processed food products export development
authority,2008.