GMS Assam Report - June, 2011

Ecological Competitiveness of North East India to Drive Economic & Social Sustainability Opportunities in Assam for Sustaining the Ecosystem

Contents A.

Executive Summary ....................................................................................... 2

B.

North East and Naturenomics™ ................................................................... 9

C.

Core Sector Opportunities – Focus on Assam .......................................... 11

1.

Agriculture and Horticulture ........................................................................... 16

2.

Fisheries ......................................................................................................... 29

3

Bio- Diversity .........................................................Error! Bookmark not defined.

4.

Water Management ......................................................................................... 46

5.

Clean Energy .................................................................................................. 65

6.

Tourism .......................................................................................................... 76

D.

Infrastructure Opportunity - Focus on Assam ........................................... 89

1.

Eco Township ........................................................................................................ 89

2.

Transportation ....................................................................................................... 94

3.

Healthcare ..................................................................... Error! Bookmark not defined.

4.

Education.............................................................................................................. 103

E.

Incentives for Investments ........................................................................ 115

F.

Annexures .................................................................................................. 120

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A. Executive Summary Key Highlights - Assam Within an area of about 78,000 sq km, the current estimated population of Assam is a little under 27 million and is expected to touch the 40 million mark by 2020, representing a large regional consumer base.

In spite of economic development in Assam, overall growth rates over the past years have remained lower compared to the national growth rates (4-5% for North East region vs 8-9% nationally), and economic, social and infrastructure indicators are largely below national averages.

We have conducted a diagnostic of Assam, and the key findings are summarized in the graphic below. Assam has 2.7% of India‟s population, 2.5% of the land area, and 3.5% of India‟s forest cover and forest carbon storage. The analysis suggests that the state contains great cultural, environmental and natural resource diversity. The relative advantages is in its legacy of being rich in natural resources, especially fertile soils, water, forests and bio-diversity, resulting in unique opportunities for growth such as organic food, bio-diverse tourism, compensatory mechanisms for carbon, etc. At the same time there is immense scope of social and infrastructure development which is just about average at its current status. The areas of strength and improvement are as shown below.

Avg Annual Growth Rate

Per Capita SGDP

Population Growth Rates

Unemployment

% Households with Elect

Road L per 100sqkm Area

Rail L per 100sqkm Area

Teledensity

Public Exp on Health

Public Exp on Education

Sanitation

Access to Drinking Water

IMR

LEB

Literacy rate

BPL

Forest Area

Ground Water Table

Mineral Wealth

Pollution

Growth Rate – PriSector

Growth Rate – SecSector

Growth Rate – TerSector

GSDP Break Up

ECONOMIC

INFRASTRUCTURE

SOCIAL INFRASTRUCTURE

SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT

NATURAL RESOURCES

SECTOR

Excellent

Above Average

Satisfactory

Below Average

Poor

The traditional economic valuation model has been primarily based on a productivity driven growth engine through the optimization of Adam Smith‘s factors of production – land, labour, capital and organization leading to overdrawing of natural resources, taking our ecological assets towards rapid depletion. Increasing use of superior natural resource conversion technologies has further accelerated the problem by increasing our dependence on energy and driving economies to become high-carbon economies. The business as usual (BAU) approach, if followed, will eventually damage economic growth through ecological depletion – hence the threat is as much economic as it is ecological.

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The current economic depression is compounded by ecological decline, and hence tackling ecological depletion is the pro-growth, and possibly only, long term strategy, also delivering food security (Lester Brown) and social security (Joseph Stiglitz). Current global indicators point towards a paradigm shift from economic centric activities to ecological centric activities - the Ecological Economy or Eco-Economy, along with renewed measurement and valuation models.

Within this context, Assam could potentially be one of the progressive and high growth states of India through the development of food, water, tourism and forest resources which can be developed through the principles of Naturenomics™. Naturenomics™ relates to an alternative approach to capital formation for a region or organization through the creation of ecologically „compliant‟ assets in a sustainable manner.

Key Opportunity Areas in Assam A “Naturenomics‖ based approach for the development of the region will not only ensure food, water, and bio-diversity security, but will also drive the growth of certain industries like clean energy, forests, fresh water resources, crop land and fish farming etc.

This in turn would lead to increased skill demands, employment generation and wealth creation not only for the region as a whole, but more importantly for the local communities.

The securitisation of the natural assets would require to be supported by the development of Core Infrastructure in the areas of Transportation, Power, Telecommunications, IT, Eco Townships and building the social Infrastructure through Healthcare and Education. Capacity building will be critical in order to achieve these goals. The strategic development framework is shown in the graphic below:

Securitization of Core Assets

Unlocking Nature Capital

Agriculture Next green revolution by land value optimisation and agro-based intellectual capital

Fisheries Centre of excellence for fresh water inland fish

Biodiversity Management

Water Management

Planned utilisation of biodiverse forest resources

Creating a water driven global revolution

Clean Energy

Tourism

Harvest sources of clean energy and reduce energy wastage of the abundant resources in the region for energy

Creating destinations for discerning travellers through a 3pronged approach

Development of Core „Eco-Infrastructure‟ Power

Eco-Townships

Social Infrastructure

Telecommunications

IT

Transportation

Healthcare

Education

Capacity Building

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Assam - Potential Projects and Investments The objective is to design and implement an alternate development track, to kick start momentum, & thus realise potential through leveraging the regions core assets – water, agriculture, nature, culture & heritage, human resources, geography, & location. Hubs can be created around ―hydrocarbon centers‖ and tea estates to drive these projects.

Successful securitization of the resources in Assam can be achieved through potential ecological transformational projects. These projects and potential investments are highlighted in the table below: Sector

Agriculture & Fisheries

Potential Projects

     

Developing a food security programme around crops suited to the agro-climatic conditions of the region (eg rice, spices, medicinal and herbal plants, etc) Developing a programme to promote organic cultivation Capacity Development through R&D and Self Help Groups (SHGs) Organized Food Supply chain (food parks and logistics infrastructure) Developing a world class fresh water fisheries value chain Vermiculture and bio-pesticides

Required Investment (In Rs Cr.) – Over 5 – 10 Years 4000

Bio-diversity Management



Preservation of existing forests and creation of ‗Biodiversity cadre‘  Development of new urban/city forests  Development of biodiverse forestry (eg bamboo) on large designated land tracts which are currently being used marginally (Aim to increase forest cover to a minimum of 33%)

4000

Water Management

 Rain Water Harvesting programmes  Water Refineries  Water Treatment & Re-cycling  Water storage (these can be developed in public private partnership formats)

4000

Clean Energy / Power



Green, eco friendly hydel power projects (eg ‗run of the river‘, helix turbines, etc) that do not impact the biodiverse life in the rivers of the region Bio-gas projects Nuclear power

8000

Create bio-diversity tourism destination experiences around: Nature Parks, Forest Bungalows, River islands, River journeys, places of Cultural, Historical, and Religious interests Rural/ Village tourism and homestays Budget hotels Convention centre and top end hotel in Guwahati

4500

Eco Townships in major cities and upcoming towns of Assam, including low cost nano urban housing Re-inventing Rural Housing (e.g. Tea Garden Workforce Housing)

35000

  Tourism



   Eco-Townships (Urban and Rural Housing Infrastructure)

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Sector

Potential Projects

Required Investment (In Rs Cr.) – Over 5 – 10 Years



Low cost nano housing for village hubs

Transportation – Inland water Transport



River Ports – Over 50 Type A (Passenger) and Type B (Passenger + Cargo) terminals on the Brahmaputra and Barak rivers

6000

Transportation – Green Roads



Green Roads – Expressways connecting from Guwahati to the rest of the North East – Green highways – Kaziranga by-pass – Operations and Maintenance for the highways to ensure quality and longer life

9000

xHealth

   

Hospital Infrastructure in secondary and tertiary care Medical colleges and Training infrastructure Pharmaceutical & Bio-pharma opportunities Naturopathy and alternate medicine institutions

3000

Education



Education Infrastructure for training for green jobs in the sector of agriculture, fisheries, bio-diversity management, water, clean energy, tourism and infrastructure Development of skill oriented teaching content Online training programmes Green schools and educational institutes

1500

  

TOTAL

79000

Desired Impact  

We believe that Assam is well positioned to take advantage of ecologically driven sunrise industries such as organic cultivation, fresh water fisheries development, water harvesting and treatment, clean energy, bio-diverse tourism, eco-infrastructure, etc The potential impact of this development approach is highlighted below:

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Suggested Approach In order to move on this radical path to development, it would require a paradigm change from the Assam Government, as below: Components Current Situation Emerging Developmental Model (Eco-Economy) Land  Biodiversity degradation  Biodiversity regeneration  Conversion of forest land for  Improving productivity of agriculture and urban migration current land under agriculture  Unplanned growth of current  Organic regeneration of land towns driven by urban under agriculture migration  Setting up of eco-townships  Leverage compensatory mechanisms for biodiversity driven forestation Energy  Supply primarily from coal fired  Develop renewable sources of power plants to cater to energy demand requirements  Leverage hydro electricity  Almost no use of renewable potential to increase rural sources of energy electrification through micro hydel projects Water  No focused efforts to harness  Harness the water potential of this scarce resource the state for agriculture, waterways, etc Waste  No defined waste management  Set up waste treatment and approach for the state recycling facilities  Waste mostly finds its way to  Leverage waste to drive landfills requirements towards an ecoeconomy such as vermicomposting (agriculture) and bio-gas (energy)

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Air

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Declining air quality



Carbon



No strategy for emission management



Pollution monitoring to address areas of deteriorating air quality Develop baselines and strategy to manage emissions including carbon sequestration

Operating Structure The possible operating structure could consist of 3 broad components, with subcomponents within each. The operating team will be guided by a Steering Committee comprising the Chief Minister of Assam and other selected representatives from the constituents involved.

The core operating structure will consist of the following components, and sub components: Strategy and Monitoring: This component will be responsible for developing the vision and strategy, and monitoring the operationalisation of that vision and strategy. It will consist of: - The core strategy team - Advisors for strategy development - Partners for implementation Implementation and Delivery: Teams will be formed for implementation and delivery, within a matrix structure of the departments related to the focus 'nature capital industries' (eg. agriculture, water management, etc) within each state. This would require a ‗single window‘ clearance system of proposals for projects in these areas.

Support: Departments within the state that will provide support services for the implementation and delivery of the vision and strategy. This will consist of:  Human resources management  ICT  Finance  Capacity building We also recommend assembling an Advisory Committee comprising of experts from a cross-section of areas - government, public sector and private sector, to guide the development of the vision and strategy, and its implementation and delivery.

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The structure is graphically shown below: ChiefChief Minister of Assam Ministers across Concerned Ministers Ministers of concerned ministries Departments selected representatives from  OtherOther selected representatives from constituents involved constituents involved 

Cabinet Steering Committee Advisory Committee 

Distinguished experts from a cross-section of areas  Government  Public sector  Private sector



Implementation & Delivery

Strategy and Monitoring

DC, Districts

Agriculture

Assam Team

Fisheries Water Mgt.

Advisors Forestry

Partners

Tourism

Biodiversity Mgt

Energy

Support Human Resources

ICT

Finance

Capacity Building

Highlights The Context  Assam could potentially be one of the progressive and high growth states of India through the development of food, water, tourism and forest resources which can be developed through the principles of Naturenomics™.

The Opportunity  A ―Naturenomics™‖ based approach for the development of the region will not only ensure food, water, and bio-diversity security, but will also drive the growth of certain industries like clean energy, forests, fresh water resources, crop land and fish farming etc.  Naturenomics™ relates to an alternative approach to capital formation for a region or organization through the creation of ecologically ‗compliant‘ assets in a sustainable manner.  This alternate approach would necessarily need to be supported by investments in the infrastructure and social sectors The Investment  Potential ecological transformation projects would require capital infusion estimated at Rs 79000 crores over a 5 to 10 year period The Impact  It is expected that GDP would double over this period and employment would double every year The Next Steps  Creation of an Advisory Board comprising of stalwarts from Industry  Prioritising thrust areas for growing the economy through ecologically compliant industries  Creation of the Steering Committee and support teams for planning and implementing projects

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B. North East and Naturenomics™ The North East Region (NER) refers collectively to the eight states located in the midst of the East Himalayan region in the north-eastern part of India, constituting Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim and Tripura. The NER shares 2,000 km of international borders with Nepal, Bhutan, China (Tibet), Myanmar and Bangladesh, and is connected to the rest of India by a 22-km wide stretch of land at Siliguri in West Bengal.

The NER covers an area of 262,000 sq km, accounting for 7.9% of India‟s total geographical area. With a total population of 40 million (as per Census 2001), it accounts for 3.9% of the country‟s total population.

The Northeast is relatively sparsely populated compared too much of India, however, population density in the northeastern states varies widely. Assam and Tripura are the most densely populated (with over 324 people / sq km, around the Indian avg.) while Arunachal Pradesh is the least densely populated (13 people / sqm). The region is well endowed with natural resources and ideal climatic conditions for agriculture, tea and rubber plantations and sericulture. Substantial on-land oil and natural gas reserves and significant mineral resources are available in abundance in the region. At the same time, population growth over the past decades has been significant and has put increased pressure on land, forest, and water resources (Ministry of DONER, GoI, 2008).

While India is on the path of economic resurgence (all time highs of economic growth rates, foreign exchange reserves, FII inflows, stock market indices, and an upswing in FDI inflows), the North East states and Assam is now poised to begin its journey on this path.

North East is one of the most bio-diverse regions in the world, consisting of large portions of land under tropical forests, with various valuable resources like bamboo, cane, wood and precious medicinal plants. Forest-based industries such as plywood mills, paper mills, saw mills constitute an integral part of the economy.

The North East, being at the confluence of three major geographical realms of the world (Indian, Chinese and Indo-Malayan), is extremely rich in floral and faunal biodiversity with several endemic species. The following are examples of the bio-diversity of North East India: 

Plants and trees:  7,500 species of plants, including flowering plants (as many as 700 species of orchids) Page 9 of 179

  

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500 species of ferns 500 species of mosses, NER is the largest bamboo reserve of India with about 89 spices out of 126 in India under 16 genera having shelter here.

Animals, mammals, birds, reptiles and fish  3,624 species of insects  541 types of birds  236 species of fish  183 species of animals  160 species of mammals  137 species of reptiles, etc

This bio-diversity of North East India naturally lends itself to the development of nature capital.

However, this economic gain has often come at the cost of ecological losses by pushing the demand on local eco-systems beyond sustainable yield.

The outcomes have been devastating:         

Shrinking forests Collapsing fisheries Soil degeneration Falling ground water levels Rising sea levels Climatic changes Disappearing species Dry rivers and rivers changing their courses Water scarcity, etc

Economy Definition of Victory Unprecedented growth of the global economy, international trade and investment

Ecology Definition of Victory – Satisfies our needs without jeopardizing the prospects of future generations to satisfy their needs

This bio-diversity of North East India naturally lends itself to the development of a Naturenomics™ based economy.

Naturenomics™ relates to an alternative approach to capital formation for a region or organization through the creation of ecologically „compliant‟ assets in a sustainable manner.

A Naturenomics™ based economy will drive the growth of certain industries, and skills related to these industries will be in increasing demand. Industries like fish farming, bio-pesticides and biofertilizers, organic cultivation, etc will ensure our food security, and industries like hydrogen generation, fuel cells, wind turbines, etc will ensure our energy security. Industries not consistent with the principles of Naturenomics™ will face declining importance.

The concept of Naturenomics™, nurturing interdependence between nature and economics, offers a unique opportunity to engage with both the Government and Industry to develop initiatives that lower the consumption – carbon footprint and enhance natural capital. NatureFirst provides customized operational services to plan, develop and implement options to achieve these objectives. The focus will be on both existing and new infrastructure by making them Carbon Neutral, Water Positive, and Zero waste discharge sites, based on the effective management of LEWWAC (Land, Energy, Water, Waste, Air and Carbon).

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The following are the principles of Naturenomics™: 

  

Challenging the conventional choice – the conventional choice of economics is to drive growth by the indiscriminate conversion of natural resources – while Naturenomics™ is attempting to create an implementation framework of interdependence A major paradigm shift - adjusting the balance of power by displacing economics at the heart of all activity, and replacing it with nature assets as the soul of all activity Re-thinking the unit of measurement – corporate or national wealth should not only include physical wealth, but also natural capital, human capital and social capital Securing key natural assets – secure land, energy, water, air, and bio-diversity through sustainable economic activities and climate change mitigation and adaptation strategies.

In order to effectively deliver the impact of Naturenomics™, our organisations, Balipara Tract & Frontier Foundation and NatureFirst Green Ecological Managed Services, have implemented the key initiatives in North East region. Also, strategic incentive packages and supporting administrative structures have been developed to stimulate growth and success of industries in the NE region by Government (Source: Naturenomics™ Knowledge Foundation).

Highlights The Context  Bordering many of India‘s neighbours, NER covers 9% of India‘s total area and 4% of its total population. Despite being low overall, population density varies across the states.  Recent population growth and economic gains has put a toll on land, forest and natural resources leading to devastating outcomes.

The Opportunity  For NER and Assam, the rich bio-diversity is the natural opportunity for implementing a growth agenda based on the principles of Naturenomics™  Naturenomics™ relates to an alternative approach to capital formation for a region or organization through the creation of ecologically ‗compliant‘ assets in a sustainable manner.

The Impact  A Naturenomics™ based economy will securitise the core natural assets while ensuring sustainable economic growth and wealth creation for the local communities

C. Human Development Perspective Apart from the economic and environmental concerns, the third type of concern critical to ensure ecological competitiveness of NE and Assam are related to the Human Development Perspective.

The Human Development Perspective could further be explained in terms of three dimensions: (a) Social Equity (b) Human Development, (c) Human Resources Development.

Basic Principles Some Basic Principles for guiding the development path could be identified along these three dimensions. (a) Social Equity Principles

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  

Ensuring Livelihoods Security to All Protecting Rights of People (especially Local People‘s Rights to Natural Resources) Democratic Decentralization and Participation in All Governance Processes

(b) Human Development Principles  Universalization of Primary Health, especially of ‗Mother and Child Care‘  Universalization of Primary and Secondary Education  Universalization of Social Security (for Able-Bodied as well as Differently-Abled or Challenged) (c) Human Resources Development Principles  Building skills and capabilities of members of local communities which are required for undertaking natural resource based livelihoods activities  Building skills and capabilities of young people required for participation in broader economic development  Building skills and capabilities of young people required for development of entrepreneurship

Strategic Imperatives: Integrating Equity with Development and Environment These strategic imperatives emerge from the need for effective realization of the Basic Principles pertaining to the above-mentioned three dimensions of Human Development. They are imperatives in the sense that in order to achieve development and ecological competitiveness, they need to be adhered to. In a sense, they provide strategic guidance as they provide strategic basis for designing and implementing the state government‘s initiatives (i.e., programs, schemes, and projects) in different sectors.

The first set of Strategic Imperatives attempt to merge the concerns related to Social Equity with Environmental and Developmental concerns. 

         

Security (i.e., Guarantee from the State) of Decent Livelihoods (not only of survival through MGNREGS) to All and especially to Vulnerable, Dispossessed, Marginalized and Resource-Poor Sections of Society Rights-based Approach in Initiatives form Management and Development of Local Natural Resources (LNR) Pursuit of ‗Broader Development‘ Objectives and the Objective of Livelihoods Security not at the cost of the Objective of Conservation of Local Natural Resources (LNR) Decentralization of Governance of Developmental and Environmental (i.e., of Resource-related) Sectors Decentralization guided by the Principle of Subsidiarity Ensuring not only Preservation but Conservation (which means Quantitative and Qualitative Improvement in) Local Natural Resource (LNR) Base Community-led Strengthening of LNR (i.e., Communities of Entitlement-Holders and Users of LNRs) Economic and Financial Viability of Developmental Initiatives, with Appropriate level of Financial Support from the State Development and Use of Appropriate Technology Due role for private sector and corporate sector in broader economic processes and even, however, ensuring livelihoods security to all is the responsibility of the state.

Displacement of Local Communities as the Last Option

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 

Reinventing the Processes and Norms of Governance in order to make it serve broader 1 public interests effectively and efficiently Strengthening and if necessary Reorganization of the Roles and Responsibilities of the Key Stake-holders, viz., the State (Governments), Corporate / Business sector, Civil Society, and Local Communities

Strategic Imperatives: Human Development and Human Resources 

    

First Priority to the Effective and Efficient Implementation of Current Government Initiatives related to Human Development/ Human Security under schemes and program like: MGNREGS, NRHM, SGNY (Sanjay Gandhi Niradhar Yojana) Redesigning these centrally-sponsored schemes to ensure best fit for the location specific factors in the state Devising supplementary interventions to cover the gaps and lacunas in these centrallysponsored schemes for the state-specific needs Ending all sorts of conflicts and sources of society-level strife should be the priority of the government Gradually curbing and eventually eliminating (in near future) the laws and policies that are repressive towards human rights of the people of the state Immediate and adequate help, assistance, support (including support for dealing with psychological trauma) to the victims of conflicts, social strife, and repressive policies should be considered as the primary responsibilities of the government.

Guidelines for Designing and Implementing Government Interventions These Guidelines further articulate and supplement the Strategic Imperatives in providing road map for designing Government Initiatives, which includes all sorts of policy instruments, all institutional mechanisms, and all government programs/ schemes/ projects. 

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All decision-making processes should involve transparency, accountability and participation of especially those deprived stakeholders who are related to the decisions being made. This will enable comprehensive control of the deprived sections on the development process and governance.

Interventions by the government for broader economic development (especially for the conventional infrastructure and industrial and service sectors) need not be seen as creating sustainable livelihoods (through ‗Trickle Down‘) for a large section of people.

In Assam, the interventions for ensuring ‗Livelihoods Security to All‘ (LSA) should be separate, specific, and directed to those sections of society which are directly or indirectly dependent on the LNR. The task of the government does not end with the guarantee of survival through MGNREGS. The livelihoods security should also include decent-level of income as well as entitlements for health, education, and social-security.

These interventions for LSA should be based on sustainable use of LNR and should also be accompanied with concrete and mandatory measures for strengthening the LNR Base.

While considering the impact on the local natural resources, the cumulative impact of different project at the local watershed, basin, and region bases should be considered.

1

Public Interests could be defined as the sum total of: (a) the broader and long-term interests of the society as a whole, and (b) the private interests of the marginalized and vulnerable sections of society.

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Interventions for Strengthening of LNR should be integrated with the interventions for ensuring livelihoods security.

Rights-based approach requires that local people who are dependent on the LNR for their lives and livelihoods should be given durable usufruct rights and entitlements on the LNR, including water. Different traditional regimes of usufruct rights and entitlements should be protected as long as they are not creating inequities.

Interventions for Strengthening of LNR should be led by local communities of users and entitlement-holders of LNR. This requires that these interventions are designed and implemented by local communities. The government needs to nurture, facilitate, and support 2 (with knowledge and finances) such initiatives .

Rights-based approach requires that all the economic activities of government or other actors using the LNR should have express and specific sanction of local communities. Further, local 3 communities should be meaningfully involved in the economic activities .

The LSA and other economic interventions of the government should be economically and financially viable after a certain period. The government should, however provide the support and subsidies required by the vulnerable sections of society benefitting from these interventions.

Appropriate Technology means technology which is: (a) economically and financially viable, (b) environmentally friendly, (c) socially equitable, (d) amenable to local people, (e) respectful to local knowledge systems, (f) technically robust and reliable. These criteria exclude, on one hand, amateurish low-cost contraptions, and on the other hand, highly sophisticated and expensive exotic technologies.

Private sector participation (PSP), especially in the economic activities for broader development of the state and even in some cases in interventions for LSA could be envisaged. One of the routes for this which is in vogue these days is Public-Private Partnership (PPP) mechanism. However, considering the long experience of PSP and PPPs, such activities‘ should be effectively regulated, especially in the case of state like Assam with such rich LNRs. The currently popular mechanism for regulation is the Independent Regulatory Agencies (IRAs). It does have certain benefits, but also have certain challenges.

Whether through a state apparatus or IRA, the regulation should have the following unavoidable features: It should be completely transparent and participatory for the primary stakeholders including civil society.

It should work for the triple bottom-line. This means the regulation should ensure economic, social, and environmental objectives.

It should be 3-D Regulation, which means the agencies involved should have competencies and legitimacy in all three dimensions: techno-eco-financial, socio-cultural, and political.

0 The agencies involved in regulation and agencies that are regulated should have 360 Accountability. This requires that these agencies are equally accountable to all the stakeholders.

Considering the recent experiences of the other states, there is need for paradigmatic shift in the development strategies and policies when it comes to direct and indirect displacement of local people. Displacement (in a wider sense of the term) should be the last option and should be assessed on all the three sets of criteria: economic, social, and environmental. This

2

There is rich history of Community-led and government-supported enviro-development initiatives in the NE region.

3

For example, Eco-Tourism projects should be community-led, wherein local families should be encouraged and supported to build and operate facilities for tourists. Conventional eco-tourism projects tend to reduce the local people to janitors and gardeners.

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assessment should be truly and meaningfully participatory adhering to the international standards of participation.  Rights-based approach also provides a different paradigm to the development initiatives and the displacement these interventions cause. This requires that the Social Impact and Livelihoods Impact on the local communities possessing the rights to local natural resources need to be considered in the cumulative manner, before making the decisions on development interventions.

As mentioned before, these Strategic Imperatives and Guidelines will help design and implement various government interventions, including preparing policies, revamping of old institutions or establishment of new institutions, preparing or revising programs, projects, and schemes.

Highlights Human Development Perspective Apart from the economic and environmental concern, the third type of critical concern is of Human Development. The Human Development Perspective could further be explained in terms of three dimensions: (a) Social Equity, (b) Human Development, (c) Human Resources Development.

Basic Principles These three dimensions are further expanded in terms of three Basic Principles for each category, totalling nine principles covering the entire scope of Human Development.

Strategic Imperatives and Guidelines The nine Basic Principles are operationalized further in terms of Strategic Imperatives and Guidelines.

These together are expected to provide road map for designing and implementing various government Initiatives, such as policies, institutions of governance, government programs, schemes, and projects.

D. Core Sector Opportunities – Focus on Assam North Eastern States of India is blessed with varied agro-climatic conditions suitable for cultivation of diverse crops and rearing of different livestock. Inspite of being a production area for most of the high value fruits, flowers, spices etc., agriculture has not taken off on a commercial scale in the North East.

The region has vast potential for increasing primary sector output: the wide diversity in topography and geo-climatic conditions across the region offer scope for cultivation of a variety of agricultural crops and for horticulture and floriculture; it hosts 38% of the countryâ€&#x;s river waters which provide enormous scope for irrigation, fishery and maintenance of livestock; its rich deposits of hydrocarbon (oil and gas) provide huge potential for mineral extraction and; its vast areas of dense forests offers rich biodiversity, medicinal plants and other valuable forest resources most of which are still unexplored. The torrential Brahmaputra and Barak rivers and their tributaries deposit their rich alluvial silt along the banks of the plains of Assam making the soil very fertile.

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1.

Agriculture and Horticulture

1.1

Agriculture Scenario

Agriculture is the mainstay of the economies of the northeast. This sector accounted for close to 30% of the region‟s NSDP in 2002-03, and is a major source of employment and livelihood for around 80% of the population. However, agricultural growth has been uneven across regions and crops. NER continues to be a net importer of foodgrains. In spite of covering 8.8% of the country‘s total geographical area, NER produces only 1.5% of the country‘s total foodgrain production.

However, the share of agriculture has been declining in all the States (except Nagaland), indicating that these States have undergone significant structural changes. With the exception of Meghalaya, the share of manufacturing in general has been falling, accompanied by an increasing share of services.

Figure 1.1 Growth rate of Agriculture in the North East 1993 - 94 to 2002 - 03

Source: Ministry of Agriculture, GoI, 2002-03

While agriculture in NER grew at a much higher rate (3.8%) than the average for the country (0.6 %) between1993-94 and 2002-03 growth rates differ among different States of the region: Arunachal, Sikkim and Mizoram show negative growth while growth performances of Nagaland, Manipur, Meghalaya and Tripura are impressive. Only Assam‟s growth rate, though slightly higher than the Indian average, is far below the NER average. Nagaland‘s exemplary growth rate of 13% can perhaps be ascribed to remarkable dynamism based on policy initiatives taken by the Government and possibly technology upgradation and its adaptation by farmers.

In general, the NE region (2000-01) has a strong advantage in forest-based activities and biodiversity, given its very high percentage of forest land (52%) compared to the Indian average of 23% (Table 1.6).

Page 16 of 179

Table 1.6: Comparative Natural Resource of NER, 2000-01 (%) Forest/ land Net area sown / land Area sown more than once/ net area sown Net area sown / total cropped area Area sown more than once / total cropped area Permanent pastures & other grazing / land Land under misc. trees & groves not included in net area sown /land Cultivable waste / land Fallow lands other than current fallows /land Current fallows /land

A.P 94.0

Assam 25.0

M‟pur 28.0

M‟laya 43.0

M‟ram 88.0

N‟land 54.0

Sikkim 36.0

Tripura 58.0

NER 52.0

India 23.0

3.0

35.0

6.0

10.0

4.0

10.0

13.0

28.0

18.0

46.0

60.0

49.0

49.0

20.0

-

5.0

33.0

53.0

43.0

33.0

62.0

68.0

68.0

83.0

100.0

96.0

85.0

65.0

80.0

85.0

38.0

33.0

33.0

18.0

-

4.0

25.0

35.0

30.0

25.0

0.1

2.1

-

-

1.1

-

9.8

-

1.1

3.6

0.8

3.0

1.1

8.0

1.5

8.9

0.8

2.6

2.8

1.1

0.8

1.0

-

19.8

6.0

4.1

0.1

0.1

3.2

4.5

0.9

0.8

-

8.3

8.4

5.0

1.3

0.1

2.2

3.3

0.5

1.4

-

2.9

1.8

5.8

0.6

0.1

1.4

4.8

Source: CSO, 2003-04

Crop Cultivation: from Self-sufficiency to Specialization and Trade The above table reveals that Assam‟s position is lower than the North East, as well as India The diverse geo-climatic conditions in the North East makes it an ideal location for the cultivation of a variety of agricultural crops. These products are mainly produced for local markets, and mostly in the form of primary produce without significant value addition. Agricultural systems remain predominantly traditional. The land-to-person ratio for the NE region (0.68 ha/person) is much higher than the national average (0.32 ha/person), with Arunachal Pradesh having the highest ratio (8.63 ha/person) and Assam the lowest (0.29 ha/person). The pattern of agricultural growth has remained uneven across regions and crops. NER study recognized the importance of agriculture in NER, and attribute low agricultural productivity to the low usage of high yielding variety seeds and fertilisers, and inadequate irrigation, infrastructure and credit.

4

The Dependency Indices (Figure 1.2) indicate that NER is highly dependent on imports for almost all the commodities for which data was available, the only exception being spices. Cardamom, black pepper, chilly, turmeric and cinnamon, considered to be ‗high-value, low-volume, long-shelf-life‘ products should be patronized.

4

Dependency index is the ratio of consumption share to production share. Here an attempt is made to explain whether there is any match between the crops specialized and produced with the major crop consumed.

Page 17 of 179

Figure 1.2: Dependency Index (Non Dairy, Non Meat Food Products), 2003-04

Source: CSO, 2003-04

Each State has distinctive production advantages vis-Ă -vis the other NE States and the rest of the country, yet every State produces almost all the products it needs for internal consumption (Table 1.7). This suggests lack of sufficient trade both amongst the NE States as well as between the NE States and the rest of the country. This coupled with similar demand and production patterns across the NE States (most people in the region prefer rice and also produce it) have prevented crop specialization. Since each State is unable to meet the consumption demand of some products internally, this has led to high import dependency of all the States (FAO, 2003).

Table 1.7: State-wise Major Crops Cultivated States Arunachal Pradesh

Major Crops Rice, Maize, Millet, Wheat, Pulses, Sugarcane

Plantation Crops Rubber, Coffee, Tea

Assam

Rice, Maize, Millet, Pulses, Coconut, Sugarcane, Jute, Cotton, Areca nut Rice, Maize, Pulses, Oil Seeds, Sugarcane, Wheat

Rubber, Tea

Rice, Maize, Jute,

Rubber

Manipur

Meghalaya

Coffee,

Rubber, Coffee

Fruits Bananas, Apple, Pineapple, Plum, Orange, Guava, Walnut, Grapes Bananas, Pineapple, Plum, Orange, Papaya, Lemon Bananas, Pineapple, Passion fruit, Lemon, Orange, Amla Bananas,

Page 18 of 179

Vegetables Potatoes

Spice Chillies, Ginger, Turmeric

Sweet Potatoes, Cabbage, Onion, Tapioca

Chillies, Ginger, Turmeric

Cabbage, Peas, Brinjal, Carrot, Cauliflower, Beans, Knol-Khol, Potatoes, Radish Tomatoes,

Chillies, Ginger

Chillies,

States

Major Crops Rapeseed

Plantation Crops

Mizoram

Rice

Rubber, Tea

Coffee,

Nagaland

Rice, Maize, Jute, Rapeseed, Mustard, Grams, Cotton, Sugarcane Rice, Maize, Wheat, Cardamom Cotton, Sugarcane, Rice

Rubber, Tea

Coffee,

Sikkim Tripura

Tea Rubber, Tea

Coffee,

Fruits Pineapple, Pears, Guavas, Cashew Bananas, Pineapple, Passion fruit

Vegetables Brinjal, Potatoes, Cabbage, Jack fruit

Bananas, Pineapple,

Jack fruit, Sweet Potatoes, Cabbage, Onion, Tapioca Potatoes

Oranges, Apples Bananas, Apples, Pineapple, Plum, Orange, Guava, Grapes, Papaya, Litchi

Spice Ginger, Turmeric Chillies, Ginger

Garlic, Chillies

Ginger

Potatoes, Tomato

Source: Various NER websites

Production: Comparative Advantage of NER This pattern of production has resulted in inefficient land utilization across the States; a more optimal allocation of land among crops would increase agricultural output and productivity in the region. Significant complementary aspects among States in agricultural products justify the need for and the basis of trade in agricultural products within the region.

By identifying crops in which different States have a comparative advantage, resources can be concentrated and efforts made to promote their cultivation at least in the short run. Different models are used by economists to determine comparative advantages of different States in crop production. Based on these, specialization patterns that are best suited to the different States are indicated in Table 1.8. Each State demonstrates certain production advantages: Arunachal in Small millets, Assam in Tea, Meghalaya in Ginger, Mizoram in Ginger, Manipur in Chillies, Nagaland in Small millets and Maize, Tripura in Natural Rubber and Sikkim in Maize.

Table 1.8: Highest Comparative Advantage of Products of the North Eastern States States Regional Specialization Index (RSI) National Specialization Index (NSI) Arunachal Pradesh Assam Manipur Meghalaya Mizoram Nagaland Sikkim Tripura

Small millet, Maize, Ginger, Pineapple Tea, Rapeseed and Mustard, Sugarcane Chillies, Rice, Ginger Ginger, Potatoes, Sesamum Ginger, Maize and Sesamum Coffee, Small millet, Maize Maize, Ginger, Potatoes Natural Rubber, Coconut, Bananas

Ginger, Bananas, Small millet Tea, Bananas, Turmeric Pineapples, Ginger, Chillies Pineapples, Ginger, Potatoes Ginger, Pineapples, Sesamum Pineapples, Small millet, Turmeric Ginger, Potatoes, Maize Natural Rubber, Pineapples, Bananas

Note: 1/RSI= Where Xij is the net sown area of the product i in state j, Xj = net sown area in state j, XiNE= net sown area of the product i in the NE and XNE = total net sown area in the NE; 2/ NSI= Where Xij is the net sown area of the product i in state j, XiNE = net sown area of the product i in the NE, XiI = net sown area of the product i in India and XI = total net sown area in India.

Source: Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region “North East Vision, 2020�

Page 19 of 179

Outcomes of the Regional Specialisation Index (RSI) 













 

Arunachal Pradesh has a production advantage in the area dedicated to maize, small millet, wheat, total cereals, total food grains, rapeseed and mustard, total oilseeds, banana, chillies, ginger and turmeric. Small millet has shown greatest advantage for Arunachal Pradesh as indicated by RSI value of 14.64.

Assam has a production advantage in rice, wheat, total cereals, total food grains, rapeseed and mustard, total oilseeds, tea, sugarcane and coconut. For obvious reasons tea has shown the greatest revealed production advantage for Assam as indicated by an RSI value of 1.42.

Manipur has a production advantage in rice, total cereals, total food grains, sesamum, bananas, chillies and ginger. Chillies have shown the greatest revealed production advantage as indicated

by RSI value of 8.74.

Meghalaya has a production advantage in maize, small millet, sesamum, coffee, natural rubber, bananas, potatoes, chillies, ginger and turmeric. However, ginger has shown the greatest revealed production advantage for Meghalaya as indicated by an RSI value of 5.27.

Mizoram has a production advantage in maize, total pulses, sesamum, coffee, bananas, sugarcane, chillies and ginger. Ginger has the greatest revealed production advantage for Mizoram as indicated by its RSI value of 10.02.

Nagaland has a production advantage in maize, small millet, total pulses, sesamum, total oilseeds and coffee with relatively highest comparative advantage in the first two items. The apparent greatest production advantage in coffee for all the states is somewhat misleading. The areas under coffee are no longer operational and were purchased in the early 1980s for coffee plantation for land preservation. There is no actual production of coffee any more. This caveat also applies to the apparent comparative advantage indicated for coffee for other states as well.

Sikkim has a comparative advantage in maize, small millet, wheat, total pulses, total oilseeds, potatoes and ginger. However, maize has shown the greatest revealed production advantage as indicated by an RSI value of 9.47.

Tripura has production advantages in rice, sesamum, coffee, natural rubber, coconut and turmeric But its highest production advantage lies in natural rubber with an RSI value of 9.61.

Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Meghalaya and Tripura have a relative advantage in the production of pineapple.

Outcomes of the National Specialisation Index (NSI) 







Arunachal Pradesh has a comparative production advantage in rice, maize, small millet, total cereals, total food grains, rapeseed and mustard, tea, coffee, bananas, potatoes, chillies, ginger and turmeric. Ginger has shown greatest revealed comparative advantage for Arunachal Pradesh as indicated by NSI value of 47.27.

Assam has a comparative advantage in rice, maize, total cereals, total food grains, rapeseed and mustard, tea, bananas, potatoes and turmeric. For obvious reasons tea has shown greatest revealed comparative advantage for Assam as indicated by NSI value of 27.00.

Manipur has a comparative advantage in rice, total cereals, bananas, potatoes, chillies and ginger. Pineapple has shown greatest revealed comparative advantage for Manipur as indicated

by NSI value of 22.15.

Meghalaya has a comparative advantage in rice, maize, small millet, wheat, coffee, natural rubber, bananas, potatoes, chillies, ginger and turmeric. However, pineapple has shown greatest revealed comparative advantage for Meghalaya as indicated by NSI value of 22.15

Page 20 of 179







Mizoram has a comparative advantage in rice, maize, total cereals, sesamum, coffee, bananas, chillies and ginger. However ginger has shown greatest revealed comparative advantage for Mizoram as indicated by NSI value of 115.47.

Nagaland has a comparative advantage in rice, maize, small millet, sesamum, rapeseed and mustard, tea, coffee, bananas, potatoes, ginger and turmeric. However, pineapple has revealed greatest comparative advantage for Nagaland as indicated by NSI value of 3.92.

Sikkim has revealed a comparative advantage in maize, small millet, rapeseed and mustard, potatoes and ginger. However, ginger has revealed greatest comparative advantage for Sikkim as indicated by NSI value of 81.61 (NER Vision, 2020, 2008).

The specialisation patterns suggested by NSI are slightly different from those derived from the RSI index. Thus, in comparison to the rest of the country, the region has distinctive production advantages in few products such as ginger (Arunachal, Mizoram and Sikkim), tea (Assam), natural rubber (Tripura) and pineapples (Manipur, Meghalaya and Nagaland).

Agricultural productivity, however, also depends on factors other than land utilisation, such as differing natural land requirements for different crops or the role played by trade in determining resource allocation (Table 1.9). Further, land utilisation patterns in a relatively closed subsistence economy are crucially determined by the consumption needs of farmers, i.e., local demand patterns. Some of these have been factored in the comparison of relative productivities across states in the top five commodities (as indicated by RSI) to national productivity levels.

Table 1.9: Relative Productivity of Principal Crops in the NER in 2003-04 Crop Rice Maize Wheat Total cereals Total pulses Total foodgrains Tea Banana Chillies Ginger Turmeric Pineapple

A.P 0.63 0.69 0.55 0.64 1.64 0.74 0.54 0.12 1.33 2.35 1.08 0.28

Assam 0.74 0.35 0.39 0.76 0.86 0.85 0.96 0.54 0.61 0.19 0.96

Manipur 1.13 1.13 1.18 0.81 1.32 0.13 0.50 0.56 0.48 0.54

Meghalaya 0.88 0.75 0.61 0.89 1.16 1.00 0.18 0.49 0.62 1.49 1.54 0.56

Mizoram 0.92 0.95 0.96 1.38 1.07 0.06 0.12 0.59 1.82 0.16

Nagaland 0.66 0.73 0.86 0.70 1.30 0.77 0.07 0.71 9.15 3.85 1.39 0.93

(Quintals / ha) Sikkim Tripura 0.69 1.04 0.76 0.44 0.52 1.57 0.72 1.09 1.50 0.95 0.81 1.23 0.16 0.52 0.50 1.33 1.40 0.25 0.87 0.77 1.30

Source: Compiled by various sources, GoI

An analysis of the results of the table show that the RSI depicting the patterns of land utilization roughly corresponds to the specialization patterns by productivity advantages. Thus, all the states for which data is available have a relative yield advantage in small millets, pulses (except Manipur and Assam), sesamum (except Nagaland) and ginger (except Manipur). In some cases there are divergences from the RSI results. First, Arunachal and Meghalaya have very low relative productivity of wheat although they have a high area specialization. This is also true for tea in Assam, chillies in Manipur, and rubber in Tripura (even though Tripura is the largest rubber growing area after Kerala).

Except for Tripura, none of the other states have shown better relative productivity in the production of pineapple. Interestingly, the demand preferences of all the states are similar: rice, cereals (except Meghalaya and Mizoram), meat, fish, eggs and vegetables (except for Arunachal, Manipur and Meghalaya).

Page 21 of 179

Agriculture and Food security is challenged Based on the indicators and study done above, we now understand that agriculture and food supply is undergoing a change in terms of production. When agriculture is challenged so is the food security. Agricultural production can be sustained on a long term basis if the resources like land, water and forest are not degraded. The erosion of agricultural bio-diversity threatens long-term stability and sustainability of agriculture in itself. Firstly, it erodes the genetic base on which scientists depend for continuous improvement of crops. Secondly, by opting for high yield varieties (HYV's), farmers becomes increasingly dependent on the industry dominated market and the Government. To overcome this problem we have to produce crops and practice agriculture in a more sustainable way which can serve the purpose of maintaining the ecology.

Organic Agriculture The commercial and conventional methodologies of practising agriculture to feed the world today are not sustainable. Comparing the productivity of organic practices to the conventional practices are proving to be much effective in terms of providing benefits from a conversion to a sustainable agricultural methods.

Organic agriculture offers safe food and better profit margins to the farmers. It is a win win situation offering business opportunities without compromising ecological balance.

Mizoram has taken significant steps to move towards organic cultivation. The Mizoram Organic Farming Act (2004) was passed by the Mizoram Legislative Assembly to introduce, adopt areas for, promote and regulate organic farming in alignment with the National Organic Programme. The aims are as follows:  To notify areas of organic farming and to undertake organic farming in these areas  To encourage the development of organic farming in private land and organic processing through various measures  To facilitate certification of organic products in local, national and international markets  To make infrastructure for organic farming including permitted inputs or materials easily available to intending farmers The North East Region is relatively easily convertible to organic farming as most farmers use very limited chemical fertilizers and pesticides primarily due to economic reasons. Hence the process to obtain organic certification for these farms is relatively less cumbersome.

Human Development As mentioned before, there are 3, 500,000 farmers in Assam and the land-to-person ratio is 0.29 ha/person. Going beyond this, there are issues related to land-holding pattern in the state. Similarly, there are issues afflicting different categories of farmers such as marginal/small, medium, and big farmers as well as issues faced by landless laborers dependent upon agriculture for their livelihoods.

All these issues are critical from the point of view of Livelihoods Security. These issues are dependent on the factors like irrigation, rather its absence, crop patterns adopted by farmers in different economic strata, forest land under cultivation, ownership/entitlement rights over lands. These issues are critical for devising different strategies for farmers in different economic categories.

The livelihoods security of all landless laborers and subsistence farmers should be ensured on a priority basis. For this, it is necessary to ensure that these families have entitlement rights over the natural resources that they are using for their livelihood activities. These resources include land,

Page 22 of 179

forest, and water. There is a need to think separately about each of these resources and how the entitlement rights of local people can be strengthened by 2025.

Since majority population depends on agriculture for their livelihoods, it is an urgent need to increase productivity of land using organic methods. The present activity of production of cereals, food grains, and pulses need to be restructured to make it sustainable and resource efficient. It is also mentioned before that most farmers use very limited chemical fertilizers and pesticides because they are poor.

This is critical from the point of view of productivity, production, and livelihoods security. However, while promoting modern agriculture, there is need to learn from the experience of Green Revolution and strike balance between the Modern Agricultural methods and Organic Methods.

As per this study, apart from chemical fertilizers and pesticides, the reasons for low agricultural productivity are low usage of high yielding seeds, inadequate irrigation, and inadequate infrastructure and credit. The state should undertake comprehensive efforts for agricultural development covering all these lacunae. For example, the state should provide protective irrigation on a priority basis in order to make agricultural production viable. The state should aim at extensive irrigation facilities to small and medium farmers by developing water reservoirs in a decentralized manner. Similarly, efforts need to be undertaken to address the problem of degradation of land, barren lands, lands degraded due to chemicals and due to shifting cultivation.

There is a need to augment biomass production in a sustainable manner to increase the productivity of land. The state should allot resources for this biomass generation and total recycling of waste biomass.

Considering growing importance of organic agricultural products, there is a need to develop associations of farmers who will be able to exploit market opportunities in better manner. The state should provide required input and technical support to the organic farmers‘ association.

The GMS study mentions that each state (in NER) produces almost all products it needs for internal consumption; however, each state has a distinctive advantage in production of one or few crops. This pattern has resulted in inefficient land utilization. Therefore, efforts should be concentrated on selective crops in each state, such as tea in Assam, and its trading in other NER states and rest of India.

However, there are obvious problems in adopting this model. Concentration on the production of one/few crops can have serious implications for ecology, economy (limited resources will be primarily used for cash crop production), sustainability and food security of marginalized families.

In Assam, 4.8% forest area is under jhum (1997 data) and it is considered as one of the major causes of land degradation and affecting bio-diversity. For making the practice of jhum more sustainable and efficient, it is necessary to give entitlement rights to tribal people over jhum land so that there will be security of tenure for them. This will result in more sustainable practices on the part of people, such as keeping land fallow for sufficient period. If quality and quantity of biomass production increases, these lands can be restored early by using organic manure.

1.2

Horticulture Scenario

North Eastern Region, particularly the hill areas, has tremendous potential for development of horticulture as a major contributor to the regionâ€&#x;s economic prosperity. It has to lead the process of diversification of agriculture. In view of the climatic and altitudinal advantage and the tradition of fruits and vegetable cultivation among the people it should not be a difficult goal to achieve provided a State-specific package program with emphasis on selected fruits is taken up. The Page 23 of 179

program should, among other things, provide for needed inputs, nursery for planting material, processing facilities and marketing network. The present position for fruits and vegetables are given in below table 1.10; also cultivation is suggested in Table 1.11.

Table 1.10: Present position in NER State

Area (000 ha) 41.6 110.8 26.1 24.0 19.0 25.0 12.3 28.3 287.1 (7.16%)

Arunachal Pradesh Assam Manipur Meghalaya Mizoram Nagaland Sikkim Tripura TOTAL NE TOTAL(ALL INDIA)

Fruits Production (000MT) 124.9 1335.1 134.0 186.9 63.4 302.0 10.3 452.1 2,608.7 (6.06%)

4,010.1

Vegetables Area Production (000 ha) (000MT) 20.8 83.9 237.4 2,935.2 10.6 66.1 35.7 265.7 6.8 44.1 26.3 286.0 14.2 60.0 31.3 353.2 383.1 4,094.4 (6.22%) (4.62%)

Area (000 ha) 62.4 348.2 36.7 59.7 25.8 51.3 26.5 59.6 670.2 (6.59%)

Total Production (000MT) 208.8 4,270.3 200.1 452.8 107.5 588.0 70.3 805.3 6,703.1 (5.09)

6,155.7

10,165.8

1,31,623.0

43,000.9

88,622.1

Source: NEDFi, 2001-02

Table 1.11: Opportunity to grow fruits State

Focus Horticulture Areas

Arunachal Pradesh Assam Manipur Meghalaya Mizoram Nagaland Sikkim Tripura

Apple, Kiwi fruit, Orchid, Medicinal and Aromatic Plants Pineapple, Banana, Orange, Patchouli.

Passion fruit, Large Cardamom, Pineapple Strawberry, Ginger, Orange Floriculture, Aromatic Plant & Turmeric Passion fruit, Tung oil, Ginger, Floriculture.

Passion fruit, Ginger, Geranium, Medicinal and Aromatic Plant Floriculture, Large Cardamom, Medicinal & Aromatic Plants Pineapple, Cashew nut, Patchouli

Source: Assam Vision, 2010

The Action Plan for horticulture in three phases may be as given in Table 1.12.

Table 1.12: Action plan for Horticulture Item NER Horticulture Mission

Short-term (2010) Operationalize NERHM: Draw up plan in 3 Phases and implement

Medium-term (2015) Implement phase II of Mission

Long-term (2020) Implement phase II of Mission

Area under fruits

4.00 ha(2.87 l ha)

5.00 lac ha

6.00. lac ha

Productivity

10.00 t/ha (9.06 t/ha) 40.15 lac mt (26.00 lac mt)

11 t/ha

11.50 t/ha

55.00 lac mt

69.00 LMT

Production

Note: Figures in brackets indicate present level.

Source: Mr. Asati, B.S. et al, 2008 Page 24 of 179

Remarks Horticulture Mission Document is under preparation to be implemented in three phases covering all aspects from planting to processing & marketing About 10 lac ha can, it is estimated, be brought under horticulture in entire region

Livelihoods Security in Horticulture As mentioned before, Assam has significant opportunity to grow horticultural crops like Pineapple, Banana, Orange and Patchouli. The immense potential of NER for development of horticulture should be exploited in such a manner that it will not hamper the primary objective of livelihoods security of disadvantaged sections. Apart from providing support to individual farmers to adopt horticulture for export purpose, the state should invest in development of horticulture as an essential part of livelihood activity of common farmers which will lead to enhancement of their livelihoods opportunities.

There is a need to abolish middlemen in bringing horticultural products to market and to establish collection centres and food parks. There is a need to ensure that these collection centres are not privatized, without entry-level regulation. They should be, to the extent possible, be run by the government or by cooperative agencies. This is necessary for ensuring a fair amount of transparency and accountability in their operation. The question of fair price to horticultural agricultural products should be addressed on priority as it is a crucial aspect of wellbeing of farmers.

Strategy and action plan by Government - Horticulture The strategy for agriculture which envisions a shift in farming from subsistence to cash crop farming will lead to the expansion of what is now a nascent horticulture sector. Since farmers are naturally risk-averse, effecting changes in their cropping patterns will not be easy, unless gains from doing so are clearly demonstrated. With funds from the Central Government Horticulture Mission, States like Mizoram, Sikkim and Meghalaya have established Centres of Excellence in Horticulture which have started spreading the idea of fruit and vegetable cultivation among farmers successfully (see Annexure I).       

  

1.3

Raising productivity rate to 11 ton/ha in respect of fruits and 15 ton/ha in respect of vegetables by 2015 raising annual production to 55 lakh tones and 55 lakh tones respectively.

Covering cultivable wasteland under fruits based on suitability available wasteland of this kind is estimated at 7.5 lakh ha of which 50% can be brought under fruits by 2015.

Setting up 5 nurseries each in Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Mizoram and Nagaland and two each in Manipur and Sikkim for state specific fruits by 2015.

Organised farming under National Programme for Organic Production (NPOP) Cold storage network in select cluster of villages.

Involving private sector to set up about 25 to 30 medium size processing units with 805 exportable products by 2020.

Revitalising with adequate financial support the North Eastern Regional Agriculture Marketing Corporation to enable it to act as facilitator for processing and marketing and to open a network of common facility centres throughout the region and a Regional Integrated Agro-Horticulture Commercial Complex.

Promoting floriculture on commercial scale in Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland and Sikkim.

Most importantly, getting a regional master plan for marketing of agro-horticulture products through the National Institute of Agricultural Marketing, Union Ministry of Agriculture.

Formation of self-help groups (SHGs) of fruit growers their skill upgradation through training and retraining, micro-finance support and formation of Small Farmers Horticulture Estate (SFHE) covering an area of 200-400 ha.

Organised Food Supply Chain

The agricultural food supply chain in the region is characterised by:  Middle-men capture a big chunk of the value in the chain from farm to market  Significant wastage due to inefficiencies in the supply chain  Low value addition Page 25 of 179

In order to address this, there is an opportunity to create an organised food supply chain, through an integrated farm to fork structure, as highlighted below: FUTURE STATE

CURRENT STATE Consumers & Channels

Wholesale

Retail

Institutional

Exports

PROCESSING UNITS

Intermediaries

FOOD PARKS COLLECTION CENTRES

This would require significant investments in Producers creating the following:  An aggregation of farmers, which could be achieved through co-operatives and self help groups  Collection centres that are in proximilty to the farmers  Food parks to grade and segregate the food components  Processing facilities  Dedicated communications network between the farmers, collection centres, food parks and processing facilities  Dedicated logistics network and assets A graphic representation of the organised food supply chain is shown below:

FARMERS

CONSUMERS

Meat (50,000) Agri (200,000)

Meat Agri

Fish (100,000)

Fish

FOOD PARKS

COLLECTION CENTRES

PROCESSING

Meat

Meat

Agri

Agri Fish

Fish

DEDICATED TRANSPORT FLEET

Page 26 of 179

• A dedicated VSAT network to connect the Collection points & Food Parks

• VSAT network to install ERP system to handle distribution.

• VSAT to trace out the trucks & inventory with GPS / VTS technology.

• A dedicated broadband to connect collection offices & points to access internet

Opportunity Areas for Assam in Agriculture, Horticulture and Fisheries Following are the opportunity areas and projected investments within agriculture and horticulture: Investment Areas Capacity Development and promotion for organic cultivation including vermi composting and bio pesticides for 3.5 lac farmers across agriculture, fisheries and animal husbandry Microfinance support to 3.5 lac farmers above Setting up 3 R&D centres Organic Food Supply Chain Total

Projected Investment (Rs cr) 350

1750 45 2000 4000 (approx)

These investments are expected to have a significant impact on the social regeneration of 3.5 lac farmers in Assam, increase productivity of agriculture and horticulture, and regenerate a significant amount of land under cultivation in terms of soil nutrients.

Highlights The Context  Agriculture is the mainstay of the economies of the northeast. This sector accounted for close to 30% of the region‘s NSDP in 2002-03, and 80% of the population is engaged in this sector.

However, the region remains a net importer of agricultural produce  The issues plaguing this sector is across the value chain from quality of input material to supply chain logistics and infrastructure support, including effective financing support  Assam‘s person to land ratio and sector growth rate is far below the NER average  Lack of trade between the states, largely subsistence farming and similar crop patterns have led to inefficient land use  Fundamentally, this sector is being challenged and this will lead to significant and far reaching impacts on the long term food security The Opportunity  Exploit the fertile soil structures and ―organic‖ by nature methods of cultivation  Promotion of state specific crops based on comparative advantages  Infrastructure areas - Setting up of food parks and upgrading the supply chain logistics for market linkages nationally and internationally  Additionally, the NE region including Assam has a strong advantage in forest-based activities and biodiversity (e.g. medicinal plants), given its very high percentage of forest land (52%) compared to the Indian average of 23%.

The Investments  Overall investments is estimated at Rs 4000 crores, of which 90% would be earmarked for Infrastructure development and Micro finance schemes The Impact  Improvement in yields through technological upgradation, reduction in wastages, value additions supported by optimisation of land use and organised supply chain logistics would impact the entire population due to the high levels of dependence on this sector.  Additionally, these actions could make Assam and the NER region a net exporter of specialised crops based on the agro climatic conditions The Next Steps

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  

Corporates to be invited for commercial farming tie ups with the local population – provide back end and technological support in addition to providing market linkages Government to initiate infrastructure development through the PPP model Government to support the organic certification process through a pilot in a pre identified area

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2. Fisheries 2.1

Fisheries: Reducing the Dependency on „Imports‟

All the States are surplus producers of meat but are highly dependent on „imports‟ to meet their demand for eggs, fish and milk. An analysis of the NER‘s dependency on the rest of the country for its major livestock products is given in Table 1.13. Meat production per head for the NER (1.3) is higher than the national average (0.93). The dependency on milk ‗imports‘ is high because cattle is used primarily for meat production rather than for milk, there is low buffalo per head ratio (0.02 compared to the national average of 0.09), and low milk productivity of cattle in the region.

Table 1.13: Livestock Population and Output, 2003-04 State

A.P Assam Manipur Meghalaya Mizoram Nagaland Sikkim Tripura NE India

Total livestock 1 1,257 13,829 971 1,551 280 1,349 337 1,458 21,032 485,002

Poultry

Total milk

Cattle

2

3

4

1,743 21,664 2,941 2,821 1,125 2,789 322 3,057 36,462 489,012

46 727 71 69 15 63 48 84 1,123 88,082

Buffaloes

Sheep

5 6 (in thousands) 458 11 19 8,440 678 170 418 77 6 767 18 18 36 6 1 451 34 4 159 2 6 759 14 3 11,488 840 227 185,181 97,922 61,469

Goats

Poultry

Meat

Egg (Cr. No)

7

8

9

10

231 2,987 33 327 17 175 124 472 4,366 124,358

1,743 21,664 2,941 2,821 1,125 2,789 322 3,057 36,462 489,012

2,462 33,939 3,475 3,951 1,185 3,453 613 4,305 53,383 957,942

0.9 51.4 7.9 9.4 3.1 6.8 1.3 10.1 90.9 4040.3

Note: Meat is total of 4+5+6+7+8 livestock‟s Source: Ministry of Animal husbandry, GoI, 2003-04

Most of the livestock in the region (more than 65%) is in Assam, with the remaining 35% distributed across the other seven States (Table 1.13). While only 1% of the total land on average in the region is available for pasture and grazing (less than the national average of 4 %, it is as high as 10% in Sikkim). While the Government has been making efforts to increase the productivity of cattle through cross-breeding and other measures, so far these have not been very successful (MOAH, GOI 2004).

The two main fish-producing States in NER are Assam and Tripura, partly reflecting regional tastes and partly the availability of resources (mainly storable water) for fish cultivation. But production per capita in NER (5.9 kg.) is lower than the national average of (6.2 kg.). Coupled with the high demand intensity for fish (figure 1.3) this results in a high regional dependency on fish „imports‟.

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Figure 1.3: Fish Production and Output, 2003-04

Table 1.14: Present Status of Inland Fishery, NER, 2005 River(Km) Reservoirs (Ha) Beel, lake & Swamps (Ha) Ponds/mini barrages (Ha) Paddy cum fish culture (Ha) Forest fishery (Ha) Annual Production (lac MT)

20,050 1,43,792 146,740 40,809 3,40,100 NA 2.33

Source: Ministry of Animal husbandry, GoI, 2003-04

The livestock and fisheries sectors together account for about 30% of the value of the output of the agriculture and allied sector and provide full-time and part-time employment to 5.5% of the total working population, a majority of women. Fishery sector occupies a unique place in the socioeconomic life of the people of NER it being an income and employment generating activity at the primary level. At the same time, in terms of water area and climate, the region has tremendous potential for growth of pisiculture. The present status of inland fishery in the region is as given in table 1.14.

The freshwater species in the region are about 274 which constitute about 34% of the country‘s total stock. Assam and Tripura produce the bulk of fish. The present per capita consumption of fish is around 11 kg against the desired consumption level of 31 kg as recommended by the Nutrition Advisory Committee on Human Nutrition. On this basis the region is deficient by 55% of fish requirements which is met by procuring fish from outside the region at a huge cost. The projected production and per capita availability of fish is given in the below figure 1.4 (Planning Commission, GOI, 2006).

Figure 1.4: Projected Production and Per capita availability

Source: Ministry of Animal husbandry, GoI, 2003-04

Page 30 of 179

Fish and poultry dependency could be substantially reduced by de-silting large water bodies and promoting integrated fish/duck/paddy farming. Some of these initiatives are being promoted through Self-Help Groups (SHGs) in the rural areas of the region, and have several benefits apart from increasing employment and income-generation such as more efficient use of land and possible flood control.

Fisheries in Assam – An Untapped Opportunity

2.2

There is significant untapped potential for the development of fisheries in Assam. While the metrics of acceptability and affordability indicate extremely favourable consumer dynamics, the critical constraint is availability. It is estimated that the demand-supply gap for fish is between 30-40% in Assam. Hence, availability is the key trigger to unlock the untapped potential of fisheries in Assam.

While the opportunity is apparent, there are several factors inhibiting the growth of fisheries in Assam.

The key factors include:  Lack of knowledge and training  Costs  Soil conditions  Poor quality of spawns and fingerlings  Inadequate support from the government Given these challenges, a paradigm shift is required if fisheries in Assam is to be reinvented. The paradigm shift would need to be driven by:    

An organized model for fisheries in Assam Capacity building Quality of input materials Government support and financing

In light of this opportunity and the need for a paradigm shift, GMS has embarked on a series of experiments in Assam covering commercial fisheries and production of spawns / fingerlings.

The opportunity for fisheries in Assam can be analyzed across 3 dimensions:  Acceptability  Availability  Affordability Acceptability Fish is one of the most acceptable food items in Assam. It is estimated that about 70% of the people in Assam relish fish in their nutritional diet. In fact, in Assam, it is estimated that 90% of the people prefer fish as a regular food item. This drives high consumption levels of fish in key consuming markets

Average Daily Consumption of Fish in Key Markets in Assam 15000

Imported fish 12,000

12500

Local fish 3,000

10000

Kg / day 7500

5,500 4,800

5000

2,000

3,200

1,000

5,100

5,100

1,000

1,000

9,000

1,100

Availability 2500 4,100 4,100 3,500 3,800 3,100 The prime constraint is the availability of 0 fish in Assam to satisfy the consumer Jorhat Golaghat Tezpur Dibrugarh Tinsukia Guwahati demand. While per capita availability of fish is about 6.7 kg per annum, the per capita demand for fish is estimated to be about 11 kg per annum. This reveals a huge demand-supply gap. Despite having ample and ideal natural resources like rivers, lakes, ponds, tanks, beels, reservoirs, etc for the development of fisheries,

Page 31 of 179

Assam produced only 161,450 MT of fish in 2002-03, which accounted for only 3.7% of India‟s total fish production in that year.

Hence, in order to minimize the demand-supply gap, it is estimated that about 20-30% of the fish currently consumed is imported from states like Andhra Pradesh.

Average Retail Fish Prices in Assam 150

Affordability The general population of Assam show a high propensity to spend on fish purchase, viz. about Rs 100 -120 per kg on an average (going up to Rs 120130 per kg in the peak season). In fact, they are willing to pay twice the price for locally produced fish compared to imported fish, for its freshness and taste. By bridging the demand-supply gap through local production, prices will generally decline, thereby, driving consumption even further, particularly among the SEC D and E categories of the population.

125

100 - 120

100

Rs / kg 75

50 - 55 50

25

0

Local Fish

Imported Fish

Challenges for Fisheries The key factors that are inhibiting the growth of fisheries in Assam are:  Lack of knowledge and training: Local fishermen are not adequately guided and trained by experts in terms of the package of practices, which are not standardized and consistent. The College of Fisheries, Assam Agricultural University, at Raha is not equipped to become a knowledge centre for fisheries (so far only about 350 people have graduated from this institution since its inception in 1987). With proper training and education, the local fishermen can easily achieve higher yields from the same water resources under utilization.  Costs: Development of commercial fisheries requires investments which the local fishermen cannot afford. Hence, they cut on costs in key areas like fish feed and labour, which dramatically impacts yields. For example, the total cost per hectare for fisheries in Andhra Pradesh is 3 times more than in Assam & yet the yields are 5 times more than in Assam.  Soil conditions: The soil in Assam is more acidic than in most other parts of the country and are not ideally suited for the development of fisheries and hence, investments are required to increase the PH profile of the soil. This further increases the cost of production for the local fishermen.  Quality of spawns and fingerlings: Assam has limited spawning facilities. Spawns and fingerlings are cultivated in an unorganized and unscientific manner without any standardized package of practice. As a result, the quality of input materials is substandard and inconsistent, adversely affecting yields.  Lack of government support: There is no clear government policy or road-map for the development of fisheries in Assam. This includes no schemes to finance local fishermen to promote fisheries.

Industry Organisational Framework

Shifting the Paradigm If fisheries are to be developed and promoted, it would require a paradigm shift on 4 fronts:  Development of an organized model: By bringing about a degree of organization, the local fishermen will benefit from better marketing

Quality of Input Materials

Page 32 of 179

Paradigm Shift

Government Support & Financing

Capacity Building

and would be able to share knowledge and resources.

Capacity building: For eventual ramping up on the ASO Model – under the proposed plan for commercialization, there is a critical need to invest in capacity building in skills and knowledge.  Quality of input materials: Spawning facilities are integral for any large scale push into fisheries.

These need to be based on scientific practices in order to radically improve the quality and consistency of spawns and fingerlings. These facilities, along with an R&D Centre are key for continuously improving the quality of input materials.  Government support and financing: Ample support from the government should be available, and commercialization on a large scale needs to leverage the inputs available from the government.

(Source: Naturenomics™ Knowledge Foundation) 

2.3

Market Assessment

Demand side: Table 1.15: Overall Demand Assam Population (2001 Census) Demand - based on Actual Per Cap Consumption Demand - based on Recommended Per Cap Consumption Possible Latent Demand

2001

2002

2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

266

271

276

281

285

290

295

301

306

311

178,477

181,583

184,742

187,957

191,227

194,554

197,940

201,384

204,888

208,453

293,022

298,121

303,308

308,586

313,955

319,418

324,976

330,631

336,384

342,237

1,367

1,378

1,398

1,417

1,438

1,458

1,479

1,500

1,521

Note: • Units in MT / year • Assam Population figures of 2.6 crore sourced from Census Data of 2001. A growth rate of 1.7% has been assumed for the subsequent years (based on average population growth in the previous decade) • Per capita fish consumption (actuals) data and sourced from Government of Assam, Department of Agriculture. Recommended Per Capita Consumption also sourced from report by the same department.

  



The difference in the availability per capita (178,477 MT) Vs the desired per capita availability (293,022 MT), immediately throws up a latent demand of over 114,545 MT for all of Assam.

To get an idea of the relative consumption pattern at this level, it is instructive to note that in industrialised countries the per capita consumption of fish ranges between 25 to 35 kgs.

With the Indian economy now growing at a scorching pace, differentials in per capita consumption of a range of products is likely to edge towards global standards, albeit with a significant time delay in some commodities and a much shorter gap for some others. Thus, it is safe to assume a per capita consumption which would reach at least 15 – 18 kgs over the next 10 years.

Even if one were to move away from empirical deductions, such as the above, for the purposes of calculation of demand, ground level data – collected through extensive primary and secondary market research reveals a huge shortfall, as the data below illustrates:

Page 33 of 179

Table 1.16: Market-wise Demand MARKETS

DEMAND (in MT, p.a)

Jorhat Golaghat Dergaon Nagaon Tezpur Dibrugarh Tinsukhia Guwahati TOTAL

1,861 1,514 609 2,737 1,687 1,788 1,788 4,380 16,364



Demand is very high in Guwahati. Nearly 12,000 kgs of fish consumed daily.



Other markets with high demand are Jorhat, Golaghat, Dergoan, Nagaon, Tezpur, Dibrugarh, and Tinsukia.



The Demand often accumulates the demand in the local market as well as associated regional markets. For example, Nagaon demand is as much as 2,737 MT – however this also includes demand from satellite towns.

Source: Primary market Research - Assam, 2005

Table 1.17: Demand for Varieties VARIETY Rohu Catla Mrigal Bhangun Seetal Hilsa







WHOLESALE PRICE (Rs / kg) Local Imported 112 60 80 52 140 75 85 Not Imported 225 225 145 125

RETAIL PRICE (Rs / kg) Local Imported 175 100 105 75 180 135 120 Not Imported 275 275 200 225

„Rohu‟ is the highest consumed variety of fish in Assam with an average daily consumption of 6,000 kgs in Guwahati and about 2,500 kgs in Jorhat, Golaghat, Nagaon, Tezpur, Dibrugarh, Tinsukia.

The demand of the fish across the markets depends upon the size as well as the variety.

Generally in the fish market in Assam, the value of a fish is determined by the weight. For example, the demand of Kunhi goes up with smaller weights whereas the demand for Rahu goes up with the higher weights.

There are several other varieties in the market, however, the primary market survey threw up the enormous potential specifically of the top-selling varieties outlined above. In fact, irrespective of origin of these fish (whether local or imported), the volumes in these fish are very high and, verily, these dictate the contours of the whole fish market.

Consumption Patterns: 

The average daily demand of fish, on average, during the worst season is 2,000 kgs per day – per market and this (specifically for the local fish) is usually around the Assam monsoon season of June through September. On average, prices of commonly consumed fishes can drop to as low as Rs 20.



The average daily demand of fish, on average, during the best season is 5,000 kgs per day – per market and this (irrespective of the origin of destination) is usually around the Assam harvest season of February through April. On average, prices of fishes not readily available can rise to drop to as high as Rs 300 / kg.



In general – aside of the slack season (predominantly for local fish) of June through September, the demand for fish is fairly consistent throughout the year.



Based on data coming out from the primary market research, the Andhra fish is consumed mainly by the burgeoning middle class. The reason for this is mainly the huge price differential between the local and the imported fish from Andhra Pradesh.

Page 34 of 179

Supply side Table 1.18: Sources of Supply SOURCE Local Production ‗Imported‘ Fish (Andhra, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal etc.)

TOTAL







SUPPLY (in MT) 2001

2002

2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

N/A

161,450

165,521

168,831

172,208

175,652

179,165

182,749

186,404

190,132

N/A

20,132

19,221

19,125

19,019

18,902

18,774

18,635

18,484

18,321

181,583

184,742

187,957

191,227

194,555

197,940

201,384

204,888

208,453

According to a Planning Commission report on the state of agriculture in Assam, no study has been made to estimate the demand for fish in the state and external supply of fish to the state.

Current data on the production of fish is unavailable as well. Although the Department of Fisheries, Government of Assam, has a scheme to collect this information, the survey work is stagnant due to paucity of funds.

Empirical derivations of the volume of imported fish are derived from the local production and consumption data for the years 2002 and 2003 (the last years when authentic data are available from government records) and the resultant gap. Government estimates of the same follow a similar derivation process – where the gap is actually calculated on the desired per capita consumption of fish (Vs actuals, considered in the table, above).

A verification of the empirical derivation, above, was arrived at based on extensive primary market research surveys in the major wholesale markets in Assam. Discussions with key wholesalers threw up a latent demand far in excess of the official and derived figures arrived at.

Figure 1.5: Local Production 165,520 161,450 159,769 155,124

155,057 151,641

158,620 155,714

154,607 153,020

93-94

94-95

95-96

96-97

97-98

98-99

99-00

00-01

01-02

02-03

In MT (Source: http://databank.nedfi.com/content.php?menu=111505&page_id=694)

 

The table above shows the reluctant growth in local production through the last decade. On average, the growth in local production has been averaging 2 per cent per annum.

Through most of the last decade, the growth has been near flat with an actual decline in production levels for the years 1999-01 to 2000-01.

An estimate of the huge gap is thrown up in the table below, which highlights the existing production and resultant productivity levels and benchmarks of production at higher efficiencies.

Page 35 of 179

Table 1.19: Local Production – by type of Water Resource TYPE OF WATER RESOURCE / CULTURE SYSTEM PONDS (Total 4725 Ha) Semi- intensive Fisciculture.

Extensive Fisciculture Fisciculture along with other farming Beels

AREA (ha)

EXISTING YIELD (Kg/Ha/Yr)

PRODUCTION (MT)

DESIRED / ACHIEVABLE YIELD (kg/ha/yr)

CURRENT EFFICIENY LEVELS (%)

PRODUCTION AT HIGHER PRODUCTIVITY (MT)

2,649

2,000

5,298

3,000

67%

7,947

2,076

1,000

2,076

3,000

33%

6,228

694

1,500

1,041

3,000

50%

2,082

250

2,000

500

50%

4,000

500

295

3,000

17%

1,770

100

2,825

200

50%

5,650

320

13,535

655

N/A

27,677

764

14,000

1,572

N/A

28,000

8,000 Low lying areas & swamps ( Derelict 590 water bodies ) Riverine fisheries (565 28,250 Km running length) TOTAL (incl riverine 42,259 fisheries)* TOTAL (excl riverine N/A fisheries)* http://nagaon.nic.in/fish_xa.htm (c 2002)

Thus, inspite of having a huge fishery development potential the state is lagging behind some other similarly placed states in respect of production of fish.

One obvious way of increasing production in the state is to keep increasing acreage under fisheries.

However this glaringly overlooks at benchmarks of productivity across key fish producing states in India – which outline the emphasis on optimum land utilization by enhancing the per hectare production of fish.

(Source: Naturenomics™ Knowledge Foundation) Table 1.20: Some of the other factors affecting the productivity include Positive/augmentative factors Existence and extent of marginal vegetation Optimum nutrient levels Nutrient enrichment during floods Moderate to long growing season High frequency of phytoplankton blooms Moderately developed macrophyte community

Major effects unknown Sedimentation of inorganic material High rate of evaporation Contributions of autochthonous nutrients High surface temperature during summers (in northern India) Low water temperature during winter (In northern India) Aquatic community interrelationship

Employment of modern fishing gear and optimization of fishing effort Well established plankton and benthos Source: FAO

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Negative/reductive factors Low transparency in floods due to inorganic turbidity.

High mean depth Large water level fluctuations creating large aridal (barren littoral) Low level of dissolved oxygen Phytoplankton biomass mainly blue greens Relative low fish species diversity indicating low stability and a potentially low resilience to stresses Low abundance and diversity of terrestrial vegetation hence early successional stage Relatively low environmental heterogeneity

Demand – Supply Gap Table 1.22: Current Demand-Supply Gap 

Next to rice, the key staple food across Assam is Fish.

Local Production 175,652  In spite of intensive efforts – both by the Imports 18,902 Total current government and sundry local agencies, the Consumption (A+B) 194,555 growth in the production of fish has Demand at recorded averaged only 2 per cent per annum. per capita  Since local production is constrained, traders consumption 194,555 Possible latent import a large volume of fishes – Demand Gap (D-C) 143,766 predominantly from Andhra Pradesh – but also from states like Uttar Pradesh, Uttaranchal, Punjab and Bihar to meet the shortfall.

No official statistics and records for the same exist. At a minimum, based on empiricial derivations, we believe that the current size of this market is to the tune of 189,000,000 kgs per annum.

Over the longer term, based on last available factual data, an extrapolation of the demandsupply gap for fisheries throws up some interesting numbers: In MT, p.a.

A B C D E





Table 1.23: Projected Demand-Supply Gap Demand – based on actual per capita consumption Demand – based on recommended per capita consumption Local Production Gap- based on Actual per Capita Consumption Possible Latent Demand

2001

2002

2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

178,477

181,583

184,742

187,957

191,227

194,554

197,940

201,384

204,888

208,453

293,022

298,121

303,308

308,586

313,955

319,418

324,976

330,631

336,384

342,237

161,450

165,521

168,831

172,208

175,652

179,165

182,749

186,404

190,132

20,133

19,221

19,125

19,019

18,902

18,775

18,636

18,485

18,322

136,671

137,787

139,755

141,747

143,766

145,811

147,882

149,980

152,105

Unit: in MT/annum

The empirical derivation of demand (181,583 MT) and the factual data of current production (161,450 MT) throws up a demand-supply gap of 20,133 MT. If one were to juxtapose the latent demand (at 11 kgs per capita, explained above), the magnitude of the net demand-supply gap is of the order of 136,671 MT. Based on the above estimates, and assuming a yield of 5,500 kgs / ha, nearly 21,000 ha of land would be required to be under fisheries cultivation.

Even assuming a discount factor of 50%, the demand supply gap would be approx 68,335 MT (or nearly 8,000 ha of land under fisheries cultivation).Research through extensive primary and secondary market research has thrown up the following insights: 

Supplies from Andhra Pradesh, UP, Bihar, West Bengal fill the gap.



Value of imports from other states amount to Rs.20 lakh per day.



Nagaon and Guwahati supply to other districts in Assam. Nagaon supplies local fish varieties, whereas Guwahati supplies Andhra varieties.



Over 20,000 kgs of fish are brought daily to the Guwahati market from Andhra Pradesh.



Jagirod, Assam is Asia‘s biggest dry fish market having an annual business of Rs.400 crore.

Page 37 of 179

On a more micro level, the figures also tally if we see the daily demand / off take of fish in the following key markets across Assam that were surveyed: Current Market Gaps Table 1.24: Market Demand Supply (annual figures in Kgs) MARKETS JORHAT GOLAGHAT

DEMAND 61,200 49,800

SUPPLY (local) 42,000 37,200

SUPPLY (import) 24,000 13,200

DERGAON

20,040

24,000

8,400

NAGAON

90,000

144,000

36,000

TEZPUR DIBRUGARH TINSUKHIA

55,800 58,800 58,800

45,600 49,200 49,200

12,000 12,000 12,000

GUWAHATI

144,000

240,000

50,400

GAP 19,200 12,600 Sufficient local supply Sufficient local supply 10,200 9,600 9,600 Sufficient local supply

Source: 1/Primary market Research - Assam, 2005; 2/Department of Fisheries, Assam.

(Source: Naturenomics™ Knowledge Foundation)

Benchmarking Fisheries Production: The Andhra Pradesh Fisheries Industry The source of over 80% of the imported fisheries in Assam is Andhra Pradesh. The fisheries sector in Andhra has grown over the last two decades and since the first seeds sown on a commercial scale there, over, the industry now contributes over 2.83% to the Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP, Year: 2002-03) of Andhra Pradesh. Andhra also leads all states in terms of overall production.

Table 1.21: GSDP growth at current and constant price Year

At constant prices Rs crores 2,623 2,749 657 758 799 12,717

At current prices

2002-03 Andhra Pradesh 6,250 West Bengal 5,907 Tamil Nadu 1,936 Kerala 1,877 Gujarat 1,666 India 26,850 Source: http://www.ap-fisheries.org/

Resources comparison – Andhra Pradesh Vs Assam: The key underlying factors behind the significant contribution of fisheries as an industry in the state are the large resources of Marine, Inland and Brackish Water Fisheries.

The other key factor adding up to the large resource base of available Page 38 of 179

Contribution current prices

Contribution constant prices %

3.89 % 3.53 % 1.25 % 2.06 % 1.20 % 1.19 %

2.83 % 2.79 % 0.72 % 1.74 % 0.93 % 0.96 %

hectarage for fisheries is the high productivity levels (of the order of 10-15,000 kgs/ha per annum for pond fisheries) – mainly through focused commercial cultivation.

Source: Fisheries departments, respective states. Area, unless specifically mentioned in ha is in „000 ha

Fishing as Livelihoods Security Activity Fishing should not be looked as a commercial activity conducted by outsiders that will indirectly benefit the local populace who will work as labours. Instead, it should be looked as a livelihoods activity dependent on the local natural resource (i.e., water-bodies) to which the dependent families will have secure entitlements. A separate set of specific interventions should be launched by the state government to ensure livelihoods security to all in the fishing sector.

Initiatives for broader economic development that potentially can have conflicts with the fishing activity would come from the sectors like ‗Inland Water Transportation (IWT)‘ and ‗Irrigation Water Supply‘.

The government might choose to involve private or corporate sector in initiatives from these sectors.

In such cases, the possibility for conflict and contestation would increase.

While development and regulation of transportation and irrigation sectors need to be looked at separately, these sectors should not be allowed to encroach on the fishing activity or primary stakeholders in fishing activity. The state government will have to devise regulatory regimes (containing substantive guidelines for sharing of water resources as well as regulatory procedures) for these sectors, with appropriate regulatory institutions. These regimes and institutions should be based on thorough studies of the impact of water transport and irrigation on the fishing sector. The state government should also consider the regulatory regimes that the Planning Commission, Finance Commission, and the central government are recommending for the water sector as a whole.

To process the locally-harvested fish, industries should be established in a decentralized manner, with capacities sufficient to process the local produce. The products of these industries could be prioritised for local consumption in the state. The local Fisher-folks‘ Self-Help Groups (FSHGs) should be involved in ownership and operations of these decentralized processing units. These units should 5 be based on appropriate technologies .

The state government should enact policies and legal instruments to ensure this. If necessary, these processing units could be developed and run in collaboration with the state-level public corporation or local private sector entrepreneur, however, involvement of big corporate sector in these decentralized units should be avoided. These decentralized units could be developed through a combination of grant and loan finance from government and nationalised banks. In this way, dependencies on external aid in terms of either funds or technology will be minimized, and the local communities will be strengthened economically.

The activities for economic or infrastructure development undertaken by the government and other agencies might affect the fishing activities on the water bodies. In such a situation, the organizations of local fisher-folks should be considered as key stakeholders and they should have say in assessments and sanctioning of the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) report. The EIA reports for all new projects should necessarily engage in assessment of impact on fishing activities in the water bodies in the vicinity or on the downstream-side of the project.

The participation of the fishing communities n the EIA related processes should adhere to the new guidelines for EIA that the central government is developing. The impact on fishing activities of such project should be governed by the upcoming central law on displacement and compensation.

5

As defined in the Strategic Framework Page 39 of 179

Fishing Entitlements In order to ensure livelihoods security to all in the fishing sector, legally secured entitlements (or usefructory rights, i. e. rights to use the resources) should be accorded to local families. This will have to be achieved through establishment of legal and policy instruments.

These entitlements would be given primarily to two types of local families (in the order of preference): (a) local families which have been directly or indirectly connected with fishing traditionally, (b) local resource poor families which do not have access to either other employment opportunities or other natural resources for conducting livelihoods (such as land, water, or forest), and (c) families which were displaced while creating water-bodies and who did not get adequate land or cash in compensation.

Such families should be given secured fishing entitlements (in terms of usefructory rights) on the local resources. These entitlements cannot be traded, especially with the outsiders. The families which are not able to make effective use of these entitlements for genuine reasons should be allowed to trade these entitlements with the other similar families. Such genuine reasons could include inevitable, involuntary, or consented relocation (not displacement) of the local communities dependent on fishing. The fishing entitlements should be tradable against either locally produced natural biomass required to sustain life or against cash.

Local Institution-Building and Regulation These families with the fishing entitlements to the water bodies would be organized in the Fisher-folk‘s Self-Help Groups (FSHGs) of appropriate sizes. The entitlements could be given on the group basis to these FSHGs of on family basis to the member-families of these FSHGs. These FSHGs could then be federated in a hierarchical manner (i.e., bigger and bigger federations at higher and higher levels).

The governance and management of the fishing activity in the local water bodies should be handed over to the federations of the local Fisher-folks‘ Self-Help Groups (FSHGs), who would be expected to manage and take care of the local water bodies. They will prepare plans for development and sustainable harvesting of fishing resources from the particular water body with the technical and financial support from the SFRDA and AAU. The FSHGs and their local Federation will be responsible for husbanding and ensuring qualitative and quantitative strengthening of the local water bodies.

FSHGs and their local level federations will also be considered as important stakeholders (with appropriate rights and responsibilities) in the efforts for conservation and strengthening of land and water resources in the catchment areas and upstream side of the water bodies.

State-Level Institution Building The state government should establish an independent ‗State Fishing Regulatory and Development Authority (SFRDA) to: (a) regulate, promote and protect the entitlement regime and (b) establish, 6 develop, and regulate the multi-level structure of FSHGs and their federations.

6

The relevant guidelines from the Framework are following: All decision-making processes following the SD approach should involve transparency, accountability and participation of especially those deprived stakeholders who are related to the decisions being made. This will enable comprehensive control of the deprived sections on the development process and governance.

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As mention before, there are possibilities of conflict and contestation for water resources among the resource users from sectors such as Fishing, Irrigation, and Inland Water Transportation.

In view of this, the state government should—through legal and administrative procedures and instruments—establish and enable locally situated stations for monitoring the quality of land and water that support the fishing sector. These monitoring stations (MS) should work with the FSHGs to register and address at the local level issues related to fishing sector. These stations should report to a state level agency in charge of conservation of the fishing sector of the state (SFRDA). The state level agency (SFRDA), as well as all the institutions involved including the FSHGs and the local monitoring stations should be accountable to all stakeholders of the sector, and especially to those communities which depend on fishing for lives and livelihoods.

The monitoring stations (MS) with the state level agency for fishing (SFRDA) should work together to develop a knowledge base. This knowledge base will include the experience from other states as mentioned before, as well as the issues and lessons arising out of the management of local land and water supporting fishing sector.

Role of Other Key Stakeholders The state government and the central government will have to play significant role in sowing and nurturing the seeds of Blue Revolution (in fishing sector) in diverse manner. This would start from awareness activities (including exposure visits of the elected leaders of federations of FSHGs) and would also include IEC (Information, Education, and Communication) activities for evolving, nurturing, and strengthening of FSHGs and their federations.

This would require the government to undertake detailed studies of the current fishing-related policies and institutions in the state as well as in other states like AP and WB. It also requires the detailed study of the initiatives from other sectors for decentralized development in Assam and other NE states.

In the value chain of fishing, the government can consider involvement of private sector (especially local) at certain stages. For example, hatching facilities could be run by the private sector. However, as mentioned before, these activities should be regulated with the true and meaningful involvement of the primary stakeholders, the FSHGs and their federations.

The Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) could also be invited and encouraged to play significant role especially in evolution and strengthening of FSHGs and their federations. CSOs could also involve in

The SFRDA should have the following unavoidable features: (a) It should be completely transparent and participatory for the primary stakeholders including civil society. (b) It should work for the triple bottom-line. This means the regulation should ensure economic, social, and environmental objectives. (c) It should be 3-D Regulation, which means the agencies involved should have competencies and legitimacy in all three dimensions: techno-eco-financial, socio-cultural, and political.

0 (d) The agencies involved in regulation and agencies that are regulated should have 360 Accountability. This requires that these agencies are equally accountable to all the stakeholders.

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the activities for building capabilities of the members and office-bearers of FSHGs and the federations.

Technology and Environment The main objective of the technological research and development should be develop a menu of appropriate technologies (with all its characteristics mentioned before in the framework section) that are suitable different local conditions and that have high productivity level in order to make the fishing 7 activity economically and financially viable.

As the GMS study indicates, there is the need to find environmentally conducive ways to overcome the issues of acidic soil and its impact on fishing activity. There is need to search for locally evolved innovative measures to address this problem.

The GSM study indicates that one of the main problems is the poor quality of spawns and fingerlings due to unorganized and unscientific spawning methods. The new hatching facilities should bring in the improved technology. However, the technology should not carry with it the long-term social or environmental impacts.

Apart from these two major technical problems, R & D efforts should also aim at resolving the other technical problems, especially those relevant for the fishery activities in different parts and different types of water bodies in Assam.

The fishing activities and especially the technologies used at any stage should not affect the quality and quantity of the water in these water bodies; neither should it have any other harmful effect on the local eco-system.

The experiences of pros and cons of improved fishing technologies should be studied for all the three bottom lines using the lessons from the other states and even from the limited efforts in Assam.

As the GSM study points out there is serious lack of relevant data on all the relevant parameters. The recommendations and guidelines need to validated though correct data before using for designing the government interventions. Lack of financial and trained human resources should not hinder the critical task of systematic data collection.

Strengthening the LNR connected with the Fishing activities should be done in parallel through schemes from other sectors. This needs to be seen as an activity critical for ensuring security of livelihoods to the fishing communities. These may include: soil conservation and water conservation through integrated watershed development program on the upstream side or catchment areas of the water bodies.

Knowledge-Building, Training and Capability Building The FSHGs and their federations should not be passive recipient of government programs and accompanying technological and financial packages. The federations should be involved in broader

7

The relevant guidelines from the Framework are: Appropriate Technology means technology which is: (a) economically and financially viable, (b) environmentally friendly, (c) socially equitable, (d) amenable to local people, (e) respectful to local knowledge systems, (f) technically robust and reliable. These criteria exclude, on one hand, amateurish low-cost contraptions, and on the other hand, highly sophisticated and expensive exotic technologies.

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decision-making, while the FSHGs and their local-level federations should be involved in planning the local level activities.

In order to ensure that such involvement is effective and meaningful, the FSHGs and their federations need to have adequate and appropriate capabilities and resources (both financial and human). So capability building and training should be the initial activities (immediately after awareness activities) undertaken before making major decisions on government interventions in fishing.

The College of Fisheries of Assam Agricultural University (CoF AAU) should be made the nodal organization for technological research and development (laboratory and field level), technology dissemination, and training and capability building activities.

The (CoF AAU) should develop and support regional level centres for technology dissemination and training and capability building.

The (CoF AAU) should also develop training material for training of members of the FSHGs as well as for trainers at different levels.

The (CoF AAU) should also significant role in collecting and organizing knowledge base of local experiences and traditional practices from different parts of the state.

The national-level institutes and universities should be roped in to provide knowledge and expertise support to (CoF AAU).

Financial Arrangements The aim of the government interventions in the fishing sector should be to make the fishing activity economically viable. The report by the GMS indicates that this is patently possible considering the present supply and demand situation.

However, the state and central government will have to make investment in the sector in order to increase the productivity levels of the activity in the state, as argued by the GMS report. This investment might be necessary for: (a) restoration of water bodies (through operations like dredging), (b) development and operations of facilities for supply of fingerlings and feed, (c) capacity building and training of fisher folk and leader of their institutions, (e) equipment for cultivating, harvesting, storing, transport, and marketing.

The state government might also need to provide some subsidy support for the vulnerable families engaged in fishing activities.

The central government could share the burden of abovementioned investments. It may also support the state government in building knowledge base and collecting crucial data.

Strategy and Action Plans by Government - Fishery     

Replenishment of stock through appropriate technology.

Maximum area of reservoir (1.44 lakh/ha) and unregistered beel and swamps to be utilized for fishery.

Promoting the culture of Mahseer for achieving the twin objectives of in situ conservation as well as enhancing production.

Exploitation of the riverine stretch (of about 2000 km) for fishery.

Strengthen the embankments to protect the beels from flood.

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         

Establishment of eco hatcheries at district level for self-sufficiency in quality fish seeds.

Demonstration and training on carp culture in all fish growing parts of the region.

Establishment of fish producer‘s co-operative society/farmers club for high production and marketing.

Horizontal expansion of area and identification of suitable species for paddy-cum-fish culture in a partnership mode.

Popularizing raised and sunken bed technology to utilize marshy land areas for paddy cum- fish culture.

Reservoir development long-term lease of reservoirs and their utilization policy.

Doubling the area under forest fishery by 2020.

Raise production of fish to 12.14 lakh MT to ensure per capita availability of 21 kg/ person /year by 2020.

Raising productivity level of fish ponds from existing 600 kg/ha/year to about 1500 kgs/ ha/yr by 2020 (national average is 2000 kg/ha/yr).

Increase area to 11.53 lac ha of water under fishery by 2020.

Opportunity for Assam in Fisheries There is a compelling opportunity for developing fisheries in Assam as highlighted below: 

Market Opportunity

 





Attractive Economics

  



Ease of Execution & Extension

   

Long term Sustenance

   

2006 estimated consumption at 6.7 kg per capita = 195,000 tonnes 2006 estimated local production = 175,000 tonnes, + imports = 20,000 tonnes Latent demand at suggested consumption of 11.5 kg per capita = 320,000 tonnes Demand – supply gap of 125,000 tonnes = Rs 875 crores at wholesale level Premium of between 30 - 40% for local fish because of better taste/quality Healthy price realisations – an average of Rs 70+ Gross Margins – ranging from 30% to 50% Low pay back period, good IRR and ROI Standardized PoP, i.e. relatively simple to execute rapidly and accurately Short stabilization period for production Minimal dependence on „natural‟/external variables Easy to train workforce Ease of extension Sustained long range paybacks on minimal YoY Opex Linear business model No additional capex required over long periods Ample scope to increase productivity levels

Highlights The Context  Inspite of fish being a staple (after rice) in Assam, this sector is highly underdeveloped and is import dependent  Poor technology, lack of spawning facilities leading to poor quality input material, acidic soil conditions and inadequate government support are the key issues facing this industry.  Inspite of having a huge fishery development potential (based on usable availability of water bodies and consumer demand) the state is lagging behind some other similarly placed states in respect of production of fish growth has been in the range of 2% in the last decade  There are no organised fisheries for high value exotic varieties primarily due to the higher investments required in breeding these varieties  Integrated fishery projects (along with other livestock) are largely non existent in Assam Page 44 of 179

The Opportunity  The opportunity to commercialise fish production for meeting local demand through import substitutions is tremendous. Conservative demand projections indicate a 68,335 MT per annum shortfall, which translates to a land requirement of nearly 8,000 ha of land under fisheries cultivation  Development opportunities exist across the value chain from R&D and training/capacity building, spewing facilities, optimising land usage and transportation  Integrated projects will also impact the livestock industry, namely cattle, which in turn will have a multiplier effect through import substitution of milk products  Entepreaunership development can also initiated for ornamental fish for a growing export market The Impact  Improvement in yields through technological upgradation, reduction in wastages, value additions supported by optimisation of land use and organised supply chain logistics would impact the entire population by increasing profits for the producers and reducing prices for the consumer.  This would also have a social impact in terms of health and nutrition with increased consumption based of higher levels of availability at lower costs The Next Steps  Government support in terms of financial and technical support would kick start a revolution in this field – therefore an integrated fishery policy (and communication of the same) would be the key imperative  Awareness building, training and exposure visits by local communities would need to be prioritised by government agencies  Government to initiate the process of inviting corporates and fish farmers from other states for commercial fishery projects on a PPP model and providing adequate incentives and subsidies – the starting point could be for export oriented ornamental fish cultivation

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Bio- Diversity The North-East India is rich in biological diversity and contains more than one-third of the country‘s total biodiversity and is one of the 18 hot-spots of the worldThe region is also rich in terms of genetic and ecosystem diversity with some of the important gene pools of citrus, banana, rice, cereals, and orchids. have been reported to be originated from this region.

The ecosystem diversity of the region ranges from tropical ecosystems to alpine ecosystems in the Himalayan ranges and also includes diverse types of wetland, flood plain, riverine and aquatic ecosystems along the Brahmaputra-Barak river systems. The Mountain Peaks and Glaciers in high Himalayan ranges of Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim constitute another group of unique ecosystems.

It also has a variety of man-modified ecosystems such as jhum agro-ecosystem, wet rice agroecosystem and alder-based agroecosystem contribute towards rich ecosystem diversity.

Satellite data for 2002 indicated that the green cover in NER was at 52% which was more than twice the proportion of the coverage in the country (23.68%). In Arunachal Pradesh, the proportion of area under forests was the highest in the country at 94%. But as a Government report in February 2008 said, India‘s national animal, the tiger, is being poached to extinction in different parts of the country, and even former safe havens in Assam and Arunachal Pradesh, despite their supposedly high forest cover, are not secure. The territory under forest constitutes approximately 64% (16.32 mega hectares) of the total area of the Northeastern Region, compared to 19.4 % for India as a whole. This reflects the importance of forest resources for the north-eastern part of the country. NER is one of 18 biodiversity hot spots of the world. A large part of the forest in this area falls under the category of open forest, with a crown density of 10–40%. Only few areas qualify as dense forest, that is with a crown density of 40% or higher.

The NER is rich in forest resources with 46% of the land (122,000 sq km in 2001) under forest cover. Arunachal Pradesh and Mizoram have the maximum percentage of land under forest cover. At present, a nominal percentage of the forest resources are exploited for commercial purposes. Such untapped resources hold tremendous potential for the economic development of the NER states.

3.1

Forest Cover Change

Recent investigations suggest that NER has lost almost 20% of its forest cover in the past two decades. Table 1.29 shows that the Northeast registered a decrease of 244 square kilometers of forest area during the period 1997 to 1999. In addition to areas being cleared of forest, a substantial area of forest is experiencing ongoing degradation through hacking, fires, and grazing.

Destruction of natural habitat for commercial felling, encroachment for settlements and cultivation, jhum cultivation in the hillslopes and various development activities have put serious threat to the biodiversity of Assam. Development such as the construction of roads and railways through forest, unplanned bamboo harvesting for large paper mills (eg.Jagiroad and Panchgram), oil and exploration in upper Assam, open cast coal mining in areas like Margherita, growth of brick industries in the prime lands, mini cement plants, etc are some of the economic activities found to be destructive to local flora and fauna.(State Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan, Assam 2002/3).

Table 1.29: Change in forest area of northeast India (km2) State

Area in 1999

Area in 1997

Change in Area

Arunachal Pradesh Assam Manipur Meghalaya

68,847 23,688

68,602 23,824

+245 -136

17,384 15,633

17,418 15,657

-34 -24

Mizoram Nagaland Tripura

18,338

18,775

-437

14,164 5,745

14,221 5,546

-57 +199

Northeast India

163,799

164,043

-244

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Source: Ministry of Environment and Forest (MoEF), 2001

The region‘s forests are experiencing an extensive process of fragmentation, degradation, and outright deforestation and forest conversion. The management of the forest has suffered in the recent past due to pressure on land, the decreasing cycle of shifting cultivation, exploitation of forest for timber, and lack of a scientific management strategy. Shifting cultivation has been an important factor responsible for much of the forest being classified as ―open forest‖, especially in the states of Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, and Nagaland, where much of the land designated as unclassified forest is part of the jhum or swidden pool. As such, these lands are cleared and burned for cultivation every 5 to 15 years, and forest regeneration is typically halted during the young secondary forest phase, changing the landscape extensively. About 450,000 families in the Northeastern Region annually cultivate 10,000 square kilometers of forests, and the total area affected by jhumming (shifting cultivation) is believed to be 44,000 square kilometers. Degraded secondary forests, bamboo thickets and weeds, or simply barren land dominate today‘s ―jhum scapes‖. Further, as hill farmers shift to such cash crops as ginger, pineapple, and broom grass, lands once allowed to regenerate as forests are now permanently converted to agriculture, reducing total forest cover (Ministry of Environment and Forest, 2001 & World Bank Report, 2007).

3.2

Population Change

A major factor affecting forest cover is the growth of human populations throughout the region and the growing pressure that additional people place on the region‘s forests. While urbanization has been growing rapidly over the past few decades at a rate, in many states, of 15 to 20 % a year, the rural population has also been expanding. The population of most north-eastern states has expanded eight to tenfold during the twentieth century. According to census statistics, the population density in many states grew by approximately 30% between 1991 and 2001.

The increasing population and population density trends are reflected in the per capita availability of forestland. Between 1981 and 1995, for example, the forestland available per person has decreased by over 50% or more in Nagaland and Meghalaya, and by 30% or more in Mizoram, Manipur, and Assam. This reflects the combined impact of population growth and forestland loss. The implications are particularly important in states with high dependence on swidden farming, as the swidden rotation land pool available per capita also decreases correspondingly (Table 1.30), often resulting in a shortened fallow period and declining sustainability of soil fertility.

3.3

Deforestation and degradation

. In northeast India, however, indigenous institutions continue to play an important role in forest protection and management. In some north-eastern states, such as Nagaland and Meghalaya, over 90% of the forests are under direct control by traditional village institutions, communities, and private individuals, in sharp contrast to other parts of India, where state forest departments have retained legal and territorial control of the vast majority of forest areas for decades. Table 1.31 indicates the extent of forestlands under community control in the seven north-eastern states.

Table 1.31: Proportion of all forestland under community control State Arunachal Pradesh Assam Manipur Meghalaya Mizoram Nagaland

% of total forested area 82 30 78 70 87 85

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% of total community control 62 33 68 90 33 91

Tripura

55

41

Source: Dr. Mark Poffenberger et al. 2007

Indigenous institutions in Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, and Arunachal Pradesh strengthened their forest management systems by classifying and designating the community forestlands for specified purposes after independence.

Box 1.3: Land use trends in Northeast India Accordingly, in Mizoram,  Total area affected by jhum has been increasing forestlands were classed as  Fallow period of jhum is shortening, resulting in poor forest ―safety‖ and ―supply‖ reserves regeneration  Soil fertility is declining, resulting in reduced or stagnant and placed under the authority agricultural productivity of the village council. Anchal  Availability of forest products and services is declining reserves were created in  Natural resource management systems are becoming increasingly Arunachal Pradesh and were unstable  Income from agriculture and forest is falling placed under the anchal samitis  The rural poor are becoming poorer (village committees).

In  Community lands are being converted into private lands Meghalaya, raid land, law  Privatization of land is leading to landlessness and social kyntang, law niam, law ri sumar insecurity  Jhum lands are being brought into plantation and cash crops and 10 other community forest  Traditional community institutions are losing authority types were formally  Government is encouraging afforestation of jhum lands acknowledged, operating under  Raising of plantation and cash crops reduces land available for different community bodies with subsistence food crops varying jurisdictions. Village  Rural poor are increasingly migrating to urban centers councils and other Source: Dr. Mark Poffenberger et al. 2007 community institutions have generally done a good job of protecting their forest resources, based on small, homogeneous village societies that support collective needs and interests. Unfortunately, indigenous forest management systems are very poorly documented and have received little outside support (World Bank Report, 2007).

Role of Government, Private sector and traditional communities It is difficult to generalize regarding the capacity of local and indigenous resource management institutions in northeast India. Challenged by alternative values, economic systems, institutional structures, and political power centres, virtually all traditional forest management institutions are under pressure, their authority threatened, and their capacity increasingly inadequate to address newly emerging problems. This pressure and the corresponding strains it places on traditional resource management functions and capacities comes at a time when many village farmers are making substantial changes in their agro-silvicultural systems. The impact of external forces and the rate of system changes vary widely across the region, usually depending on the degree of physical and market isolation. The imperatives of specific local socioeconomic and ecological conditions, which alone can determine the relevance and effectiveness of interventions in the hilly states, are seldom incorporated into development policies and programs for these areas. Besides, most existing policies and programs relating to these areas do not address the needs and priorities of traditional resource users at the grass-roots level.

While many traditional resource managers are under pressure, there are no alternative actors in northeast India to act as stewards of the agricultural land, water resources, and hill forests. Local governments and state technical agencies have extremely limited technical staff and budgets to take responsibility for day-to-day management. Putting aside the consideration of ancestral domain claims, constitutional rights, political context, and cultural integrity, local communities are best positioned to stabilize watersheds, protect biodiversity, and ensure that other environmental services will continue to be generated.

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3.4

Forest Benefits and Costs

Accurate, comprehensive economic data on forest production and revenues in northeast India are difficult to obtain. Since the Godavarman decision of the Indian Supreme Court, the commercial timber sector has been substantially reduced; while illegal logging continues in some areas, estimates on the value of trade in sawn or whole logs are hard to ascertain. The benefits and costs of forests in the Northeast can be better assessed in terms of their values to local communities for fuel, nontimber forest products, and domestic timber, and as a part of the agricultural system, rather than from the standpoint of industrial timber values. At the national level, supported by the Supreme Court decision, priority is being placed on managing forests to ensure environmental services, especially hydrological functions and biodiversity conservation.

Hill regions of Northeastern India are predominantly inhabited by tribal societies whose livelihood is primarily dependent on agriculture, forest products, and limited horticulture and cash crops. Unlike the rest of India, in this region there is often no clear-cut demarcation of forest and agricultural lands. In shifting cultivation areas, the same piece of land can be under agriculture at one time and under regenerating forest at another time. Some planners and managers consider this as ―agriculture on forestland‖ while others refer to it as ―forest on agricultural land.‖ The jhum system, typically, reflects a sort of community farming without heritable rights over the land.

The practice starts with selection of forested land, clearing and burning of the forest before the onset of the monsoon, planting of various crops in an intimate mixture by dibbling, and harvesting. The land is abandoned after cultivation for a period of 2–3 years and cultivation is shifted to another site. The method of allotment of land varies from tribe to tribe. In most cases it is decided upon by the village councils or by village elders, and the size of the plots depends on the number of working hands in respective farm families. Out of the total area of 2.2 million hectares of jhum lands, 17.5 percent is cultivated at any one point of time; the rest is left for natural regeneration over a period of several years. Many blame this agricultural practice for destruction of forests and resulting land degradation and erosion. The issues have become acute in the last few decades, as the population has grown and nutritional needs have increased. According to recent estimates the jhum cycle has shrunk to 3–6 years or even less compared to a previous cycle of 10–15 years in earlier practice, resulting in soil degradation and ecological imbalance. Destruction of forests in the jhum land, coupled with high rainfall, has resulted in heavy soil erosion.

As Table 1.32 indicates, from 1987 to 1997 nearly 13% of all forests were under jhum cultivation.

Further, in the hill states of Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, and Nagaland, the proportion of forests under jhum varied from 19 to 45 %. Other forest areas may also be a part of an older jhum cycle. It is, therefore, important to avoid a reliance on classical land use categories when attempting to understand land use patterns in swidden farming regions. Rather, it is helpful to view land use in terms of landscape-level patterns and to study and understand the changing mosaics of land use over time (NER Vision, 2020 & World Bank Report, 2007).

Table 1.32: Forest area and shifting cultivation in NER State Arunachal Pradesh Assam Manipur Meghalaya Mizoram Nagaland

Total forest area (km2)

Area under jhum 1987–1997 (km2)

% of forest area under jhum 1987–1997

51,500 27,000 17,400 9.500 15,900 8,600

2,300 1,300 3,600 1,800 3,800 3,900

4.5 4.8 20.7 18.9 23.9 45.3

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7,000 136,900

Tripura Total

600 17,300

8.6 12.6

Source: The World Bank “Dev. and Growth in Northeast India: The Natural Resources, Water, and Environment Nexus – Strategy Report”,2007.

There is very little accurate and consistent information on areas under Jhum as illustrated by the table below.

Table 1.33.

Area under shifting cultivation in north-east India as estimated by different

agencies.

Agency

Year

Area (million ha)

North-Eastern Council

1975

2.80

FAO

1975

7.40

Task Force on Shifting cultivation, Ministry of Agriculture

1983

3.81

Forest Survey of India

1999

1.73

Source : North- Ecoregion BSAP, 2002/3

Growing population and the needs of rural communities for a better livelihood has put increasing pressure on the community lands. Anincreasing proportion of forestland on hill slopes is being brought into agriculture, making the soil and water systems prone to degradation. As a result, a number of land use and socioeconomic changes are taking place, as described in the above and summarized in Box 1.32.

Recent studies have found that the effects of jhum cultivation are overemphasized and not as destructive as indicated by some. For hilly areas, jhum cultivation is more viable and economical compared to other systems of agriculture (Poffenberger 2006, p. 60). Most jhum fields grow 15 to 60 different species of crops. In the past decade or so, the government approach towards jhum cultivation has gradually changed, from attempts to replace it with permanent agriculture or livestock rearing to augmenting its productivity. The IFAD initiative with local communities in parts of Meghalaya, Manipur, and Assam, which has yielded positive results, is one such attempt. It focuses on livelihood improvement through resource management while optimizing the productivity of the jhum fields Action Point: Adoption and popularization of modified shifting cultivation practices for biodiversity conservation  

Adoption, development and testing of modified shifting cultivation models for different edapho-climatic regions and local socio-economic contexts Popularization of modified shifting cultivation practices and various agroforestry models including traditional ones, tree-cadamom models etc.

3.5 Human Development and Biodiversity 

Utilizing biodiversity and rich forest resources in NER to gain carbon credits and using the funds available from this source for the development of the region is one of the strategies suggested.

Although it seems fair to take advantage of the current carbon finance mechanism, it should be Page 50 of 179

noted that the objective of preservation of natural resources should not jeopardize the primary objective of our development efforts, viz., livelihoods security of the disadvantaged sections. 

Considering the extent of ecological destruction in Assam, it is of utmost importance to adopt measures to prevent unsustainable extraction of forest and other natural resources. Maintaining biodiversity and regenerating existing ecosystem should be the highest priority.



Natural resources should be recognized as livelihood resources of local people and any commercial use of them should be non-threatening to the interests of local people and ecological sustainability.



The state should undertake a program of ecosystem rehabilitation through sustainable methods in different regions of the state. It will require rapid regeneration of primary productivity of local ecosystems. Use of biomass as green manure is the requirement of this process. Therefore, the state should provide resources for biomass generation and take involvement of local people in implementation of this program. If the ecosystem damage is very high, external inputs need to be provided in the initial stage.



The local people should be given entitlement rights to forest products. They should be encouraged to form association s at local level to manage harnessing and trading of forest products in a sustainable manner.

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After rehabilitation of ecosystem, surplus biomass creation should be undertaken. Through farm forestry on private and public lands, local associations of disadvantaged sections should be able to produce large quantities of biomass. It is possible for these people then to move beyond livelihood security using this surplus biomass for industrial activity. The surplus biomass should be given to local artisan‘s associations as raw material for their industrial activity.

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Though 33% of forestland in Assam is under control of traditional community, the authority of community institutions has been weakening. There is a need to revitalize traditional community institutions and equip them to deal with new challenges. There is a need to democratize forest management institutions and involve them at every level of management, including decisionmaking.

Biodiversity based forestry efforts 

Biodiversity Management to create carbon sinks - Creating forest sinks through biodiversity activities is a reactive measure to control the enhanced greenhouse gas effect.

The key target should be to Increase forest cover to 33%. 

Preservation of existing forest cover- „Preservation‟ of the existing forest sinks is both a proactive and a prudent measure to achieve the same. Forests play an important role in global carbon budget. Tropical forests save 50% more carbon per unit area than forests outside the tropics. Therefore, there is broad agreement that tropical nations need economic incentive to reduce deforestation, and developed countries should compensate countries that control deforestation. The key target is to maintain carbon sinks level at 23%, nationally.

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Aggressive governmental long-term measures ‗Biodiversity Management‘ activities is a long term reactive measure to control enhanced greenhouse effect. Government should develop a long term holistic action plan involving industries, NGOs and communities. Over rd the next 10 yrs aim to ensure at least 1/3 of our geographical area is under forest and tree cover.

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Protection and application of traditional knowledge, skills and livelihoods involving local people: necessary improvement of the traditional skills may be made through appropriate S & T inputs to meet the present demand in terms of quantity and quality.

3.6 New Policy And Laws For Conservation And Sustainable Use Of Biodiversity Formulation and implementation of policy and legislation relating to use and conservation of biological resources are key to addressing growing threats and pressure on resources. The existing policies and laws and their ongoing implementation are insufficient to address practically the recent problems associated with biodiversity loss and conservation in the state.

There is also no single organization/ institution so far to act as the apex body to look after the biodiversity related themes and issues outside protected areas. Thus there is a need to formulate some new policies and laws and to establish a state level institution in order to manage the problems and potentialities of biodiversity more efficiently.

Formulation of a new state forest policy incorporating-(i) provisions for central role of community institutions and effective people‘s participation based on social and environmental justice (ii) recognition local knowledge, livelihood issues and customary laws relating to biodiversity, (iii) provision for regional and comprehensive environmental impact assessment of any present and future projects/initiatives having potentialities to cause impact on the forest biodiversity 3.7 Conservation Of The Wetland Biodiversity and River basin For Sustainable Development

Use And

Assam is one of the richest states of the country in terms of fresh water resources with the great Brahmaputra and the Barak river systems including their large number of tributaries, and over 3000 wetlands of varying dimensions. These water-bodies form favorable natural habitats for a wide range of aquatic flora and fauna. Due to lack of proper conservation measures and scientific management of these fresh water-bodies, particularly the wetlands, the diversity of the aquatic have rapidly declines in recent times.The traditional knowledge of the local people about the positive contribution of flood to their agriculture and fishing including the sustenance of the wetlands may be studies improved and revived for controlling the devastation of flood.

Action Points 

Extensive survey of wetlands to assess the status of biodiversity with analysis of their threat and root causes along with an action plan for their management This can be carried out with remote sensing application supplemented by detail ground truthing surve and village level mircoplanning

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Management of the riverbeds and the river systems based on fusing the scientific and traditional techniques to deal with flood and bank erosion problem both at the basin and subbasin levels. Social Science and Scientific institutions and organizations like Universities, NGOs etc. should be involved in flood management policy, programmes as well as in the Brahmaputra Board.

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In-situ conservation of fish diversity in specific wetlands and upstream courses of certain rivers

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The revitalization of the State Wetland Development Board with well defined a role responsibility, institutional structure /mechanism and accountability to supervise the conservation and development of the wetlands.

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3.8

Need for Natural Resource Management

India is on a rapid growth path of 8-10% GDP growth over the last 2-3 years, with this growth rate broadly expected to continue. However, there is a strong body of opinion in India suggesting that there is a choice between rapid economic growth and climate change mitigation. However, we argue that this is not a choice, but that action on climate change is actually an imperative. And embarking on climate change mitigation strategies can drive economic growth while reducing poverty.

The loss of traditional methods in resource management and lack of appropriate institutional arrangements have had adverse effects on people's control over the resources on which they depend for their sustenance (Karki 2001). The case studies indicate the willingness of communities to engage in biodiversity conservation when they have a stake in it. A sense of ownership of the natural resources also encourages the communities in sustainable utilization of common resources. In recent years, much government and expert attention has been focused on building on traditional systems of management of community and public assets. Examples of such increased reliance on communitybased approaches are numerous, particularly in the area of delivery of public services (Chawii, 2007)

Nameri National Park – An Illustration

ARUNACHAL PRADESH SIKKIM

BHUTAN

Sonitpur District

WEST BENGAL

Within India, Assam and the rest of the North East is one of the most biodiverse regions of the world.

The total Pakke Wildlife Sanctuary Papum Reserved Forest A R U N A C H A L recorded forest area in P R A D E S H Assam is 3 Mha, which NAMERI NATIONAl PARK is 35.24% of the state and 4.74% the country‟s Nameri National Park geographical area with Balipara Reserved Forest 5 National Parks and 18 Naduar Reserved SONITPUR DISTRICT Forest Wildlife Sanctuaries. As per 2005 FSI assessment, the total 90 20 10 0 20 40 Kilometers 2 km forest cover has been lost in the state 2 due to shifting cultivation, flood etc. Also FSI report reveals that about 45 km forest cover of Nameri National Park was lost over 1997 to 2002. The reason for the decrease in forest cover may be the socio – economic condition in the region. This bio-diversity naturally lends itself to the development of “nature capital” and can be a powerful driver of economic development in the region. Without strong action to protect and enhance Assam‘s natural endowments large scale human driven impediments to development will appear and gain momentum in geometric proportions – such as deforestation, land use, loss of soil fertility, disruption to river systems, etc, which will eventually result in the loss of bio-diversity of the region.

NAGALAND

MEGHALAYA

MANIPUR

BANGLADESH

TRIPURA MIZORAM

92°28'0"E

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92°40'0"E

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The park, with its hills of deciduous forests and the Jia Bhoroli river flowing through it, is a birder‘s paradise, home to more than 300 species of birds: four species of Hornbills, an abundance of Mainas, Bee Eaters, Barbets, Babblers, Bulbuls, Plovers, Ibis, and Bills etc. In recent years, Nameri has sheltered the rare and endangered White Winged Wood Duck. Over 50 of the total world population of 700 of this species can be found at Nameri National Park. As per Forest Survey (2001) there were 225 elephants, 92 tigers and 10 leopards in the park.

The Nameri national park is also home to the sambar, barking deer, wild boar and bison. Also, the park has a good number of the Indian bison and Himalayan black bears.

When it comes to Nature: It is also an extremely sad fact that in today‘s world dead is valued more than what is alive. The illustration on the right will testify the fact more clearly.

NAMERI NATIONAL PARK (Classification Based on Landsat ETM+ Satellite Imagery, 2007) 92°40'0"E

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However, besides the fact that Pakke Wildlife Sanctuary forests sustain bio-diversity wealth, it is also a recognised fact that they contribute Papum Reserved Forest significantly to the local economy of tribal and poor communities. Unless Balipara Reserved Forest the world acts more responsibly, climate change is expected to R VE Naduar RI AI Reserved severely impact food security OR Legend K DI Forest R BO Mixed Dense Forest and water security, thereby Mixed Open Forest impacting the livelihoods of Grassland/Degraded Forest people, particularly those in Agricultural Land/Non-Forest Area Rivers the poorer sections of BHARELI RIVER 0 1.5 3 6 9 Sands/Dry River Bed society.

Assam can Kilometers contribute to mitigation initiatives whilst also helping to „securities‟ our core natural assets, and improving the livelihoods of the poor.

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The following conservation objectives need to be considered to enhance the security of the natural asset at Nameri National Park:  To highlight the significance of biodiversity of the Nameri National Park  Using scientific methodology evaluate the true value of the forest  To identify and analyze the key issues and provide a set of broad recommendations for biodiversity conservation including initiatives for mitigating these pressures and ensuring ecological, socio-economic and sustainability benefits from the eco-development initiative  To create green belts for rehabilitation of native species.  To improve the infrastructure and create a sustainable livelihood for the community.

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26°52'0"N

To educate citizens and media about the value of natural resources.

3.9 Strengthening the Traditional Knowledge Base and Skills for Sustainable Use And Conservation Of Biodiversity The tribal groups in Assam have occupied distinct habitats suitable to their tradition and livelihood.

Even the non-tribal people of the state, including the immigrants are traditionally inclined to specific environmental settings which they consider to be favorable for their ways of living. Thus till recently there had been remarkable traditions of living with nature both in the hilly and plain areas of the state under the subsistence economic environment then prevalent. It is really the people who are the custodians and users of biodiversity. They have therefore traditionally developed their own perception on biodiversity, its use and conservation and have been living with nature through generations they have developed an undeclared inclination and commitment to nature conservation. Their initiatives in nature conservation are so closely associated with their day today activities that it is really difficult to document them.

Farmers in Barak valley, South Assam, had their local soil knowledge in relation to rice farming systems inventorized by Tapasi Das and Ashesh K. Das (2005). The rice farmers were interviewed for the prevalence of folk soil taxonomy and a total of five major soil types were recorded.

Since smallholder farmers practice their farming systems under various environmental factors, they shape their crop diversity on the basis of their local knowledge of soil and other factors. The study revealed that the farmers are faced with heterogeneous soil types and hence they maintain systematic classification criteria for the nomenclature of different soils, which was found to be positively correlated with scientific analysis and soil classification. Nikhil Jyoti Das, Kamala Devi, and Satya Ranjan Goswami (2005) have reported the use of Jatropha curcus Linn. for the treatment of dysmenorrhoea by the Koch-Rajbongshi tribe in Nalbari District, Assam. Communities living in the Karbi Anglong District of Assam use fish attractants to discourage fish from escaping during inundation of ponds during flood. The fish attractant is made from locally available ingredients such as rice bran and oil cake. As verification of the efficacy of this indigenous method, Bhagaban Kalita, Amalesh Dutta, and M. Choudhury (2005) observed that as many as 70 percent of fish remained in the pond after flood.

There are many more examples of individual initiatives in conservation of mainly medicinal plants , orchids and fruit-bearing trees. Some of the traditional activities like sericulture, apiculture, poultry farming, where mainly women are involved, are basically are in tuned with the sustainable use and conservation of environmental resources. If the ecofriendly traditional knowledge and skills can be revitalized and streghthened, there is scope for further strengthening people‘s participation in conserving the broad base of the state‘s biodiversity as well as enhacing livelihoods services from the biodiversity.

Action point: Documentation and Strengthening of Traditional Knowledge for The documenting traditional knowledge in a participatory fashion can lead to protection of (Intellectual property Rights) IPRs of knowledge contributors and benefits sharing thereof can promote sustainable utilization of biodiversity. People's Biodiversity Registers (PBRs) under the Biodiversity Act, 2002 which are documents of people's knowledge of biodiversity and their perceptions about its usage, trade, besides efforts for its conservation and sustainable utilization. The PBRs can be developed by the local school/ college teachers and students and/or NGO researchers along with the villagers, at the level of villages. The process of compiling each PBR must begin with obtaining prior informed consent of the concerned community with active involvement of the diverse women and men knowledge holders with facilitative support of social scientists, resource managers, teachers and students as appropriate. Each community shall control the PBR process and decide on which components of the information recorded are to be shared openly with the public, which components are to be shared under certain conditions specified by the knowledge holders, and which components should be accessible only to the community members.

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Study and documentation of the traditional knowledge and skills of both tribal and nontribal people including women that are considered to be help and support biodiversity conservation, sustainable use and possible livelihood generation.

Bamboo as a key Plantation for Biodiversity  

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India‘s share in the global market is 4% Only 35% of bamboo harvested in India is used for commercial purposes 130 species available in India Annual Turnover – Rs 2500 Crore – has the potential to grow to Rs 4500 Crore Projected growth by 2015 (@1520% per year) – Rs 26000 Crore Annual Harvest – 13.47 Mn Tonnes vs. annual demand of 26.7 Mn Tonnes U.P & M.P are commercially well exploited

Bihar

U.P

M.P

Maharashtra

North-eastern States

Orissa

Karnataka

Andhra Pradesh

Bamboo has the following benefits from a ecological perspective:  100% bio-degradable – lowered post consumption footprint  Requires less energy, water to grow – lowered pre manufacturing footprint  Bamboo has a short growth cycle (3-5 yrs) and is recognized as the world‘s fastest growing plant. Most hardwood trees mature in 15-20 years  Can sequester up to 12 tons of CO2 per hectare (7%-30% higher than even the fast growing species of wood)  Releases 35% more oxygen than an equivalent strand of trees  Can quickly reclaim land destroyed by overgrazing and over-building and clean the soil of toxins  Bamboo roots bind soil together and helps prevent soil erosion  Can be grown without pesticides because of its own anti-bacterial agent  Can grow in a variety of soil and climatic conditions Action Points  The use of cane and bamboo resources in the state has attained such a level that their diversity and dimension of occurrence have already been significantly reduced. Experts from organizations and projects such as the UNDP cane and bamboo project, universities and other scientific institutes can take up this task with help from concerned government departments and NGOs.  Planned and scientific and people centered management of Bamboo resources.  Development of enterpreneurship among the weaker section and women for production and processing of cane and bamboo, jute, and a variety of products and improvement of the marketing system in favor of the local producers. NGOs and women organizations may take the lead to implement these in collaboration with relevant training institutes.  Some of the jhum cultivating families have already taken up measures to check soil erosion in the jhum fields by introducing plantation crops like banana and bamboo. The need of the time, however is a systematic and scientific effort to evolve a workable and socially Page 56 of 179

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acceptable package aimed at improving the condition of the jhumias so as to enable them to avoid the adverse effects of shifting cultivation.

Despite many benefits of Bamboo plantation for preserving biodiversity, experience of bamboo plantation in other parts of country should be taken into account, especially its implications for environmental and social objectives.

Case studies Singapore is well know for its optimized utilization of Land usage, with the help of latest GIS imagery analysis and a centralized database it is one of the leaders to optimize land resources for the land, economic and social development. Issues such as efficient urban planning, reduced demand on forest region, avoiding soil erosion, controlling over-grown vegetation, dengue- control and even land slideprevention are some of the innovative uses of GIS that sets Singapore apart from other nations.

Amazon is yet another perfect example of funding that are emerging for conserving the forests, provided its carbon and ecological value are correctly estimated and validated. With the carbon value calculated at 47 billion tons in 3.3 million square kilometers of forest in the Amazon it is already attracting the funds from Rabobank who will launch the first-ever carbon credits project in the Xingu region of the Brazilian Amazon. The funds will be used to conserve the forest region objective being to reduce the carbon emission arising from deforestation and forest degradation.

The projected investment requirements are as follows Geographic area (sq.km) Recorded forest area (sq. km) Percentage of land under forest (%) Recorded very dense forest area (sq. km) Recorded moderately dense forest area (sq. km) Recorded total of dense forest area (sq. km) Percentage of land under dense forest (%) Targetted percentage of land under dense forest (%) Area of land required to achieve 33% dense forest cover(sq.km) Area of land to be afforested to achieve 33% dense forest cover (sq.km) Cost of afforesting one hectare of forest land including the cost of planting and maintenance and taking up the requisite soil and moisture conservation measures but excluding the land cost (in Rs.cr / sq. km) Cost of afforestation to achieve 33% dense forest cover (in Rs. cr) – approx

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78438 27645 35.24 1444 11387 12831 16.36 33 25885 13054

31.5 4000

Highlights The Context  The NER is rich in forest resources with 46% of the land (122,000 sq km in 2001) under forest cover. Such untapped resources hold tremendous potential for the economic development of the NER states.  The NER has lost almost 20% of its forest cover in the past two decades.  About 450,000 families in the region annually cultivate 10,000 square kilometers of forests  With the population growth of 30% in the region between 1991 and 2001, forestland available per person has decreased between 30% to 50% across states.  Not only is valuable biodiversity being lost, but, so too are the benefits of forest functions such as purification of water, regulation of the water flow, and the stabilization of soil erosion.

The Opportunity  Documenting and Strengthening of indigenous knowledge, the community institutions and indigenous forest management systems for conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity.  Development of biodiversity based sustainable livelihoods and income generating activities  Development and restoration of forest resources on large designated land tracts which are currently being used marginally for sustainable livelihood activities.  Development of new urban/city forests.  Funding can be tapped from the centre and international agencies The Investments  The estimated cost for a reforestation and forest restoration programme for forest cover to 33% in Assam is Rs 4000 crores.

The Impact  Biodiversity preservation and expansion involving the local communities would lead to sustainable employment generation and wealth creation among the local communities.  Furthermore, these projects will also securitizes the core natural assets The Next Steps  Formulation of a new state forest policy incorporating-(i) provisions for central role for community institutions and effective people‘s participation based on social and environmental justice for conservation and sustainable use for community livelihoods  Adoption and popularization of modified shifting cultivation practices for biodiversity conservation that build on local knowledge, community organisation and structure and scientific knowledge and are based on principles of equity  Government should develop a long term holistic action plan involving community institutions for conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity based livelihoods and disaster security.  Documentation of local knowledge on use of resources through Peoples Biodiversity Registers (PBRs).  Creation of a separate department to manage sustainable use and conservation of biodiversity and creation of ‗Biodiversity cadre‘.  Establishment of a state level institution for biodiversity research and conservation

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4. Water Management 4.1

The North East – An Abundant Reservoir of Water

Although India is endowed with sufficient water, there are significant variations in the spatial and temporal availability of this resource. For example, with an average annual rainfall of 1,170 mm, India is one of the wettest countries in the world.

However, there are wide variations – at one extreme are areas like Cherrapunji, in the north-east, which is drenched each year with 11,000 mm of rainfall, and at the other extreme are places like Jaisalmer, in the west, which receives barely 200 mm of rain.

Again, against the national per capita annual availability of water as 2208 cu. m the average availability in Brahmaputra and Barak in the North East is as high as 16589 cu m vs the other extreme of Sabarmati basin, where it is as low as 360 cu.m.

On average, compared to the rest of India, the North East Region has abundant water resources.

With just 7.3% of geographical area and 4.2% of population of the country, the North East has 31% of the annual water resources.

The two major river systems in the North East, the Brahmaputra and the Barak, which together cover a large part of the region‘s territory (Sikkim is part of the Teesta basin, and Manipur and Mizoram include parts of the small basins of the Manipur and the Kolodyne) and constitute the lifeline of the region.

The Brahmaputra river, known as the Tsangpo in Tibet, the Siang or Dihang in Arunachal Pradesh and the Jammu in Bangladesh is one of the largest rivers of the world and has 52 major tributaries.

The system has a total catchments area of 580,000 sq. km., 33.6 % of which (195,000 sq. km.) lies within India; other parts of the system occupy China (50.5%), Bangladesh (8.1%), and Bhutan (7.8%).

It has an average annual flow volume of about 600 billion cubic meters, which represents more than 30% of the total freshwater resources of India. It drains an area of 194,413 sq. km. in the states of Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Nagaland, Meghalaya and West Bengal and Sikkim. The per capita and per hectare availability of water in this region is the highest in the country.

The mean annual rainfall averaged over the North East region is 2,300 mm, with up to 5,000 mm in some areas. The developed irrigation area is only 41% of the ultimate potential, in comparison to 67% for India as a whole. Hydropower potential is around 66,000 megawatts, which represents about 40% of the national potential, but the operating hydropower projects and projects under construction together constitute 6% of the region‘s potential (compared to the all-India figure of 28%). The navigation potential of the main Brahmaputra and Barak rivers and their tributaries has also remained largely undeveloped. On the other hand, the region has major recurrent problems of floods, soil and bank erosion, and drainage congestion due to excess water, particularly in the monsoon season (Dr. Das, Partha J, 2005).

The Brahmaputra river constitutes India‟s National Waterway 2 (NW-2), connecting the Northeast with markets in mainland India, Bangladesh, and Southeast Asia. Their basins house a multitude of species and are also characterized by water bodies such as beels (seasonally flooded wetlands), and by abundant groundwater resources (Table 1.26). Accordingly, the two basins constitute the lifeline of the region, providing great opportunities but posing numerous challenges.

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Table 1.26: Summary of water resources in the Barak, Brahmaputra basins

Catchments area Water availability per capita Water availability / ha Runoff per capita Runoff / ha Annual surface water potential Utilizable surface water (including Ganges and Meghna) Annual surface water availability Average annual runoff / ha / second Annual availability of water ha of cultivable area Wetland Area covered by wetlands Wetland area usable for storage basins during floods Groundwater Groundwater recharge rate Groundwater potential Annual utilizable groundwater / ha Water demand Total water withdrawals Irrigation Domestic use Industrial

24.0 km3

Brahmaputra basin (Northeast India) 194,880 km2 18,400 m3 21,060 m3 44,232 m3 1,869 km3 (Central Water Commission) 690 km3

48 km3 53,680 m3/ha 43,447 m3

537 km3 19,830 m3/second 44,232 m3

13,748 ha

223,704 ha

42 km2

102 km2

Barak basin (Northeast India) 41,723 km2 1.16 ha m 7,474 m3 56,680 m3 585.6 km3

Northeast India 257,329 km2 16,589 m2 44,180 m3 -

32 billion m3

1.8 m3

26.55 km3/yr 27.9 m3 9.9 km3

855 Mm3 2.76 m3

8.0 km3 1.0 km3 0.9 km3

Source: Compiled from various sources

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Achieving Water Security in North East region by creating a framework that will allow us to securities water region where it is in abundance and create optimal use that will benefit the regions economy. There is significant potential for renewable natural resources to generate benefits at the regional and local levels. However, these resources alone, without enabling institutional frameworks and an integrated vision, will not bring development. An initial effort has to be made to develop such an integrated view and to show how the different sectors are linked to each other, and also how the macro and micro levels are connected.

Having a water security will not only address the issues on waters but it will also help to address others areas like Biodiversity Security, Food Security, Energy Security and all of this will lead to sustainable livelihood

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Achieving water security the Naturenomics TM way Keeping all the issues on water security in mind Naturenomics has proposed a sequence of steps for effective water provision in both urban and rural areas, steps that will result in national water security.

These steps are: Delivering effective water resource management  To achieve effective management of water resources through the creation of an 'Institutional Framework' that will help in developing mechanisms towards the identification and implementation of measures towards water security.  By promoting comprehensive sub-regional resource policies and strategies.  Giving emphasis to wetland and watershed management projects that will help in the storage and maintenance of a continuous water supply.

Implementing effective flood & erosion management measures  Developing and implementing operational plans to enable strategic investment in flood management.  Developing a soil and water management plan (SWMP), listing steps to identify flood and erosion risks together with appropriate mitigation measures.  Developing functional warning & community alert systems. Enabling a community to be kept up to date about natural calamities and providing advice on the appropriate steps to tackle them.

The introduction of eco-friendly measures  Develop hydropower at basin level using mini/ micro hydel projects which can support rural infrastructure and ensure benefits such as rural electrification and job creation.

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Use of alternate modes of transport focusing on inland water transport  Invest in a multimodal transport infrastructure, improving access to markets and social infrastructure.

Rainwater harvesting (RWH) - a modern solution for tackling water scarcity Water scarcity has become a persistent problem for many cities in India. In these cities, because of the shortage of the water, cuts in the water supply have been undertaken, causing inconvenience for the city population. The municipalities are finding it difficult to supply the water effectively as there is no constant water source, such as water reservoirs or other continuous natural supply and a cities infrastructure is dependent upon a good water supply to support the population living there On an average India receives 120 cm of rainfall during the monsoon season. Efficient harvesting of this rain would help reduce the dependence on municipal or ground water supply and could even solve the water crisis for the cities people. Here are some innovative technologies that are/can/ could be used to tackle the water scarcity problems in India.

Developing rainwater harvesting reservoirs for city infrastructure: One such effective solution is the implementation of rainwater harvesting reservoirs essentially the creation of a reservoir over a huge land area away from the city limits to enable the capture and storage of large volumes of rainwater. This RWH system needs to be built considering the contours of the existing land area so as to optimise the potential for rainwater collection.

Futurescape – Harnessing the Untapped Potential of the North East Water Reservoir Based on the study, Natural Resources, Water and the Environment Nexus for Development and Growth in Northeast India, with substantial water resources, their appropriate management can provide several benefits:  Income generation to the north-eastern states through development of the massive hydropower potential of the region (with the host state getting large royalties of 12% of generated power, which could be sold in the market).  Catchments area treatment around dams to control deforestation and erosion, which otherwise lead to increased salutation of dams, thus reducing their useful life  Flood and erosion control, thus improving the livelihoods of farmers in the flood prone areas  Watershed management activities in major watersheds to improve livelihoods, prevent erosion and landslides, and conserve biodiversity  Groundwater development, especially for expanded winter and spring agriculture  Extensive mineral and water resources, fertile soil providing vast scope for agriculture; mountainous terrain which has helped in generating surplus power and boosting cultivation of cash crops like tea;  Wetland preservation and management to improve rural livelihoods, and for biodiversity conservation  Inland water transportation to reach internal and export markets.  Development of sustainable hydropower can contribute to reductions in greenhouse gases, a global benefit, but also one from which India may be able to benefit as carbon trading mechanisms emerge.

Thus, appropriate management could provide benefits in the form of hydropower, agriculture, inland water transport, biodiversity conservation, reduced flood damage and erosion, longer dam-reservoir life, forestry, and ecotourism. These benefits, which would accrue at both regional and local levels, would in turn directly and indirectly increase incomes and enhance economic growth and poverty reduction.

Human Development and Water Sector

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Water is an important livlihood resource and it should be used primarily to fulfil the objective of security of livelihoods of all people. The principle of equitable distribution of water should be adopted while distributing water. The rights over water should not be linked with the ownership of land.

Instead, provision of water for livelihood activities should be ensured on priority basis. Use of water for commercial purpose should be in such manner that it will not hamper the primary objective of livelihoods security. Provision of clean drinking water for all people should be a priority.

There is a need for extensive irrigation in the water scarce region. The aim should be to provide protective irrigation to subsistence farmers to make agriculture a viable activity. The new irrigation projects should be of such nature that they would displace minimum people and involve minimum environmental destruction.

Watershed should be a primary unit in conservation and augmentation efforts of water resources.

There is a need to augment water availabilty by upgrading present water resource facilities: large scale adoption of water saving techniques and measures, developing local water storage system, replenishing groundwater storages, efforts to extend service areas of present irrigation projects.

Considering an important role of water flows in sustaining local ecosystem, there is a need to factor in environmental needs while managing water. Care should be taken that there is no excessive extraction of water out of the ecosystem in the form of water-intensive crops and their products.

Excessive extraction of groundwater should be stopped immediately and there should be strict implementation of anti-pollution laws.

People‘s participation should be ensured in governance of water sector, from the level of decisionmaking to the management functions. Appropriate committees of local people should be created to take their participation. These committees should be democratic in nature.

Opportunity Areas for Assam in Water Management    

Rain Water Harvesting programmes Water Refineries Water Treatment & Re-cycling Water storage

We project an investment of Rs 4000 crores in the above opportunity areas for water management in Assam.

Highlights The Context  The NER has 31% of annual water reserves  Developed irrigation are is only 41% of the ultimate potential, as compared to 67% for India as a whole  The Brahmaputra river constitutes India‘s National Waterway 2 (NW-2), connecting the Northeast with markets in mainland India, Bangladesh, and Southeast Asia  Huge potential for Income generation at the state level through development of the massive hydropower potential of the region (with the host state getting large royalties of 12% of generated power, which could be sold in the market) The Opportunity  Optimise use of the vast water reserves available to not only drive the economy, but to maintain and grow the ecological balance as well.

The Impact

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

Securitising of water (including flood and erosion control) will have far reaching and long term impacts on Biodiversity Security, Food Security, Energy Security and all of this will lead to sustainable livelihoods and ensure revenue generation for the state

The Next Steps  Implement a integrated water management policy to tap the existing potential of the water reserves covering the various aspects of water management including power generation, transportation and flood control

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5.

Clean Energy

Providing energy services for a larger global economy of 2050 while reducing the Co2 emissions to 15 billion tons will require an energy system that is different from today‘s. For the world as a whole to reduce its emissions by at least half by 2050, today‘s industrial countries will need to cut theirs by more than 80 percent.

According to most official assessments, including that of the IPCC, getting there depends on some combination of a three-pronged strategy: 1. Reducing energy consumption through new technologies and lifestyles, 2. Shifting to carbon-free energy technologies, and capturing 3. Storing the CO2 released when fossil fuels are combusted.

A variety of combinations of these three options can in theory turnaround the picture.

No-Carbon energy A substantial reduction in the carbon emissions will require introduction of carbon free sources of energy. Nuclear power is gaining increased attention these days but it still faces considerable obstacles in expansion in the decades ahead.

A more robust carbon free energy options calls for renewable energy including solar, wind, biomass and geothermal energy. There is a strong possibility that ocean energy from tides, waves, currents and thermal convection would be the next generation energy options.

Renewable energy technologies are advancing steadily with governmental support, growing concerns about climate change which has in turn spurred wide varieties of small and medium companies who are pouring billions of dollars into array of renewable technologies. Renewable energy supply already supplies nearly one-fifth of the worldâ€&#x;s electricity.

While most of this comes from large hydropower, which is growing very slowly, wind capacity is expanding at 24 percent per year and solar at over 40 percent, rivalling the computer and mobile phone industries.

Wind power: Since 2000, wind power has gone from a tiny niche electricity supplier to become a significant force in the global power business. Deploying giant multi-megawatt wind turbines made by companies such as General Electric, Siemens, Vestas and Gamesa, Suzlon, the wind industry is now booming.

As the industry is growing, the investments in the sector are also increasing with more efficient wind technologies costing less. For e.g. in United States, wind power now costs fewer than six cents per kilowatt-hour on average less than natural gas and roughly even with coal.

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Solar Power: The solar industry is starting from a smaller base but is growing even more rapidly than wind power.

Annual production of solar cells (semiconductors that turn sunlight into electricity) rose 41 percent in 2006 and 51 percent in 2007. From Silicon Valley, California, to Munich, Germany, and Shenzen, China, scores of companies are pursuing an extraordinary array of approaches to improving solar cell design and lowering costs.

Solar power cells still calls for significant subsidies, but the Prometheus Institute projected in 2007 that as the industry progresses, the prices for large scale installed system will fall 50 percent by 2010 to $4 per watt(without incentives)in the best locations.

Even as solar cells enter the mainstream, attention has focused on using solar thermal energy through large concentrating solar power (CSP) plants. Built mainly in deserts, these plants provide wholesale electricity that is transmitted to cities and industries via high voltage power grids, in the same way most power is today.

Modern CSP Plant- The world‘s first modern CSP plant was built in California‘s Mojave Desert in the late 1980s, but it was not until the past few years that the technology experienced a dramatic renaissance.

Geothermal Energy: Geothermal energy—heat from deep in the Earth‟s crust—is another large potential source of electricity. Major portion of the energy comes from countries such as United States, the Philippines and Mexico.

A new generation of geothermal technology is being developed which will make it possible to tap much larger geothermal resource base.

Advanced geological sensing and drilling techniques developed by the oil industry are being combined with new heat exchanger materials and systems. By piping water into porous geological structures 1 to 10 kilometers beneath the Earth‘s surface and then bringing the heated water back to a plant at the surface, electricity can be generated.

Several studies have assessed the scale of the major renewable resources and what their practical contribution to the energy economy might one day be.

On average, wind and solar power require less land to provide a given amount of power than hydropower or coal do. And sometimes, renewable energy requires no land at all. Renewable energy also has a big advantage when it comes to a resource that is more limited than land is: most forms of renewable energy have minimal water requirements compared with fossil fuels and nuclear power, and as water scarcity grows, the significance of that advantage will increase.

In contrast with fossil fuels, almost every country has large-scale domestic sources of renewable energy—including many developing countries that have no oil resources. Africa, Australia, China, India, the Middle East, and the United States all have vast amounts of solar energy.

Iceland, Indonesia, and the Philippines are rich in geothermal energy. And scores of countries are rich in biomass waste materials that flow from their farm and forest industries.

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Biomass The biomass is a structural and non-structural carbohydrates and other compounds produced through photosynthesis consisting of plant materials and agricultural, industrial, and municipal wastes and residues. The components of biomass include cellulose, hemicelluloses, lignin, lipids, proteins, simple sugars, starches, water, hydrocarbons, ash and other compounds.

Biomass consists of organic residues from plants and animals which are obtained primarily from harvesting and processing of agricultural and forestry crops. Biomass are wastes and by-products that could be utilized as fuels for producing energy, instead of becoming landfill waste. Examples of some of the biomass residues that are utilized in direct combustion power plants are: forest slash, urban wood waste, lumber waste, agricultural wastes, etc.

Assam-based private cement manufacturer Barak Valley Cements Ltd (BVCL) is all set to go green with its 6-MW captive biomass power plant ready for commercial operation.

The average cost of power from the plant which will use husk, a major by product of rice industry, as a fuel - is estimated to be about Rs 2.20 per unit electricity

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Illustration: Process flow of Biomass-to-Product

Advantages of Biomass It is renewable and easy to setup

 Small biomass plants than the large can be set up

very easily.  It is relatively simple to produce your own bio diesel

made from fats, grease or vegetable oil.  It is possible to use it in diesel vehicles without

modifying them.  It is renewable, emits greatly reduced greenhouse

gases and is cheaper than petrol-diesel.  It is less costly than burning coal.

Sources are commonly available

Sources are locally produced

Uses low-cost waste products

Proven technology

Biogases can be used in high-efficiency combined cycle plants Reducing greenhouse gases

Sources of biomass are many. Here are a few:  Wood, woodchips, paper, trash, corn, maize, sugar cane  Canola, sunflower, linseed, soy beans, grains, switchgrass, vegetable oil  Animal waste (slaughtering), manure, sewage, food scraps, hemp, wheat straw, algae, silage, bagasse, whey, rice husks, and many more Any state that can produce a major proportion of its energy needs from locally produced, renewable sources will be at an advantage compared to others.

Apart from biomass energy derived from intentionally grown and harvested Crops, there are the products that might otherwise be left to rot. Now they can rot and keep us warm, light up our homes and drive our vehicles.  In 2002, USA biomass energy represented 9,733 MW of installed capacity, then the single largest source of non-hydro renewable electricity (US Dept of Energy).  Of this total 5,886MW represented forest and agricultural residues; 3,308MW from municipal waste; and 539MW other, such as landfill.  More than 200 US companies provided biomass energy.  In other words, biomass energy is a proven industry with the technology to deliver power today.

Combined cycle plants use both gas and steam turbines to generate electricity at a high efficiency rate of 60%.  When burning biomass mixed with coal in existing coal power plants, several advantages of biomass Page 68 of 179

energy combine.  It is an economic means of using biomass as no

major modification to the coal plant is necessary and a new biomass energy plant does not need to be built.  When compared with coal, biomass can reduce sulphur dioxide(SO2), nitrogen oxides (NOx) and other greenhouse gas significantly.  Biomass conversion to electricity through co-firing achieves the same rate of efficiency as in a coalpowered plant.

5.1

Designing a new energy system

Electricity is the single most important element of today‘s energy system, essential for lighting, cooling, electronics, and many industrial processes. Its role will only grow as air conditioning and electronics proliferate and as new technologies allow electricity to be used to power motor vehicles and to heat and cool homes efficiently using ground-source heat pumps. Electricity also happens to be the output of the largest and most easily replaced contributor to carbon dioxide emissions: coal-fired power plants. It is therefore fortuitous that solar, wind, geothermal, and biomass are all able to produce electricity.

Renewable energy sources also its own limitations. The biggest one being inconsistency. For e.g. wind and solar, produce on average only 25–40 percent of their rated capacity, depending on the technology and site.

To move towards a new model one can pursue: 1. Add local generating capacity using combined heat and power (CHP) systems, including advanced technologies such as micro turbines and fuel cells that can be turned on and off as needed 2. Integrate variable sources with digital smart grids that are more flexible in their ability to balance demand and supply 3. Develop the capacity to store energy economically so that it is available when needed—with options such as pumped hydro, compressed air, and advanced chemical batteries and fuel cells 4. Selectively add a new generation of efficient, low-cost gas turbines to provide spare backup power Denmark generates about 20 percent of its electricity with the wind; occasionally wind energy meets more than 100 percent of peak demand on the country‘s west coast. th

Unleashing the full potential of efficiency and renewable energy will require upgrading the early 20 century electricity grids that provide no feedback between consumer and producer and require a physical visit just to read the meter.

Innovative solutions:

Smart Grids: New digital grids include electronic controls that smoothly integrate electricity consumers with all types of power plants—large, small, and variable—and with electricity storage facilities. Digital grids allow the electricity system to operate much the way the Internet does—as an electronically controlled network that responds instantly to decisions made by users, providing the same kind of efficiency, interconnectivity, and precision as the digital devices that it powers.

The Pacific Gas and Electric utility in California is in the process of installing 9 million smart meters for its customers, while Europe is projected to have 80 million smart meters installed by 2013.

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Expanding the high voltage transmission system: Tapping the full potential of renewable energy will also require expanding the high voltage transmission system in many parts of the world.

Over time, stronger, smarter grids and a new wave of generators will gradually reduce the need for the base load coal and nuclear plants that typically provide one-third to one half or more of the generating capacity on today‘s power systems.

Electric and hybrid vehicles: Low-carbon electricity is central to a low carbon energy economy, but by itself, it is not enough. Reducing motor vehicles‘ heavy dependence on oil is another key step, and the most promising near-term strategy is shifting to a new generation of electric and hybrid vehicles.

Natural Gas: Natural gas will also play an important role in the transition to low-carbon energy. Natural gas produces half the carbon dioxide per unit of energy that coal does, and because it can be used far more efficiently, natural gas permits as much as a 75 percent reduction in CO2 emissions compared with coal. Natural gas should be viewed as a premium fuel with an economic value that matches or exceeds oil and with an environmental profile that gives it a solid advantage over other fossil fuels.

To illustrate what a low-carbon power system might look like, we have sketched out a scenario for the United States in 2030.

In the Worldwatch scenario, emissions from the U.S. power sector would be 90 percent lower than they are today. Notably, no single renewable resource would need to provide more than 20 percent of the country‘s electricity.

A stronger grid, extensive cogeneration, and modest storage would allow such a system to operate reliably with only a fraction of the inflexible baseload plants that dominate today‟s power industry.

And if this scenario is feasible for the United States—which has the world‘s largest electricity system—then something similar is possible in most countries, with some achieving a low-carbon power system somewhat earlier and others a bit later.

Potential Scope of Integration of Clean Energy measures for Assam The power sector is critical for the development of the North East. The below figure shows that we expect a power shortfall of 3,237 MW in Assam by 2025, if the planned capacity were to be created in this period. Even in 2005, there was a shortfall of 251 MW. The current shortfall is being purchased from central and private power generating Page 70 of 179

projects. To increase the power generation capacity in the North-East India by 520-540 MW, an investment of Rs. 6,300 Crores is required. While the rest of India generates 66% of its power from thermal energy, Assam generates over 90% from thermal sources. An overwhelming majority of rural Assam have no access to electricity, while only three-fourths of the urban areas have access to power.

Challenges and Solutions Following are the challenges faced by the power sector in Assam, and possible solutions: 

 

Assam is too much dependent on external sources of power like central government and private agencies. Therefore, the government has to develop and implement „in-state‟ power projects.

Power generated in Assam is almost entirely thermal. Hence, it is imperative to invest in largescale „clean-energy‟ power projects.

About 80% population of rural Assam, which comprises 87% of Assamese, does not have access to power at all. Therefore, localized rural power generation models are the need of the day.

Proposal of clean-energy projects There are two recommendations to generate clean energy in Assam  using Hydel power from Brahmaputra, through a rural based model  nuclear energy Both of these are non-traditional and are free from negative and ecological effects. Given that rural electrification is a priority, rural hydel projects will create grassroots economic activity across multiple sectors. Hydel power requires abundant supply of fresh water, which is provided in Assam by Brahmaputra and it is based on the long river stretch and huge discharge.

Rural Hydel Power from Brahmaputra By using Brahmaputra long river stretch & huge discharge, but low gradient availability, we propose to install small power plants, in configurations, using the river-flow energy. Use various modules at various strategic locations (at 100 places) from Kobo to Dhubri (across Assam), each generating ~ 1 MW of power. Generated power will be dedicated to the near by villages & communities, who will maintain them as well. Standard Gorlov Helical Turbines (GHT), 1M GHT can be installed side by side configuration with 1.5M spacing between each GHT in a row perpendicular to the flow of current.

This does not require any dam, and power is generated from kinetic energy derived from water flow, ensuring no waste and no material consumption in power generation. This causes minimal obstruction of water flow, is friendly to fish & fauna. It is truly a completely green project, with potential to earn many Carbon Credits. This involves small village level units, which can be maintained by communities. 90% central capital subsidy that is available for this project ensures that people get virtually free power.

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The helix turbine consists of one or more long helical blades that run along a cylindrical surface like a screw thread, having a so-called airfoil or ‗airplane wing‘ propeller. The blades provide a reaction thrust that can rotate the turbine faster than the water Sow itself. The turbine shaft (axis of rotation) must be perpendicular to the water current, and the turbine can be positioned either horizontally or vertically. Due to its axial symmetry, the turbine always develops unidirectional rotation, even in reversible tidal currents. This is a very important advantage, which siplifies design and allows exploitation of the double-action tidal power plants.

For example, the Gorlov Helix Turbine project located in the Amazon River in Brazil uses this technology. There, local residents, who are far from the nearest power lines, use the turbines to recharge dozens of car batteries to run their television sets. In full production, the cost of an installed open-river hydropower system is $400 to $600 per kilowatt - less than the cost of constructing other power-generation systems. And that's before operating costs of fossil-fuel plants are taken into account. Similarly, Uldolmok Strait in Korea, where a very strong reversible tidal current with Sows up to 12 knots (about 6ms~1) changes direction four times a day, generating 100 MW of power.

The proposed model requires 100 Generating stations across the river Brahmaputra. Primarily it would supply power to villages close to Brahmaputra, and has less or no power. Each station will generate power in range 0.5 to 1.0 MW depending on the size of village, requiring about 100 acres of land. Its benefits include:     

Minimum 100 villages will get 100% power support Between 80 – 100 MW of power generated 5,000 small scale businesses can be created Direct employment: 35,000 Indirect employment: 30,000

Hydropower Blueprint for the Northeast Out of the total of 84,044 MW of the country‟s total hydropower potential the NER carries a potential of 31,857 MW (37.9% of the country) of which about 3% has so far been tapped for human use. The Ministry of Power, Government of India has identified 185 sites as suitable for starting water resources development projects mainly for the purpose of generation of hydropower in Northeast India, where Brahmaputra basin is 140 (out of the 845 sites in the country; for comparison, 226 sites are on the Ganges and 180 on the Indus). These projects, covering most of the major rivers in the region are sought to be implemented in phases in the coming five decades in addition to 49 projects that are already operational or under construction or granted clearance or at various stages of clearance or under investigation. The MoP is contemplating to achieve a target of generating a colossal 99,256 MW of hydropower from these projects by the end of the year 2050.

Within the Northeastern Region, Arunachal Pradesh has a share of about 81% of the potential for principal hydro (31% of the all India potential). Except for Assam and Tripura, which have developed a Page 72 of 179

substantial part of their small potential, all other states have about 1,000 MW of potential unused.

Immediate government plans include projects in Sikkim and Mizoram only (Table 1.27).

In recent years, Nagaland and Sikkim have initiated a few micro and pico hydel projects, where the potential for local community-level benefits could be very substantial. Since 2001, the Central Electricity Authority has prepared preliminary feasibility reports for 67 projects in the region (total assessed potential 31, 857 MW) to be implemented gradually over the medium- and long-term. The majority of these projects are, again, located in Arunachal Pradesh (42 projects, 25,690 MW).

However, significant projects are planned for other states also (9 projects in Meghalaya, 1,490 MW; 3 projects in Nagaland, 970 MW; 10 projects in Sikkim, 1,680 MW; and 3 projects in Mizoram, 1,870 MW). Detailed investigations of some of the projects have already started, mostly by the National Hydroelectric Power Corporation (NHPC), the National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC), and the North Eastern Electric Power Corporation (NEEPCO). In Sikkim, 17 projects with probable installed capacity of 3,518 MW have already been allocated to private sector developers.

Table 1.27: Status of major hydro development in the NE Region, 2005

States

A.P Assam Manipur Meghalaya Mizoram Nagaland Sikkim Tripura Total NE Total India

Assessed potential (as 60% load factor), MW MW 26,756 351 1,176 1,070 1,455 1,040 1,283 9 33,140 84,044

Already developed (as 60% load factor), MW % 123 0.4 112 31.8 72 6.1 122 11.4 82 53 8 570 15,891

7.9 4.1 83.3 1.7 18.9

Under Dev. MW 744 74 43 24 31

% 2.8 21.1 3.6 2.2 2.1

121

9.4

1,036 4,389

3.1 5.2

Developed + under Dev. % 3.2 52.9 9.7 13.6 2.1 7.9 24.1 83.3 4.8 24.1

CEA-cleared schemes (as 60% load factor) MW %

143

9.8

257

20.0

399 3,032

1.2 3.6

Developed + under Dev.+ CEA cleared MW 866 186 114 145 173 82 430 8 2,004 23,312

% 3.2 52.9 9.7 13.6 11.9 7.9 33.5 83.3 6.0 27.7

Note: CEA: Central Electricity Authority Source: The World Bank “Development and Growth in Northeast India: The Natural Resources, Water, and Environment Nexus – Strategy Report”, 2007.

The region‘s peak demand of power by the end of the ninth plan (2001-02) was expected to be 1,809 MW which was to be met by a targeted generation of 2,419 MW. The planned addition to hydropower generation is 19,098 MW by the year 2010 which is more than six times the projected peak demand of power in 2,010(3200 MW). While the peak demand of power is expected to increase to 8,200 MW and 10,700 MW in 2040 and 2050 respectively, the total installed capacity of hydropower is sought to be raised to 59,256 MW and 99,256 MW by that time, the figures being more than seven and ten times the projected peak power demand of the region in the same time frame ((Dr. Das, Partha J, 2005 and World Development Report, 2007). ―There are four deficits that confront the Northeast: a basic needs deficit; an infrastructural deficit; a resource deficit; and, most important, a two-way deficit of understanding with the rest of the country which compounds the others. The Northeast has so far depended exclusively on the Centre for development funding. A more rapid pace of the growth would generate larger internal resources…Even in the intermediate period, power generation could become the cash-strapped Northeast‘s largest source of resource mobilization. Power planning and implementation of projects to tap the region‘s hydro/energy potential must, therefore, be seen as an essential element of national power strategy linked to plans for establishing a subregional or South Asian energy exchange grid.‖ (Shukla Commission Report, 1997)

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The Northeastern Region currently has very low demand for energy (at 192 kilowatt-hours per person, one third of the national average), and even that remains unmet. Only 76% of the villages in the region have power supply, compared to the national average of 84 %. Industrial consumption of 1,200 gigawatt-hours in the region is less than 1% of that of the country. With development of the hydro sector, the region would be able to attract industries with assured and cheap power supply, especially in the context of the Government of India‘s Look East Policy, which has included recent initiatives aimed to increase cooperation with East Asian countries, and possible international trade from the Northeastern Region One important goal would necessarily be to provide villages and communities with access to electricity (with the added benefit of improved irrigation possibilities due to greater regulation of river flow).

Nuclear Power In India, there are nuclear power plants in Tarapur, Kalpakkam, Narora, Kakrapur and Kaiga. With the Indo-US nuclear deal, India has a large opportunity to expand its nuclear energy capacity. Huge quantities of fresh water is needed for nuclear plants. Assam has more than enough of this.

World-wide there are 440 plants and 69 new projects underway. Many nuclear technology vendors have started visiting Assam.

Advantages of nuclear power include:     

No greenhouse gas emissions Does not pollute air Small solid waste generation Low fuel cost Large fuel reserves

A possible model of setting up of a nuclear power plant of 440 MW (2 nos. of standard plants of 220 MW each) in Sibsagar district can be considered with provision for capacity addition for expansion in future. Capital cost for the proposed project would be ~ Rs. 6,000 crores (@ Rs. 13.5 Cr. Per MW). Pproposed Area for Nuclear power plant and township will be 1000 acres, 10 km. away from Sibsagar and next to Brahmaputra. Apart from power plant, this will create a medium size township with 60,000 dwelling units and a population of 2.5 Lakh.

Integrated Energy Sector Development Energy is an important resource for livelihoods activities and for economic development of people.

Considering extremely inadequate development of energy resources in Assam, it is an urgent need to invest in augmentation of energy supply by developing small and dispersed renewable energy sources including wind energy, small hydro, solar-thermal, photovoltaic and biomass energy. Biomass based energy could be utilized through either direct burning or via chemical route (e.g. biogas).

There is a need to integrate energy efficiency measures and cogeneration in the overall energy mix.

There is a need to draw from the grid at cheaper rates during off-peak hours on bulk purchase basis.

In order to overcome the seasonal and diurnal variations in the supply of energy from renewable sources and match them with complex patterns of local energy demand, various combined or hybrid systems as well as different storage system should be employed. The storage system should include biomass storage, pumped storage using local water-bodies and even new hot-oil and non-renewable energy sources.

In order to facilitate wide-spread dissemination of renewable energy and storage systems, some research and development efforts are required to optimize the alternative technologies utilizing local material and labour. The challenge for alternative energy technologies is that the energy values (in coal replacement units) of locally produced biomass and locally trapped renewable energy should be Page 74 of 179

in excess of the total energy inputs required by activities like ecosystem rehabilitation, production for subsistence and surplus biomass, development of infrastructure and dispersed industrialization.

Human Development in Energy Sector There should be participation of direct users, such as local associations of marginalized people (for ex. women, toilers, and artisans) in production of energy. Increased biomass production, to which women will have open access, will automatically solve the most critical energy problem—the problem of cooking fuel.

In order to make the new energy systems economically sustainable and to distribute their gains equally, some preconditions should be set for providing public funding to energy users‘ groups. They include, (a) users‘ participation in resource mobilization, demand management, and maintenance of equipment and systems, and (b) participatory decision making and management involving all those who have stakes in the system. Payments against energy costs could be made in the form of contribution to the biomass pools of these associations.

It is necessary to monitor and maintain the balance in terms of energy as well as monetary values of goods and materials exported and imported across the borders of the eco-systems. This is necessary to ensure that benefits of these efforts are enjoyed by toilers within the eco-system.

Assam has vast water resources available; therefore, development of hydro power projects could be an important source of energy. However, due care should be taken that such projects are environmentally sustainable and involve minimum displacement. The local people, dependent upon natural resources for their livelihoods, should be consulted before undertaking any project that involves displacement.

Opportunity Areas for Assam in Clean Energy We envisage the following investment requirements in clean energy: Investment Areas Green, eco friendly hydel power projects (eg ‗run of the river‘, helix turbines, etc) that do not impact the bio-diverse life in the rivers of the region. 300 400 units along the Bramhaputra generating 1 MW of power each Bio-gas projects – 20000 micro bio gas units for Rs 5 lacs each Nuclear power – 2 x 220 MW (possible location Sibsagar) Total

Projected Investment (Rs cr) 1000

1000 6000 8000 (approx)

Investing in clean power will enable local rural communities to gain access to power, thereby improving their livelihoods, and change the mix of power generation in Assam which is heavily skewed towards traditional coal fired power generation.

Highlights The Context  The power shortfall of 251 MW in 2005 is expected to rise to 3237 MW by 2025 in Assam. This rd inspite of per capita energy demands being 1/3 as compared to the rest of the country, and Industrial consumption being 1% of the country.  90% of power is generated by Thermal sources as compared to 66% nationally The Opportunity  Based on the vast water resources available, ecologically compliant alternate power sources from Hydel projects and Nuclear plants (which require huge amounts of water) could be the key thrust areas Page 75 of 179



Additionally, based on the availability of biodegradable input materials available, bio gas units could be set up

The Impact  Apart from meeting domestic needs additional power generation would also attract industries and a state revenue model would emerge from sale of power to other states in the long run The Investment  The estimated investment for the alternate sources is in the region of Rs 8000 crores for the first phase pilots.

The Next Steps  The core areas of Hydel and Nuclear to be dovetailed into the integrated water policy

6. Tourism The North East has several „Tourism Assets‟ around which products for tourism can be developed.

The Tourism Assets which can be leveraged include: Culture, Heritage and Festivals, Religion, Landscape, Wild Life, National Parks, Adventure Tourism, etc.

However, Tourism in the North East needs to be sustainable and have respect for the ecology. There is no need to create concrete jungles, but, instead, use existing infrastructure- tea bungalows, inspection bungalows, forest bungalows, historic properties, etc. The North East is perfectly positioned to be a pioneer around the whole concept of working with Nature – building upon using local architectural themes, resources and materials vs imposing foreign concrete structures in the middle of virgin territory. Thus, despite recent challenges (SARS, bird flu, terrorism, tsunami, etc), we are entering a golden age of travel.

Already seen by many as the world's largest industry, travel and tourism is poised for even greater growth in the years to come.

For newly emerging States, and hill States in particular, the inflow of expenditure from an expansion in tourism services is an important driver of economic development. Tourism has tremendous income and employment ripple effects that spread far beyond the actual tourism activity itself, so that benefits disburse quite naturally to owners of small shops, peripheral services, and even to construction, banking and handicrafts. In other words, tourism-related services are naturally employment-intensive. If tourism‟s contribution is increased to 10 % of GDP in India, it can create 26 million new jobs. According to World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC), an investment of Rs.10 lakh can generate 47.5 jobs as against 12.6 in manufacturing. Also the direct, indirect and induced multiplier for employment is 15 as compared to 4 for the manufacturing sector.

The employment effects of tourism can be quite extensive. The impact on local employment and involvement of local communities with growth of ancillary livelihoods should make tourism a prime and over-arching activity for NER States. Tourism depends on several factors: marketing of Page 76 of 179

the State as a tourist destination particularly to national and international operators who largely determine a tourist circuit; the availability of hotel rooms to attract tourists of all income classes; wellorganized tourism circuits and good transport infrastructure, peaceful law and order situation and administrative restrictions.

The region received only 35 lakh domestic tourists and 37,000 foreign tourists in 2005 displaying very poor footfall. Assam, Meghalaya, Sikkim and Tripura received the most tourist arrivals, with the number of tourists to Assam being greater than all the other States taken together. However, in terms of the number of tourist arrivals in relation to the population of the State, Sikkim is far ahead of the others. The number of tourists per capita is a good measure of the carrying capacity of a State in that any State can only accommodate a limited number of tourists. However, what is even more important is the type of tourism envisaged by the States themselves. Sikkim, given the low carrying capacity of the State with a population today of just over 6.5 lakh (assuming population growth rate of 3.5% since 2001) is emphasizing adventure tourism on its rivers. Mizoram recognizes the importance of outside tour operators in bringing in tourists and is trying to work out joint ventures between its local tour operators and bigger agencies outside NER. Hence, any attempt to develop tourism must carefully identify the kind of tourist activity a State wants to encourage (IBEF, 2008 & Mr. Kumaran, V.S; 2008).

In NER the exotic and colourful lifestyles of the various tribal groups are an important tourist attraction in itself. Mobilization of the community to welcome tourists for rural tourism is yet to pick up in the region. Most of the States (with the possible exception of Sikkim, Meghalaya and Assam) are not geared for conventional tourism in terms of available infrastructure of hotels and guest houses (Tables 1.28 which show that tourist accommodation in most NER States is far lower than the national level). This was also evident from field trips to these States. In many States (with the possible exceptions of Sikkim and Assam) the State may have to take the lead in setting up hotels, as high fixed costs deter private investors.

Table 1.28: Distribution of Approved Hotels and Room Place

Hotel/ Room

5 Star Deluxe

5 Star

Guwahati

Hotel Rooms Hotel Rooms Hotel Rooms Hotel Rooms Hotel Rooms

80 15,739

117 7,367

Shillong Aizwal Gangtok India

4 Star

1 50 805,483

3 Star 3 130 447 19,985

2 Star

1 Star

Heritage Star

Unclassified

Total

1 28 209 5,673

54 1,629

58 1,970

1 142 1 28 145 9,767

4 272 1 50 1 28 1 28 1190 67,613

Source: www.indiastat.com

The profile of the tourists who are presently visiting the region (howsoever inconsequential in a number) needs to be charted. A robust data base of offerings is also not available presently though there are many scattered initiatives. Tourism is serious business which needs a strong backbone of data base management and feedback system.

We believe that there are some key questions that need to be debated:

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- Should the North East be a Mass or a Class tourist destination?

- Should the focus be on domestic Indian / regional tourists versus international tourists?

- Is the support industry sustainable because of political, societal, seasonal and operational issues?

- By promoting ecotourism what will be the check on commercialisation ? Will this lead to a TM Source: Naturenomics Knowledge Foundation dilution of controls by the protected area management to fuel recreational needs?

- How would one involve the host community in the tourism process with a view to attain competitiveness, for example heightening the intensity of interpretive and educational values and strengthening the environmental and cultural value, both in its manifestation and knowledge resource base?

Our firm belief in the value that can be created by leveraging the natural assets of the North East lends itself to the paradigm that the North East SHOULD NOT be a Mass Tourism Destination.

6.1

Unlocking the 3 Pillars of Sustainability

Sustainability principles refer to the Environmental, Socio-Cultural and Economic aspects of tourism development, and a suitable balance must be established between these three dimensions to guarantee its long-term sustainability.

Sustainable Tourism conceptual defines ―Tourism which leads to management of all resources in such a way that economic, social and aesthetic needs can be fulfilled while maintaining cultural integrity, essential ecological processes, biological diversity and life support systems.“

In addition UNWTO describe the development of sustainable tourism as a process which meets the needs of present tourists and host communities whilst protecting and enhancing needs in the future.

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1. Environmental: Define & make use of environmental resources that constitute a key element in tourism development, maintaining essential ecological processes and helping to conserve natural heritage and biodiversity. Critical pointers:     

Protection of Valuable Natural Assets Protecting Critical Eco-systems (fragile sites, endangered species) Managing Scarce Natural Resources Energy Management (Energy Saving, Efficiency, Renewable) Limiting Environmental Impacts of Tourism Activity

2. Socio-Cultural: Respect the socio-cultural authenticity of host communities, conserve their built and living cultural heritage and traditional values, and contribute to inter-cultural understanding and tolerance.

Tourism cannot be planned or managed in isolation from the environments, economies and communities that are part of the destination Critical pointers:   

Wellbeing of Host Communities (Local Satisfaction with Tourism; Effects of Tourism on Communities; Access by Local Residents to Key Assets; Gender Equity; Sex Tourism etc.)

Sustaining & Conserving Cultural / Built Assets & heritage (cultural sites, monuments, damage, maintenance, designation, preservation) Community Participation in Tourism (Community Involvement & Awareness)

3. Economic: Ensure viable, long-term economic operations, providing socio-economic benefits to all stakeholders that are fairly distributed and social services to host communities. Critical pointers:    

Leakages (Imported Goods, Foreign Exchange, Internal Leakage, External Leakage, Invisible Leakage) Employment (Training, Quality, Skills, Turnover, Seasonality, Pay Levels) Community & Destination (Economic Benefits) Commercialization, Globalization, Modernization (and their inevitable positive & negative outcomes)

A suitable balance between the above three pillars leads not just to a destinations its long-term sustainability but also, in a virtuous cycle, also lead to the competitiveness of the destination and businesses.

Examples of consumer experiences (or products) / tourist circuits in North East India could be as follows: NATURE

ASSAM

ARUNACHAL PRADESH

CULTURE

RELIGION

 Kaziranga National Park  Manas National park + 4 others  Majuli (largest river island in the world)  Chandubi Lake  Jatinga  Bramhaputra river  Endangered river dolphins  Angling and River rafting  Tea plantations and tours

 Saulkuchi (renowned for silk industry)  Madan Kamdev  Sibasagar  Agnigarh  Karelghar  Bihu festival  Elephant festival  Traditional homestays  Traditional handlooms and handicrafts

 Kamakhya Temple  Umananda Temple  Navagraha (Temple of Nine Planets)  Batadrava  Madan Kamdev Temple  Dhubri Sahib Gurudwara  Pua Mecca Mosque

   

 Ita Fort  Tawang, Along  Bhimsaknagar ( important archaeological sites)  Festival Centric

 Buddhist Monastery (largest in India)  Tezu  Malinithan  Revival Church

Namdapha Wildlife Sanctuary Miao Tipi, Ziro, Bomdila Gyaker Sinyi (Ganga Lake)

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NATURE

MANIPUR

MIZORAM

NAGALAND

RELIGION

 Keibul Lamjao – the only floating national park in the world  Lotak Lake (biggest freshwater lake in NE)  Orchid Park

 War Cemeteries maintained by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission  Moirang  Khongjom

 Govindajee Temple  Bishnu Temple – built in 1467 AD  Kaina  Koubru Leikha

    

Dampa Tiger Reserve Twai Wildlife Sanctuary Tamdil (the largest lake in Mizoram) Phawangpui Lake Palak (home of mythical serpent wearing a ruby crown)

 Ruantlang (where age old traditional Mizo Life is still preserved)  Kolasib  Aizwal - Chapchar Kut Festival – Good Spring Festival  Dances– Cheraw, Sarlamkai, Chheih Lam, Khuallam etc

 The fammous Christian Churches and Carol Singing – especially during Christmas (Christians make up 84% of the population)

    

Intangki Wildlife Sanctuary Ghosu Bird Sanctuary Seithekima Waterfalls Dzulekie River Japfu Peak

   

 Chizami Baptist Church  Kali Temple  Tripura Sundari Temple

War Cemetery Cultural Centre of Ao Nagas Khezakenoa Village Khonoma Village

 Balpakram National Park  Highest Level of Rainfall in the Country  Umiam Lake  Wards Lake  Nongkhnum Island  Cherapunji – highest rainfall in the world  Heritage caves

 Austro Asiatic Society (Only state in India to have one)  Smit Village  Lew Duh  Jakrem Hot Springs  Thadlaskein Lake

 Suk Mynsiem Festival  Behdienkhlam Festival  All Saints Cathedral (oldest church in Shillong)  Lawkyntang / Law Lyngdoh

TRIPURA

 Sepahijala Wildlife Sanctuary  Jamphol Hills, Rudrasagar, Neer Mahal  Tirthamulkh  Khowra Lake

 Pilak Pather  Lungthung  Paus Sankranti Mela

 Benuvan Vihar  Chaturdasha Devta Temple  Brahmakund

SIKKIM

 Khangchendzonga National Park (highest in the world)  Bakhim – a Natural Garden  Fambing La Wildlife Sanctuary  Meanam Wildlife Sanctuary  Varsey Rhodendron Sanctuary  Kyongnosla Alpine Sanctuary

      

 Yoksum – Meeting of the Three Great Lamas  Dhubdi Monastery  Tashing Monastery  Rumtek Monastery (of a total of 200 Monasteries)

MEGHALAYA

6.2

CULTURE

Kabi Longstok Tumlong Palace Ruins Chungthang Lachung Yumthang Yuksum Borong

Marketing the North East – What is the Product?

One can only market a product with specific attributes that have either a tangible or an intangible ‗value‘ in the minds of the consumer. Thus from a marketing perspective, to have a motherhood, umbrella positioning such as „Marketing the North East‟ is redundant.

The „tourism product‟ is the consumer experience, which needs to be unique and differentiated. Rich consumer experience can be created within each of the verticals of nature, culture and religion, or across these verticals within a particular state or across 2 or 3 states within the North East. Each of these verticals – in fact each element within the vertical as well – lends itself very credibly to being a unique and differentiated product (or consumer experience) in its own right.

Aggregation of such contiguous product characteristics and marketing it as a product would mean

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moving up the value chain and positioning in the minds of the customers a memorable travel experience. 

North-East Nature Experience  Adventure tourism development (Wild Life, tea, rivers, lakes etc) which can be achieved trough following objective and critical factors: o Adhere to Standards for Cultural, Environmental & Wildlife Conservation o Link more local businesses and people into the tourism supply chain - for example use local organic farmers to supply lodges with food products o Increase the yield of each tourist who visits Assam - ie provide visitors with more opportunities to spend money and stay longer! o Extend tourism beyond urban areas, incorporate rural areas more routinely into standard itineraries. o Increase number of travellers to the state and NE region, guided by a sense of carrying capacity in sensitive areas.



Assam has many assets that will appeal to adventure travelers

o Prefer Unique Experiences that are not contrived or staged o Seek to minimize Environmental and Social Impacts, want to travel ―responsibly‖ o Seek varied, multi-activity travel experiences The adventure travel segment in particular that include nature, culture and physical activity is large and growing o They don‘t mind discomforts in the adventure context o They do demand clean accommodation o Safety, particularly for families, is a priority



The resources reveals in NE Hotspots are:

o Kaziranga and Manas National Parks (Assam) o Gyaker Sinyi (Arunachal) o Keibul Lamjao – the only floating national park in the world (Manipur) o Dampa Tiger Reserve (Mizoram) o Nongkhnum Island (Meghalaya) o Khangchendzonga National Park - highest

National Parks in the world (Sikkim)



Regional Hotspots were selected based on a combination of factors o Hard Infrastructure (roads, accommodation, airports) o Market Appeal (diversity of activities important to adventure travellers) Page 81 of 179

o o o o

Linkages (private businesses and NGOs exist to support sustainable adventure tourism) Security Presence of Entrepreneurship (small businesses, not restricted to tourism grow and flourish) Sum of Regional Site Scores



The activities incorporated in hotspot itineraries include Cycling, Kayaking & canoeing, Horseback riding, Trekking & hiking, River cruises, Tea tasting, Temple circuits, Cooking classes with local people, Bird watching, Wildlife safaris, Home stays.



North East Culture Experience  With more than a 150 tribes speaking as many languages, this region is a melting pot of variegated cultural mosaic of people and races, an ethnic tapestry of many hues and shades. The folk culture is still vital in this region.  The primitive culture of at least the Neolithic age now co-exists with the modern and post -modern lifestyle. Well integrated with life and nature, the folk artworks have a common element of nature.  The NE has a bewildering variety of cultural and heritage tourism sites which can be packaged together as a unique „Culture Tourism‟ Circuit.  Because of their proximity to other tourist interest places (on the Nature and Religion-theme circuits), and their exotic appeal, the potential to attract residual tourists is immense.  An annual cultural festival – a melting pot for all the colors and flavors of all of NE – on the lines of the Rio de Janeiro annual Carnival.  The development of such a niche-based special interest product-mix will position NE as a unique and competitive destination.  Village tourism – an ideal theme to attract tourists to experience the real North East, in real (not simulated) settings, will be promoted as the primary tourism product of India to spread tourism and its socio-economic benefits to rural areas.



North-East religious experience - Creating a „centre of excellence‟  Enhancing the existing core pilgrimage experience (The current experience of pilgrims and visitors is not optimal desired at various stages of the journey)  Provide the pilgrim/tourist with a surreal, mythological, historic and religious journey (An unforgettable experience from all aspects)  Inculcate a sense of pride and ownership among the people of the North East  For e.g. Hinduism (Kamakhya Temple in Assam, Bishnu temple in Manipur); Buddhism (highest Buddhist monastery in Arunachal, Yongsum and Rumtek in Sikkim); Christianity (churches and carol singing in Mizoram, All Saints Cathedral in Shillong – Meghalaya) TM

Source: Naturenomics Knowledge Foundation & Report on “Adventure Tourism Development Index: Feature Adventure Destination Analysis for Assam” Xola Consulting Inc, 2008

6.3

Marketing the North East – Who is the Consumer?

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Travel is the largest category within the definition of entertainment and within travel, leisure travel is the biggest segment.

However the definition and meaning of leisure travel, like all things in life is changing. For the better part of last century, travel evoked mainly destinations in the West – urbanized examples of concrete, steel and industrialization which highlighted the might of the human mind and its ingenuity. Over the last decade or so, however, this is now changing.

Travelers all over the world, particularly in the West are preferring to go to natural settings and more pristine surroundings – untouched by the human hand yet. This is leading to a booming segment of unexplored getaways: 



 

The ‗discerning‘ around the world and in India have been great travelers and holiday makers. Many of them have been addressing the challenges of life by increasingly partaking of holidays to rejuvenate and de-stress Traditional destinations that they have been visiting for ‗rejuvenation and destressing‘ like beaches, resorts, mountain retreats, etc. are experiencing a level of saturation There seems to be an underlying demand from this ‗discerning‘ traveler to look for experiences that provide escape and adventure The memory of these experiences needs to reflect a fine balance between excitement, risk and security

The North East is perfectly positioned to ride this wave. However, A 3 - step approach is required to define the tourism strategy for this region.

- Audit of the current tourism framework and components - Vision, mission and strategy recommendations - Marketing plan - In addition, for the development of Hotspot areas, market development activities are required.

They include improvement of infrastructure, research capacity limits, development of products, Integration of supply chains and training of people, Promotion of hotspots and therefore monitor of impact which will lead to sustainable Tourism development.

TM

Source: Naturenomics Knowledge Foundation & Report on “Adventure Tourism Development Index: Feature Adventure Destination Analysis for Assam” Xola Consulting Inc, 2008

6.4

Baselining „Sustainability‟ – Key Pointers

The objective of base-lining sustainability is to outline the key tourism assets in a destination, and identify potential areas of strength as well as challenges – viewed from a consumer prism.

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Destination – Key Assets  Destination assets: local, complementary attractions, natural and cultural assets, infrastructure and support services  Community support: active participation, common objectives  Workforce: availability, skill levels  Management capacity: skill levels, funding available  Economic opportunities: for businesses, employment  Product and market opportunities: unique, authentic products, product market match, niche markets  Community enhancement: socio-cultural benefits  Conservation: tourism‘s contribution to natural and cultural heritage Destination – Key Challenges  Lack of tourist appeal: few significant or unique tourism attractions, poor accessibility, lack of basic infrastructure (vs ‗high-rise‘ infra)  No vision: uncertainties in direction, lack of understanding or cohesion in the destination community  Preparedness: lack of plans, training needs, funds, alternative priorities  Environmental impacts: disturbance of loss of habitat, increased use of (and constraints) resources, waste  Cultural degradation: daily lives, customs and practices disrupted  Poor quality: tourist dissatisfaction, lack of standards  External threats: regulations, travel security, environmental impacts.

Accreditation, Certification, Monitoring & Evaluation Base-lining sustainability is only the first step. Although experience has shown that a participatory process in base-lining ‗Sustainability‘ by mapping key tourism resources throws up other assets or potential for the destination, the path to continual sustainability can only be through a rigorous method of Accreditation, Certification, Monitoring & Evaluation.

“Ecologically sustainable tourism with a primary focus on experiencing natural areas that foster environmental and cultural understanding, appreciation and conservation” Various sub-sectors within the tourism value chain, such as hotel and catering, recreation and entertainment, transportation, travel agencies and tour operators have set up their own industry awards, eco-labels and voluntary codes of conduct etc.

Examples of such accreditation programs include the WTTC Green Globe Certification, ECoNNET; IHEI – led by a consortium of hotel chains; the Blue Flag program etc. A reference industry benchmark is the International Ecotourism Standard (IES), which is articulated around 11 key principles: 1. Ecotourism policy, performance and framework: • Operator's commitment to uphold ecotourism principles • Implementation of proper management systems to measure, analyse and improve performance.

2. Natural area focus • ―Direct and personal experience of nature‖ – prime focus of eco-tourism property.

• In addition ‗rebuild‘ the natural balance, by up gradation of nature capital 3. Interpretation and education • Should enable visitors to better understand, appreciate and enjoy the natural environment and cultural context in which it operates.

4. Ecologically compatible infrastructure Page 84 of 179

• 5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

10.

11.

Buildings and amenities do not dominate the visual landscape and have minimal impact on the environment.

Ecologically sustainable practices • Should employ ecologically sustainable practices - waste management, energy efficiency, water conservation, treatment of wastewater and effluents, biodiversity conservation, air quality, lighting, noise etc.

Contribution to conservation • Contributions to conservation projects - in the form of direct on-the-ground actions or monetary or in-kind gifts to organisations involved in such projects.

Benefit to local communities • Contribution by employing local people, sourcing local products and services, sales of locally made handicrafts and souvenirs and cash or in-kind contributions to local projects.

Cultural respect and sensitivity • Sensitive to local cultures • Local cultural values are treated appropriately, legitimate aspirations of the local people are met while depicting their culture.

Customer satisfaction • Gather, analyse and act upon customer feedback to ensure that their products meet and even exceed customer satisfaction.

Responsible marketing • Provision of accurate and responsible information to enable potential customers to have realistic expectations.

Minimal impact codes of conduct • Develop / adopt a minimal impact code of conduct to have the least effect on the natural, social and cultural environment.

A Question of Answers Just like the North East – the subject of marketing the “North-East Tourism Express” is vast.

In a short time it‘s not possible to drill down into some of the verticals and come up with some concrete solutions. However, towards the end, what we would like to leave you with a question of answers. We believe that there are some key questions that need to be debated. You might find some of these radical – and they are exactly that. But solutions are only built on ideas. And ideas only come from lateral thinking! 



Immediate Opportunities  Bring out a common North East Tourism Policy – which highlights a coherent and cohesive set of strategic policies for the region.  Enact a common tourism trade act and set up single-window tourism facilitation centers for all of North East.  Devise a marketing brand for the entire NE as one cohesive unit, focusing on the three planks of Culture, Nature and Religion Tourism  Develop a supportive infrastructure to attract and sustain tourist inflow. Earmark a fixed percentage of Gross State Product every year.  Use technology and communications to advantage. Reliable communication networks are one of the single biggest decision points for prospective tourists.

Themes  Unsustainable tourism development which has respect for the ecology  Not create concrete jungles out there, but, instead, use existing infrastructure- tea, inspection, forest bungalows etc.?  Have model Villages – where nothing is changed – only some hygiene facilities provided.

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 

North East pioneer the concept of working with Nature – building upon using local architectural themes, resources and materials Vs imposing foreign concrete structures in the middle of virgin territory?

As a live example, work towards not turning the North East into an urban ghetto?

Strategy and Action Plans by Government – Tourism The Tourism Vision 2020 is to fully exploit the comparative advantage of the region in tourism resources and attractions so that tourism becomes an important catalyst for economic development in general and for poverty alleviation in particular.

To achieve that vision in tune with the national tourism policy 2020:   

Tourism development will be put on a high priority in the economic development planning of the region.

The quality of existing tourism products will be improved to meet new and emerging demands.

Adequate and comprehensive infrastructure of international standards will be created to enable the tourists to have ‗unique experiences‘

The seven key areas around which the vision will evolve are:    

   

A Regional Tourism Development Corporation.

One food craft institute to be set up in each state.

A programme of infrastructure development to be taken up in collaboration with the private sector in the pattern of PPP. Accessibility to and within the region being a major problem, with the help of the Ministry of Civil Aviation Guwahati to be developed as a major national and international air hub with another regional hub in Imphal in tune with the ‗look east‟ policy of the Government of India.

The State PWDs, the Ministry of Road Transport and the Highway Authority of India to ensure that the tourism destinations in the national and regional circuits are adequately connected.

Appropriate incentives to be given to tourism entrepreneurs to invest in tourism infrastructure. For this purpose, NEDFI will be nodal agency.

A comprehensive NE Sustainable Tourism Guideline to be formulated taking into consideration the special features and needs of the region.

To enable tourists to enjoy the local environment and to allow the socio-economic benefits of tourism to spread to rural areas, responsible rural tourism to be developed. At least two such centres will be developed each year in each state from 2010 onwards.

The government has made Investment in the tourism sector is being promoted through the North East Industrial and Investment Promotion Policy (NEIIPP), 2007 which offers an extensive bouquet of incentives and exemptions to hotels (2 star and above) and manpower development. It is an extremely welcome step that manpower development in the sector is also covered under the incentives. The incentives on investment are, however, on plant and machinery only which does not make the NEIIPP, 2007 particularly attractive to investors in budget category hotels. However, these are early days of the policy which may need some tweaking later on to make it appropriate for the hospitality sector. The States have limited capacity for project development preparation of quality project reports which hinder their capacity to obtain funds from the Central Ministry. There is also poor maintenance of tourism assets and lack of community mobilization.

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Opportunity Areas for Assam in Tourism    

Create bio-diversity tourism destination experiences around: Nature Parks, Forest Bungalows, River islands, River journeys, places of Cultural, Historical, and Religious interests Rural/ Village tourism and homestays Budget hotels Convention centre and top end hotel in Guwahati

We envisage the following investments for Tourism:

NATURE

WILDLIFE

WATER

UNIT

TOTAL (Rs)

5

150

FORESTS & INSPECTION BUNGALOWS

200

50

RIVER CRUISES

200

1250

2

50

800 rooms

200

TEA FACTORIES

40 nos

40

HISTORICAL SITES

10 nos

500

CULTURE SITES

10 nos

500

HINDU TEMPLES

10 nos

500

OTHER RELIGIONS

5 nos

250

3,000 rooms

750

PARKS & RESERVES (including battery operated cars)

ISLANDS

RELIGION

CULTURE

TEA

HERITAGE

RELIGION

URBAN CENTRES

TEA BUNGALOWS

ECO HOTELS

4500 Cr approx

Highlights The Context  Tourism Industry is expected to be largest industry in the world by 2050  Employment generation and therefore local wealth creation potential of this industry is significantly higher than the manufacturing sector  The NER and Assam, inspite of having a range of ―Tourism Assets‖ have been unable to attract their fair share of tourists, and currently contribute to 0.3% of international and 0.9% of domestic tourist inflows  The key challenges faced by this industry are across the many required components from planning, infrastructure support, community level involvement and external threats The Opportunity  The plethora of core natural assets, supported by the rich culture and heritage make this region and Assam and ideal destination for the rapidly expending adventure seeking tourist.  The very fact that this industry is currently underdeveloped is in itself a key advantage to tailor make products and services.

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The Impact  Focusing on the tourism industry would act as a catalyst for economic development through the multiplier effect on employment creation for local communities  Taking advantage of the core natural assets through ecological compliance will cause minimum environmental damage while significantly driving economical growth.

The Investment  The estimated investment required including the room capacity in urban sector in the region is 4,500 crores.

The Next Steps  Immediate action to implement the Vision 2020 tourism policies, with special emphasis on rural linkages and capacity building  Development of a supportive infrastructure to sustain tourist inflows  States government to work on cohesive action plans for development of circuits and itineraries

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E. Infrastructure Opportunity (Focus on Assam) 1. Eco Township – Context and Background Global and Indian experience indicates that the urban sector has increasingly become an important driver of economic growth. Urban areas contribute close to half the countryâ€&#x;s GDP, so the urban centres play a vital role in achieving national economic growth targets. The Urban population of India has rapidly increased in recent years. The NE region is predominantly rural with over 84% of the population living outside towns and cities (except in Mizoram where only half the population lives in the villages and Manipur where around 76% are rural). Since the 1990s, however, Arunachal Pradesh, Mizoram and Sikkim have registered an increase in urban population, as people have started moving to towns and cities in search of better livelihood opportunities and better access to basic services.

The characteristics and distribution pattern of rural and urban population holds immense significance as its proper understanding and interpretation helps in the analysis of socio-economic status of the area. It is one of the basic characteristics of population and considered as very essential for planning and development of human resource, especially for a state like Assam where rural urban difference is very high and the distribution pattern of urban centres is extremely uneven. During the past five decades, growth rates of urban population have been significant. About 11% of the population of Assam lived in urban areas in 1991, in contrast to the all India figure of 24% (1991). The urban population in 1951 was 4.29% of the total. It increased to 11.10% in 1991 and in the 2001 Census it has increased marginally. The rate of growth of urbanisation in Assam in this period was faster than that of India. Even so, Assam (12.72% in 2001) is still much less urbanised than most states in the country and based on the figure, the urbanization in Assam will require an additional 9 lac dwelling units by 2021. As a result, most urban settlements are characterised by shortfalls in housing and water supply, inadequate sewerage, traffic congestion, pollution, poverty and social unrest making urban governance a difficult task. The impact of all this growth on space, environment and quality of life will be, to say the least, tremendous. The provision of infrastructural facilities required to support such large concentration of population is lagging far behind the pace of urbanisation. The rapidly increasing population is creating unplanned and unauthorized development of the rural periphery of the metropolitan area. These call for a paradigm shift in the state and their infrastructure which can be availed through the development of new Eco Townships or Sustainable city where it is able to help support the growing demands of the population as well as ecosystem as a whole. The current aspiration of many countries is to deliver a Carbon Neutral city (a city without a carbon footprint)

Several such developments are underway including Masdar city in Abu Dhabi (Image left) and the Dongtan project on Chongming Island, China (image right) Page 89 of 179

Development of New Eco Townships An eco-township has the following characteristics:  Landscaping - Environment friendly design approach & site selection; Forestation & landscape to conserve energy  Water & Waste - Water conservation & waste management  Lighting - Energy efficient construction for townships; Renewal energy systems using solar panels, wind turbines  Green Architecture - Forestation & landscape to conserve energy; Use of Local available material for construction  Green Governance- Management practices. Good governance can bring economic and social and economic gains and less environmental degradation.  Sustainable transport- Clean & affordable public transport systems using alternative fuels such as bio diesel

The rapidly growing demand for housing and infrastructure is exerting heavy pressures on the natural environment. In this context our objective is to make World Class Eco Friendly Townships; therefore the following approach is required:  All the proposed seven eco-townships (Goalapara, Kokarajhar, Ajara, North Guwahati, Tezpur, Silchar & Dibrugarh) will be self sustainable green townships.  All the township will be designed on international energy codes & standard on efficient practices.  All the proposed township will be designed as per green building rating system & on LEED‟S USA (Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design) guidelines.  All previous mentioned approaches & concepts will be applied for our proposed townships but the implementation will be site sensitive.

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These assets need to be enhanced through eco friendly means, conserved through cost-effective, environment friendly and energy-efficient which are cheaper on the cost of construction.

However, we propose the development of New Eco-Townships in Assam with an investment of about Rs 30,000 crores. The proposed development in Assam is significantly unique and different from any other township development ever constructed in the World. It demonstrates various applications of principles and technologies available towards sustainable development, in line with providing quality living which will increase the house demand. The main demonstration projects has been identified which shall be carried out for the urban infrastructure development i.e.:      

Education Healthcare Socio – cultural Commercial Police Recreation

Re-inventing Rural Housing (eg Tea Garden Workforce Housing) Besides the improvement of urban infrastructure of new Eco- Townships would increase the land value in the prevailing land market of the region; including the cover of rural housing with a beneficiary base of 1 million people, spread over Assam.

While urbanization will increase, a significant portion of population will continue to live in rural areas.

We would need to develop housing solutions for the rural population, and make them self contained ‗rural townships‘ with banking, education, healthcare, etc.

An example of this could be the upgradation of the housing of tea garden workforce with ecorural low cost housing, with a beneficiary based of 1 million.

Given below are some thoughts on how this can be

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achieved, initially starting with a pilot.     

10 lac people – 2.5 Lac Dwelling units required Coverage: 25% of it (2.5 lac people - 62,500 dwelling units) Develop a Housing plan by selecting tea estates and hubs Build new houses for all workforce and their dependents The Facilities to be upgraded include Education, Healthcare, Socio–cultural centres & Recreation.

A huge investment will be required in setting up new urban and rural eco-townships. This investment will generate number of new jobs each year, and significantly impact the standard of living of the population of Assam. The envisaged investment requirements are: Suggested Developments

Locations

Format

Dwellings

Investment (Rs. Crores)

Townships

North Guwahati Kokrajhar Tezpur Dibrugarh Silchar Goalpara Azara

Ecologically „compliant‟

389,000 dwellings for 1.5 million population

32000

Housing for Tea Garden Workers

A Hub & Disaggregated within tea gardens

Low Cost Housing

62,500 dwellings for 0.25 million population

3000

35000

Highlights     

The Context The rural urban difference in Assam is very high and urban distribution is extremely uneven The current level of urbanisation in Assam is higher than the national average – this will translate to a requirement of an additional 9 lac dwelling units by 2021.

The need of the hour would be to ensure planned and authorized development in the rural peripheries of the exisisting metropolitan areas.

However, inspite of the urbanisation trend a significant portion of the population will continue to live in rural areas – therefore the need for the development of organised rural townships as well.

The Opportunity  Being green field projects all construction activities in this area can be planned to be self sustaining eco friendly townships – lowering the cost of initial construction as well as future operating costs.

The Impact  Apart from fulfilling housing requirements, planned eco townships will ensure minimum environmental degradation and prevent undue stress on the fragile ecology The Investment  Estimated investment required for the first phase of both urban and rural eco townships is 35,000/- crores.

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The Next Steps  Government to plan for immediate implementation of pilot projects

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2. Transportation - Context and Background 

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Assam is strategically located, forms the gateway to the Northeast. It also forms the gateway for connecting major Asian hubs to India.

Transportation of people and cargo forms the ‗core engine‘ of connecting all these regions for overall economic development Within transportation, the major modes of transportation in Assam are roadways, railways, airways and inland waterways. There are two road cum rail bridges and one road bridge over the river Brahmaputra.

It also has the ‗gift‘ of being home to the river Note: Air / Airports & Railways are not within the scope Brahmaputra and herein lies the potential of of the current plan inland waterway If inclusive growth calls for attention to inclusive governance and rural development, the single biggest constraint on accelerated growth is poor infrastructure affecting - Road connectivity; Rail connectivity; Air connectivity and Inland waterways

Transport – Emerging Insights Depict Worsening of Current Scenario Roads and Bridges Assam has total road length of approximately 67,000 kms covering both metalled and non‐metalled surfaces. That accounts for approximately 60% of the total road length in the North East. The major towns in the state are connected by National Highways. During the next five years, the Government will strive for the development of roads specifically in the industrial areas. The demand is estimated to be for 93,958 kms by 2015. While Assam contains 2.4% sq kms of the area of India, it has 3.1% of total highways in India. With 2.5% of India‘s population, Assam has higher vehicle density per km of roads when compared to India, i.e., 2% of roads but 2.4% of vehicles.

Number of vehicles have grown a 140% from 1992-2002, while road length has only increased 36%.

Assam has a total of Total 13,41,000 Vehicles; out of that, 97.5% of the vehicles are trucks, buses, two wheelers and cars, the demand of vehicles is estimated 32.4 lacs.

Brahmaputra divides Assam into two significant geographical segments – Northbank and Southbank. Only three bridges connect the Northbank with the Southbank of Brahmaputra, with one of them in Guwahati also having a railway line across the river.

Current condition of Guwahati – Silchar highway is poor and does not facilitate linkages. It is critical to address the challenges of road, bridges, highways etc. The challenges facing the State are:

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   

Huge increase of 3 lac vehicles expected over the next 3-4 years There are only 3 bridges across the Brahmaputra On the North bank, there are no highways connecting the whole north bank from Guwahati to Dhemaji which are prime economic hubs On connectivity with neighbouring countries (especially Bangladesh), current highway is in a very poor condition

Therefore solutions could be:  Widening of existing highways (Already being developed)  More bridges to be constructed over Brahmaputra at various locations for easier movement of people and cargo  An expressway connecting Guwahati and Dhemaji  Upgrading the GuwahatiSilchar- Karimganj highway The large investments are necessary for development, which would create the world-class infrastructure and connectivity.  -

Four Bridges Bridges would be built over the river Brahmaputra in identified economic belts Connecting Marigaon & Mayong – 1.9 km Connecting Dhing &Singri – 1.6 km Connecting Dhubri & Fakirganj – 2.1 km Connecting SIbsagar & North Lakhimpur – 2.2 km



An expressway

-

Build a four lane expressway connecting Guwahati – Tezpur – Dhemaji – Dibrugarh It would be situated on the northern side of the Brahmaputra river, running parallel to the current national highway, on the southern side of the river.

Length of the road is proposed to be 490 km

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Motorway connecting Silchar

-

380 km stretch from Silchar to Guwahati 50 km stretch from Silchar to Karimganj

Towards Green Highways TM

Naturenomics Green Guidelines which deliver the maximum impact from an ecological perspective under an ―ABC‖ Analysis. The parameters for the analysis have been briefly discussed as follows: Under Category „A‟ – This category includes the initiatives and recommendations which have the maximum ecological impact. These initiatives take should take the top priority in terms of getting implemented to natural resources conservation.

Under Category „B‟ - This category includes the initiatives and recommendations which have both ecological and economic impacts towards creating of Greener Highways. These initiatives need to be considered at the project planning and designing to yield the maximum benefits.

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Under Category „C‟ - This category includes the initiatives and recommendation which have both the ecological and economic impacts (as in Category ‗B‘), but they differentiate from the above, as these set of initiatives needs to be applied to existing highways (which are currently under O&M or a planned expansion) to yield the maximum benefits.

Categories of Analysis Category „A‟

Initiatives / Recommendations under Green Guidelines Sustainable Design Practices for Flora and Fauna Protection and Conservation which includes: o Wildlife Overpasses o Culverts o Signs o Open Span Bridge o Context sensitive design Water Management through implementation of BMP‘s on highways, which includes: o Biofiltration through Detention ponds and Bio retentions o Infiltration trench o Incorporation of collection sub tanks or enabling ground water recharge through rain water harvesting systems Environmental Control Technologies to reduce noise and air pollution like: o Development of Green Belts to offset pollution o Utilization of Drain Asphalt Modified Technology (DAMA)

Category „B‟

Utilization of Sustainable Materials and Resources like o Jute geo textiles o Interlocking block pavements o Geo synthetic pavement technology o Bitumen modified with plastic and glass o DAMA o Porous Pavements technologies Energy Efficient technologies like: o Cool pavement technologies o Renewable energy supplement to toll plazas

Benefits Benefits of Sustainable Designs  Resource and land use planning processes recognize and consider transportation objectives at the early stage  More efficient use of natural resources and efficient planning to adopt renewable, recyclable resources brings down construction cost  Integrated planning provides efficient economic, safety, mobility, Social, and environmental solutions Benefits of BMP‟s  Minimize storm water runoff  Improve water quality  Reduce erosion down streams  Control non-point source pollutants  Potentially reduce treatment cost  Can be used in agricultural field, business complex nearby shop,  Ground water recharge •

•

• •

Category „C‟

Utilization of sustainable materials focused on minimizing the cost of O&M through reused and recycled waste materials like: o Reclaimed Asphalt Technology o Light aggregates in asphalt concrete pavement Page 96 of 179

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Replacement of conventional energy with Renewable energy sources • Easy installation, vandal and theft resistant, corrosion resistant, no maintenance, no utility bill, Increased public safety • Reduction in greenhouse gas emission Use of light colored material for pavement construction reduces the urban heat island effect Control on the performance of contractor help to encourage use of ecofriendly technology Use of locally available construction materials will reduce fuel consumed by transporting vehicles Improve efficiency leading to lower resource cost Minimize strain on local infrastructure and resources and Optimize life-cycle economic

Categories of Analysis

Initiatives / Recommendations under Green Guidelines o Rubberized Asphalt Incorporation of Monitoring & Reporting systems leading to Green Highways Certification

Benefits performances

Inland Water Transportation The main network of 1,800 kilometers of navigable waterways of the Brahmaputra and Barak system has been designated NW-2, which is currently used for the transport of bulk goods, but expansion of the transportation sector is limited by the lack of transport and overhaul facilities, and natural restrictions in the river system due to sedimentation and shallow water levels. Development of the major waterways listed in Table 1.4 could extend the transport network for bulk goods and ferry services by 4,000 kilometers. The increase in cargo transported following 2003 was partly due to a facilitation of transport through Bangladesh and indicates the potential of NW-2 for interregional bulk carriage. Inland waterways compete favorably with road and rail for long-distance bulk transport, and could play an important role in promoting trade in an expanding regional economy (Dr. Das Partha J., 2005 & World Bank Report, 2007).

Table 1.4: Transportation potential of major waterways in the Northeast River Brahmaputra Barak Buridihing Dihang Gangadhar Subansiri

Potential navigable length (km) 891 140 161 121 113 143

River Kopili Kolodyne Kolong Katakhal Paanchar Others Total

Potential navigable length (km) 103 112 121 161 105 2012 4,191

Source: NER Vision – 2020

Most of the waterways in NER are in Assam, and are used for ferry, commercial and rescue services and as crew-training centres. Most of the cargo is transported on the Brahmaputra and consists mainly of tea, coal, bamboo, rice, jute, sugar and urea. The movement of cargo on the Brahmaputra grew from 29,414 tons in 1996-98 to 791,522 tons in 2003-04. Most of the ferry services are in Assam.

A number of infrastructure developments have Table 1.5: Major identified cargo routes on NW-2 been proposed to expand the inland waterway Identified route Nature of cargo network linked to NW-2 and improve port Kolkata-Pandu Coal, bitumen, iron, and steel facilities. A 45-meter-wide canal stretch is Pandu-Kolkata Gypsum, tea, coal planned for the Brahmaputra River from the Jogighopa-Kolkata Coal (Meghalaya) Bangladesh border to Dibrugarh, 750 kilometers Tezpur-Kolkata Tea east, with a permanent terminal at Pandu, 24Dibrugarh-Kolkata Tea hour navigational facilities, and floating terminals Silghat-Budge Budge Petroleum, oil, and lubricants at nine locations along the canal. For the Barak Namrup Urea River, there is a proposal to construct a 40Bongaigaon refinery RP Coke meter-wide channel for the entire waterway, including four terminals at strategic overhaul locations. Such investments would enable the further development of several cargo routes (Table 1.5) and ferry service routes along NW-2. There is also a range of other waterways besides NW-2 that could be developed and contribute to the economic growth of the Northeast and promote Indo-Myanmar cross-border trade.

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The third major option for increased inland water transport is the further development of the international Indo-Bangladesh Protocol route for water transport. The development of this route would increase options for goods movement to and from the Northeast and peninsular India through the Sundarbans and Bangladesh, improving the accessibility of the Northeastern Region.

The major strength of inland water transport in the plain areas of NER is the presence of several, perennial rivers, which present the cheapest mode of transportation generating the least amount of pollution. Given the costs of expanding the other modes of transportation in the region, inland water transport could present a viable, cost-effective alternative in the plain areas.

Improved inland water connectivity in the North East would increase employment opportunities and tourismrelated activity in the region. The projected increase in economic activity as a result of the development of inland water transport has been forecast to generate an additional 27,000 jobs by 2020, with total earnings estimated at Rs. 900,000 per day, and the overall projected rate of economic return on investments in inland water transport is around 15 %. Improved connectivity would also lead to the opening of inter-country routes for trade and commerce. The lack of facilities for night navigation and mechanical handling and insufficient cargo vessels and terminals will need to be addressed (World Bank Report, 2007).

In terms of Inland Water Transportation, the Brahmaputra was designated as National Waterway No 2 to give recognition to its importance as a transport artery. India has about 14,500 km of navigable waterways out of which Assam has 891 kms, 7% of total. (Assam has total waterways, length of which measure up to 4000 kms). The lengths as shown in the map are – Dhubri to Guwahati 260 km, Guwahati to Dibrugarh 508 km, Dibrugarh to Sadiya 123 km. This main channel has an estimated width of about 500 metres to 1.5 km and a depth ranging from 10 to 40 metres. Out of 44 million tones of cargo being moved annually by IWT in India, Assam contributes only 9 mn tonnes (20% of total).

The Brahmaputra and Barak system has been designated NW-2, which is currently used for the transport of bulk goods, but expansion of the transportation sector is limited by the lack of transport and overhaul facilities, and natural restrictions in the river system due to sedimentation and shallow water levels. The potential is much more, about 3,100 kms of potential unused. This shows huge potential in terms of Cargo, which is unused (81mn).

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In terms of Waterway Length, Connectivity & Efficiency in the state, potential traffic has remained untapped in Upper Assam -- tea, coal, heavy equipment oil drilling and exploration, timber etc that would travel far easier by water than road or rail. The inefficient operations of vessels is restricted to daylight hours (10-12 hours); boats merely cross the river from point to point; the average round voyage from Kolkata to Pandu and back takes 60 days (by train – 2 days). The extent of IWT traffic in Assam is going down, and plummeted from 48,200 tons in 1992-93 to 3,031 tons in 19992000. The infrastructure is very poor, i.e, very few river terminals (10-12) despite 4000+ km of waterways, also over 40% vessels and fleet are in poor condition, and infrastructure for cargo delivery is minimally developed.

Terminal Development over Brahmaputra & Barak 

Terminal Type A can be developed over Brahmaputra (Dhuburi, Goalpara, Guwahati, Tezpur, Jorhat, Dibrugarh Sadhya) & Barak (Karimganj, Barakhola, Diphu, Howraghat, Nazira) rivers which would include Public & Cargo terminal with all related facilities – jetties, waiting areas, warehousing etc.



Terminal Type B can be developed on 19 (Brahmaputra) & 17 (Barak) rivers across the state – as public terminal with jetties for passenger facilities There is a need for Sustainable Transport Systems in North East Region to address the impact of Climate Change by using alternative means of fuels or vehicles like hybrid vehicles, CNG, LPG, Bio-fuel, littium battery operated cars for short distance travelling by adopting this technology which will not only cut down the cost but will also help to cut down the environmental footprint

.

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Opportunity Areas for Assam in Transporation  

River Ports – Over 50 Type A and Type B terminals on the Brahmaputra and Barak rivers Green Roads – Expressways connecting from Guwahati to the rest of the North East – Green highways – Kaziranga by-pass – Operations and Maintenance for the highways to ensure quality and longer life

The projected investment for enhancing the roads network, and developing an inland water transportation system is: Source

Content

Green Roads Guwahati – Silchar – and Bridges Karimganj Corridor & Northbank Expressway

Investment (Rs. Crores) 9000

4 Bridges Inland Water Transport

Over Brahmaputra & Barak

6000 15000

A radical reengineering of the transportation system in Assam will facilitate better movement of people and goods, thereby improving inter and intra state trade, and giving more opportunities to the people of the state through business exposure.

Highlights The Context  The biggest constraint on accelerating growth for Assam is poor infrastructure – affecting connectivity in all forms  In a current scenario Assam has a higher vehicles density per km of road were compared to the rest of the country and the situation is likely to get worse with the ever increasing numbers of vehicles  The waterways (Bharamaputra and Barak rivers) are grossly underutilized for both cargo and passenger transportation inspite of the same being significantly more cost effective in terms of development and operations The Opportunity  Significant investment opportunities exist in the development of roads, bridges and waterways transportation The Impact  Development of communication infrastructure is a precursor to rapid economic growth and upliftment of the local population The Investment  The projected investment requirement for roads and bridges is Rs. 9,000/- crores and for waterways is Rs. 6,000/- totalling 15,000/- crores

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The Next Steps  Progress the pilot project already cleared by the government for developing water transportation in the Brahmaputra  Prioritise roads and bridges construction – invoke ―green‖ codes

3. Health Status of people in Assam The level of mortality in Assam is much higher in comparison to national level. The 2009 estimate of crude death rate in Assam is 8.4, highest among all the states, except Orissa and Madhya Pradesh.

The 2009 level of infant mortality rate is 61 compared to 50 at national level. The maternal mortality ratio (MMR) the ratio of maternal deaths per 100,000 live births in Assam during 2004-06 is 480. The level of MMR in the state is the highest among all the states in India.

The prevalence of diarrhea, ARI and fever among children below age 5 in 2006 was estimated as 8.1, 7.3 and 13.6 percent respectively as compared to 9.0, 5.8 and 14.9 percent at national level. The prevalence of TB in population of Assam was 654 per 100,000 population as against 445 per 100,000 at national level. The prevalence of diabetes, Asthma and Goitre/thyroid disorder among males age 15-54 was estimated as 601, 1105, 1371 per 100,000 males respectively as against 1051, 1627 and 383 at national level. The estimates of prevalence of diabetes, Asthma and Goitre/thyroid disorder among females age 15-49 were 402, 1411 and 760 per 100,000 compared to 881, 1696 and 949 at national level.

Nutritional Status Among the children below age five, 47% are stunted (short for their age), 14% are wasted (thin for their height) and 36% are underweight (thin for their age). The extent of malnutrition in the state, is almost same as national level. The prevalence of early breastfeeding and exclusive is much better in the state. 50% of children in Assam were breastfed within half an hour of birth compared to 24% at national level. Similarly, the mean duration of exclusive breastfeeding is 3.5 months, 1.5 months longer than national average of 2 months.

The anaemia level among children below age 5 is 70%, same as national level.

The nutritional status of adult population is more or less as national level. Thirty seven percent females and 36% males age 15-49 are thin with BMI less than 19. However, prevalence of anaemia is much higher in the state. Seventy percent females in Assam are anaemic compared to 55% at national level. Similarly, 40% males in the state are anaemic compared to 24% at national level.

Health Infrastructure As on March 2008 the state had 4592 sub-centers (SCs), 844 primary health centers (PHCs) and 103 community health centers (CHCs). According to DLHS 3 the percentage of villages having any government health facility is 57.1%. The survey shows that, 47% villages have SC, 10% have PHCs, and 7% have CHCs. The proportion of villages with District or Govt. Hospital is 5% and 8% village have Govt Dispensary. Seven percent villages have at least one private clinic and 4% have private hospital. Percentage of villages having Aganwari worker is 92.3% and villages having ASHA is 86.0 % whereas only 11 % villages have Village Health & Sanitation Committee. There is large variation across the districts with respect to availability of health facilities. The proportion of villages with any government health facility varies from the lowest of 19% in Dhemaji to 89% in North Cachar.

About two-third of people in Assam generally use government health facilities, whereas remaining one-third depends on private health facility. In urban areas, much larger proportion of population (50%) depends on private health facility. Only a small proportion (2.4%) of households in the state has some kind of health insurance.

Health Finance Indicators The Eleventh plan outlay for Assam under Health sector was 135,559 lakh. Out of this in the first two plan years of 2006-07 and 2007-08 actual expenditure was 3923.56 and 6695.10 lakh Respectively.

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In other words, in two out of five years of plan the amount spent was only 8% of the budgetary allocation. As it is observed in all the states in Assam also, the public expenditure on health is much lesser than private expenditure. The estimates of per capita public and private expenditure on health for the year 2004-05 are Rs 162 and Rs 612 respectively. The corresponding estimates at national level are Rs 242 and 959 respectively. The per capita public expenditure on health is much lower than many states from south India and Maharashtra. The state spends on health 0.86% of Gross State Domestic Products, which is again lower than many states.

Utilization of Health Care Based on DLHS 3, 84% of children aged 12-23 months received BCG vaccination, 60% received 3 doses of DPT,16 % received polio 0 and 65% received 3 doses of polio, 64% received vaccination for measles and 68 % received at least one dose of vitamin A. But still 11 % of children had not received any of these vaccines. In all, 51% of children received all recommended vaccination including BCG, 3 doses of DPT and Polio and measles. Children received 49.4 % of early childhood vaccinations from the sub centers, 19.1 % from the primary health centers and 28.7 from other government health facility whereas only 5.2 % from private health center. The full vaccination coverage ranges from the lowest of 26% in Dhubri to the highest of 88% in Dibrugarh.

Three-fourths of women in Assam received ante-natal care (ANC) during pregnancy. Among those who received ANC, 84% receive their antenatal check up from government health facility whereas only 17% from private health providers and only 8 % from community based services. Though, 74% of women received ANC, only 45% receive 3 or more ANC visits and 40% receive first ANC in the first trimester as recommended. The proportion of women who receive a full package of ANC including 3+ ANC visits, at least one TT injection and 100+ IFA tablets is only 8 percent.

According to DLHS 3, in Assam the percentage of women who had institutional delivery is 35%. Only 41% of women had safe delivery. The highest proportion of 3+ ANC visits (70%) and safe delivery is in Kamrup (71%) and the lowest is in Dhubri (21% of 3+ ANC and 19% safe delivery).

Family Planning Use Assam has achieved lower level of fertility, but still the state has to reach replacement level of total fertility rate (TFR) of 2.1. The Distrct level household survey shows still one-fifth of the births in the state are of order 4 and above. In many distrcts- Nagaon, Sonitpur, Cachar, Karimganj, Hailakandi fertility is high as one-fourth or more births are of four or higher order. Though 50% women in reproductive age in the state are using contraception, the use of modern methods is only 30%. A large proportion of women in the state uses traditional methods that have lower effectiveness. The use of modern methods is particularly low in Golaghat, Karimganj, Hailakandi, where 20% or lesser women use modern methods of family planning.

Concluding remarks  The state of Assam has managed to keep population growth rate lower than many states like, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar etc. as well as national level. However, it is the higher level of mortality rather than low level of fertility that has contributed in keeping the level of growth low. Improvement in the level of mortality, particularly, infant and child mortality and maternal mortality needs prioritization. Reduction in infant and child mortality and maternal mortality is expected to bring substantial decline in overall mortality in the state. The efforts to reduce mortality also will result into reduction in morbidity levels.  The highest level of maternal mortality in the state across all the states in India is a matter of grave concern. The levels of maternal mortality are closely associated with: 1) higher fertility, 2) lower utilization of antenatal and delivery and post-natal care. There is a need to propagate use of modern methods, particularly spacing methods. The schemes like Janani Suraksha Yojana need to revamp to increase utilization of maternal health care.  Assam is one among the three states in India, having highest infant and child mortality. The high infant and child mortality is associated with lower levels of maternal health care as well as child immunization and control and management of diarrhea and ARI. The higher rate of acute respiratory infection (ARI) among young children below age 5 in the state and higher

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rate of TB among adults in the state can be associated with extensive use of solid fuel in the state. Seventy-five percent of households in the state use solid fuel. Though the state fares better in comparison to many states with respect to improved sources of water and toilet facility, it is not sufficient to control diarrheal diseases among children. Again, educational programmes of management of childhood diseases need revamping. Child vaccination needs immediate attention.

The state needs better utilization of funds and spend more on health sector.

Though Assam does not belong to the group of EAG states, it is one among the 18 states with special focus under National Rural Health Mission (NRHM). Though the survey shows a large proportion of villages having ASHA, the scheme needs to cover all the states. The state has a large number of villages with anganwadi. Better functioning of them and improved utilization is essential.

4. Education Brief Note on School Education in Assam This report is based on a study of existing data sources and reports pertaining to school education in Assam. We have examined school education in Assam from the point of view of access—overall and across social and regional parameters, and from the point of view of quality—students achievement, teacher practices, teacher education and fiscal priority to education. We end the report with some tentative observations on aspects that merit attention in state policy. While data and analysis of elementary education is reasonably extensive and comprehensive, there is a paucity of data and analysis for secondary education and vocational education. The report is thus limited by these considerations.

8

Bordering six states and two countries, Assam accounts for about 2.4 percent of the India‘s geographical area. Its 31.17 million people (2011 Provisional Census) are 2.56 percent of the country‘s population, and its population density of 397 persons per square kilometre is marginally higher than the average density for the country 382 persons per square kilometre. Its sex ratio of 954 females per 1000 males, an improvement of 18 points over 2001 data, compares favorably with the national ratio of 940 females per 1000 males.

In 2001, the tribal communities of Assam comprised 15.64 % of the total population of Assam.

Although the 2001 census showed the ST population to be about 13% of total population, it did not include the Bodos living in the hill districts and Karbis living in the plains districts. If these categories of tribes were also included, the tribal population of the state would exceed 20% of the state population. The SC population in 2001 was 7.4% of state population.

Although the tribal communities of Assam have their individual languages, cultural traits, rites and rituals, their cultures and ways of life have engaged and overlapped with the culture of the mainstream. In the Brahmaputra valley, the chief language spoken is Assamese while in the Barak Valley, Bengali is predominant. As per the 2001 census, the major languages spoken in Assam include Assamese (49.4%), Bengali (27.9%), Bodo (4.9%) and Hindi (5.9%) - although there are as many as 45 languages being spoken by different communities.

8 There are interesting explanations of the history behind the name of the State. According to one group of historians, Mughals called Brahmputra Valley the name Asham, as the land is uneven or peerless and in Sanskrit, Asham means uneven. The second opinion is that Asham originated from the word Tai-Ahom, the ruling dynasty of mainly upper Assam (Bazlur (2010); Barpujari (2004)).

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With about 30% of population being Muslim, Assam is the second largest Muslim populated state of India after Jammu and Kashmir. Muslims have been historically concentrated in the south and west Assam. Five of the six Muslims majority districts of Assam lie in these regions. In Assam as a whole, the Muslim population rose from 24.68% in 1951 to 30.90% in 2001 with a growth rate of 29.3% in 1991-2001.The increase in Muslim population was also due to the illegal migration from adjoining Bangladesh. According to Bazlur (2010) the Muslim community in Assam is heterogeneous and divided culturally, ethnically and linguistically, especially since Muslims arrived and settled in different places at different stages of history. He describes how both Assamese and Bengali languages include Arabic and Persian words.

Assam's 27 districts vary considerably in size, population density and literacy. The district of Karbi Anglong, almost 10,500 square kilometres in area, is nearly eight times as large as Hailakandi district.

With respect to population densities, the spread is even larger. The Kamrup Metropolitan district (2010 people per square km) is almost 50 times more dense than Dima Hasao. In terms of literacy, although all the districts have shown an improvement since 2001, disparities remain with Kamrup 9 Metropolitan leading at 88.66% while Dhubri has a literacy rate of 59.36% .

Acco rding to Human Development Report (2003) on Assam, the incidence of unemployment is increasing over the years and is higher than the national average. ‗Unemployment rates in Assam in 1983 were 2.2 percent, as compared to 2.0 percent for the country. By 1999-2000 the country‘s unemployment rate had risen marginally to 2.3 percent, while Assam‘s unemployment rate had risen substantially to 4.6 percent‘ (Assam Human Development Report 2003: v).

10

The effective literacy rate for Assam in 2011 has shown a marked improvement over 2001 although it still remains marginally lower than the national average of 74.04 percent.

9 However, as compared to 2001, Dhubri has increased its literacy rate by an impressive 23%.

10 A literate is defined as “A person aged 7 and above who can both read and write with understanding in any language.”

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(in percentages)

Overall

Male literacy

Female literacy

2011

73.18

78.81

67.27

2001

63.25

71.28

54.61

Source: National Census Survey.

The planning process under DPEP began in 1993 and was approved for implementation from September 1995 onwards. Sarva Siksha Abiyan phase began in 2001.

Elementary and Secondary Education in Assam Access and Enrollment Assam has shown continuous increase in the number of schools from 2006 to 2009. However, in 2009-10, the number of schools, the number of teachers and the enrollment in schools showed a decline. This decline is a result of the state closing down 8772 Alternative and Inclusive Education 11 Centres and 6476 Venture schools . Since education in most remote villages happens through these non-provincialized venture schools set up by the community, often using a volunteer teacher, its immediate impact on education is likely to be detrimental.

2006-07

2007-08

2008-09

2009-10*

63996

66727

68542

53338

Enrollment in Govt schools 4.6 million (elementary)

4.6 million

4.9 million

4.2 million

Enrollment in Private schools 0.8 million (elementary)

1.1 million

0.9 million

0.9 million

Total No. of Teachers

242203

261211

225857

Total No. of Schools

221047

*Provisional (Source : DISE) Interestingly, even though the number of private schools increased in 2009-10 by 5%, the increase in enrollment was lower at 3%, suggesting that there is underlining faith in the government elementary schooling system. This is further corroborated by the fact that, at present, about 16% of the total schools are private schools as compared to India wide percentages hovering at about 20%.

2006-07

2007-08

2008-09

2009-10

No. of private schools

10735

12777

8395

8820

% of total schools

16.77

19.15

12.25

16.54

Source: DISE The reduction in number of schools in 2009-10 has led to a decrease in ratio of Primary Schools/Sections per thousand Child Population (6 to 11 Years). This ratio fell from a consistent 17 th from 2007-09 to 13 in 2009-10 and became closer to the national average of 10. The NCERT 7 survey points out that in 2002, 45% of rural habitations in Assam had access to primary school within the rural setting as compared to the national average of 53%.

11 When the community opens schools with the permission of the Government, they are locally known as “Venture Schools�. The schools are than given recognition by the state (become provincialized) if they meet some conditions.

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Assam India

Within the rural setting

Within 1 km of rural setting

45%

40%

53%

34%

th

Source: NCERT 7 Survey.

A recent study conducted by the Omeo Kumar Das Institute of Social Change and Development, (―Universal elementary education poor‖, Nov. 2010) showed that habitations having 300 or above populations (12 % of the habitations) and 500 and above populations (10% of the habitations) are yet to have 100 percent coverage by one Primary school and one Upper Primary school respectively. A recent report by SSA indicated that the number of habitations unserved in Assam has has dropped from 9651in 2002 to 1661 in 2007.

In terms of out of school children, ASER 2010 report shows that the state achieved significant progress in reducing the number of out-of-school children across boys and girls as shown by the graph below. The SSA mission data corroborates this perspective. It shows a decrease in out of school children (OOSC) population from 7.27% (2007) to 3.56% (2009). However, there are wide inter-district disparities with a variance of almost 2.8 %; Cachar district for instance has an OOSC of 1.28% while Sonitpur is at a high 7.94%.

Assam is one of the few states which has almost equal number of girls in Primary (Gender Parity Index of 0.99 in 2009-10) and Upper Primary (Gender Parity Index 1.05 in 2009-10). Both these indices have shown consistent improvement over the last 3 years and are above the national averages of 0.94 and 0.93 for Primary and Upper Primary grades.

Although comparable current data for secondary schools is not available, an analysis of the NCERT th 7 survey shows that in 2002, the GPI for Secondary schools 1.02 . This could be possible because of a low motivation of parents to send boys for secondary schooling so that they may become earning members (Mehrotra, 2005, p.51).

However, the picture reverses in terms of higher education. Of the total enrollment of students in higher education, the percentage of women stands at 33.63 (Statistical Handbook Assam, 2009).

Although women have significant enrollment in MA (44.6%), PhD(42.6%) and BA (40.13%), they still do not have a major share in enrollment in BE (Engineering) (9.05%), B. Com (14.37%) and B.Sc (16%). This represents a preference towards Arts and against Science streams. Further, these Page 106 of 179

women belong mainly to middle class or elite section of Assamese society. Despite the increase in enrollment at primary levels under SSA, the overall picture is still unsatisfactory. The statistics produced by National Family Health Survey, India, 2008 shows that in Assam still 30% women within the age-group 15-49 have never attended school, and only 19% women have completed at least 10 years of schooling.

The state has a relatively low SC and ST population – 7.4% and 12.82% respectively (Census of India 2001). However, in schools, this percentage enrollment in Primary has been declining over the past 3 years. For instance, the comparable figures for SC and ST enrollment in 2007-08 were 11.1% and 18% respectively. 93.01% of SC children and 93.55% of ST children are in school

d

Primary

d

Upper Primary n

Secondary

n

Higher Secondary d

n

SC%

ST%

Muslims%

9.3

14.7

39.9

10.5

16.3

31.9

11

17.7

17.1

9.1

8.9

14.9

th

DISE 2009-10; NCERT 7 Survey 2002

The Muslim population in Assam as per 2001 census was 30.9% and 6 of the 27 districts have a Muslim majority. Hence, the increase in enrollment in Primary and Upper Primary over the past 3 years can be seen as a positive trend. According to an SSA report, the children from minority community are not an issue in Assam. Rather, the problem areas are the tea estates since most tea estate owners did not allow to open new schools in tea garden areas. However, according to the Social, Economic and Educational Status of the Muslim Community in India (2006) amongst other states like West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh and Andhra Pradesh, Assam reports a significant difference in the enrollment rates of Muslim children compared to children of other communities.

Fig. Differences in Attendance (Enrolment) Levels between Muslims and All Others

Source: Social, Economic and Educational Status of the Muslim Community in India (2006), pp. 57

Early childhood centers In 2001, the percentage of population in the age-group 0-6 was 16.87, which has come down to 14.47 in 2011 (Census of India 2011). Although the population trend of age 0 to 6 years is declining, close to Page 107 of 179

a quarter of 3 to 4 year olds in Assam do not attend aganwadi or any kind of pre-school. There is a wide variation across districts. While over 85% of 3 to 4 year olds attend pre-school in Darrang, Jorhat, Kamrup, Marigaon, Nagaon, Nalbari; under 70% do so in Dhemaji, Dhubri, Goalpara, Hailakandi, Karbi Anglong, Karimganj, North Cachar Hills and Sibsagar (ASER 2010). In terms of provision, the ICDS network seems to be expanding. According to the Directorate of Social Welfare, Assam the ICDS scheme has been expended to 223 blocks comprising of 37,082 Anganwadi centres.

This is a sharp increase from the 13,000 odd anganwadis reported in the Seventh All India School Education Survey (NCERT, 2002).

Quality The fourth goal of Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (henceforth SSA) ‗education of satisfactory quality‘ assumes significance since quality education has integral linkages with access and retention.

Although there are many conceptions of the term ‗quality‘ in education, this section will review the quality of education in Assam as measured by students‘ learning levels, curriculum reform, teacher availability and training, pedagogic practices and fiscal priority to education. Though not comprehensive, these indicators of quality are useful for any reform agenda.

Students‘ Learning Levels Notwithstanding the challenges concerning access to schooling, the reform agenda in the state of Assam has not translated into perceptible improvements in the students‘ learning attainment levels.

Various sources of data point to the minimal learning levels. According to Student Learning Study (Educational Initiatives 2008-09), about 25-35% of the students in Std IV, VI, VIII could reach the ‗low benchmark‘ level (a percentile score of 23 to 27) when tested in various competencies in language and math. A review of Annual Status of Education Report (ASER) data from 2008 to 2010 reveals that just about 45% children in Std III-V can do at least do subtraction. Although not as an explanation, it should be note that though the official age of entry into Std I in Assam is six years, about 22 to 30% children in grade I are 5 years old (UNICEF survey 1999, ASER 2010). A comparison of students‘ performance (students securing 60% and above marks) in Assam with the national average also shows a 20 percentage point lower attainment which highlights below average learning achievement levels.

DISE: Flash Statistics

Students' Performance: Grade IV/V

Students‘ Performance: Grade VII/VIII*

% of boys secured 60% and above marks

% of boys secured 60% and above marks

2008-09

2009-10

% of girls secured 60% and above marks

2008-09

2009-10

2008-09

% of girls secured 60% and above marks

2009-10

2008-09

2009-10

Assam

32.33

34.29

30.99

32.43

22.25

25.71

21.7

23.64

India

50.20

56.04

50.51

55.76

42.55

49.19

43.56

48.90

In the recently declared higher secondary examination results, students from small towns across Assam overshadowed students in Guwahati in arts and science. ‗However, in commerce, students from the capital scored high. Girls outshone boys in all three streams science, commerce and arts‘. ‗The overall pass percentage of arts was 73.14 and commerce 79.81 while science recorded 87.32, which was a slightly better show than last year's‘. Dhemaji district was at the top with over 90% score in all the three streams. ‗Colleges in Bajali, Nalbari and Dibrugarh among other small towns were way Page 108 of 179

ahead of city colleges‘. (Times of India, 24 May 2011). However in the absence of any other studies on the nature of learning in secondary school, or of dissaggregated statistics which would enable us to analyse the nature of performance (even at the crude level of number of first classes, and average scores in science and mathematics), we are unable to comment on the overall quality of learning.

Curriculum Review Under the pressing circumstances of providing free and compulsory education to all children up to the age of 14 years, the Assam State Council Educational Research and Training (henceforth SCERT) undertook curriculum renewal in 2006. Some salient features of the new curriculum, the foundations of which rests on the principles of equity, relevance and excellence have implications on the quality of education in the state. Under the plan for modernisation of Madrasas, a new outlook has been given to update the Arabic and Diniyat curriculum for Madrassa. This has been reinforced by the Congress led government which has brought in all Madrasas recognised by the State Madrasa Board under its annual financial scheme. This may explain the increase in enrolment of muslim children in upper primary from 16.5% in 2007-08 to 31.9% in 2009-10 (District Information System for Education, henceforth DISE).

Another major change undertaken has been in the evaluation system; half yearly and annual examinations have been replaced by periodical evaluation spread over four phases. Although this was intended to reduce the learning load and one would expect such a move to push the wheels of Universal Elementary Education; for Assam this has not translated into higher transition rate from primary to upper primary level. From 93.4% in 2007-08, the transition rate reduced to 88.4% in 200910 (DISE).

Teachers and training Availability of trained teachers is an important variable for quality education. Over the years there has been an increase in the average number of teachers per school which has consistently pulled down the pupil-teacher ratio (henceforth PTR) to 23 in 2009-10. With respect to all schools, only 3 districts in Assam reported a PTR of above 30 in 2009-10 (DISE). More teachers per school has also lead to a decline in the growth of single teacher schools. From 29.5% in 2006-07, this proportion has reduced to 12.1% in 2009-10 (DISE).

DISE Card

State

Report 2006-07

2007-08

2008-09

2009-10

Average number of teachers per school

3.5

3.6

3.8

4.2

PTR

25

24

22

23

However, the mere provision of teachers cannot automatically lead to substantial quality improvement, unless these teachers are professionally trained. In 2009-10, Assam had 46.7% professionally trained regular teachers distributed across all types of schools which increased by 5 percentage points from the previous year. The sharpest increase in this change was recorded in government managed schools. However, compared to the national average, the distribution of professionally trained regular and contractual teachers is dismal in Assam.

DISE: 2009-10 (All Schools) Assam India

% Distribution of Professionally Trained Regular Teachers 46.66 81.01

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% Distribution of Professionally Trained Contractual-Teachers 12.9 44.64

This is a dubious distinction since Assam has a variety of teacher training institutes like Basic Training Centre providing primary in-service training, DIETS, and B.Ed colleges, State Institute of Science Education (SISE), Guwahati providing (in service) short term course on subjects like Science, Mathematics and Environmental Science for teachers of primary, middle, secondary schools, English Language Teaching institute (ELTI), Guwahati, providing (in-Service) short term courses on English language teaching for teachers of middle, secondary and higher secondary schools and the Assam Higher Secondary Education Council (AHSEC) Guwahati which provides short-term training courses in various +2 level subjects for higher secondary school teachers. However, with the advent of RtE which mandates that norms and standards with respect to teacher training be met within a stipulated time, the state is currently battling with a very high proportion of untrained teachers.

Teaching practices According to UNICEF survey 1999 (Mehrotra et al. 2005) which aimed at a situation analysis of school systems in 8 states of India, over 90% of teachers surveyed in rural and urban Assam taught through textbooks and there seemed to be a low utilisation of other teaching-learning aids. In light of this, from 2007 to 2010, the Assam SCERT undertook an exercise to review and develop textbooks for classes I to XII as part of the curriculum review exercise undertaken by the state in 2006. This curriculum review endeavour envisioned to shift pedagogy from traditional teacher centred learning strategy to the learner centred approach with a focus on participatory, activity-based, environment based learning processes. The Assam SCERT asserts its discouragement towards traditional chalk and talk teaching-learning technique and instead suggests to adopt modes such as use of audiovisual aids, IT, group learning, project works and cultural activities. In the backdrop of unmet teacher training requirements, the biggest challenge for the state would be to see these recommendations being implemented in practice.

Fiscal Priority to Education To the extent that resources influence outcomes, the state‘s commitment to provide free and highquality education is determined by the share of public expenditure on education. The change in state‘s expenditure as a result of fiscal squeeze or as a result of fiscal reform would bear deep consequences to the status of education in Assam. ‗Assam devoted the highest percentage of its State Domestic Product (SDP) – or accorded macroeconomic priority – to education (5.9) during 1995-2000‘. High allocation to education is represented in yet another fiscal measure. In the same time period, the proportion of the revenue budget allocated to elementary education was as high as 17% in Assam and the state spent more than a quarter of its revenue budget on total education. In the period 1995-2000, Assam‘s per capita expenditure on total expenditure was Rs. 98 compared to Rs. 82 in West Bengal and Rs. 69 in Andhra Pradesh (Mehrotra et al. 2005: 144-50).

Although the percentage grants (Teacher-Learning Material and School Development) utilised has remained over 95% for the last 5 years, the percentage of schools that received these grants has increased from 58.4% and 56.9% in 2006-07 to 82.9% and 76.3% in 2009-10 respectively. However, the proportion of annual budget spent on training at elementary and secondary level is exceptionally low. ‗The budget analysis of the State government from the period 2001-02 to 2009-10 shows that only 0.37 per cent of annual budget, on an average, is used for teachers‘ training at the Secondary level and only .0015 per cent of the budgeted expenditure on Elementary education is spent for teachers‘ training‘ (The Assam Tribune, Nov 14 2010).

Institutional/Human Resources Assam has one of the most extensive networks of higher educational and teacher training institutions in the entire North-Eastern region of India. In addition to the availability of centres for teacher education (in and preservice for elementary and secondary education), we have looked at university Page 110 of 179

education also. This is important to understand from the point of view of school education as it provides an understanding of the extent of availability of graduates from various disciplinary streams who may enter into the teaching profession. The extent and types of university study of education also provides an understanding of the preparation of and availability of teacher educators.

Teacher Education Institutions Existing teacher training institutes of the state:  19 Basic Training Centre (BTC) having an annual intake of 4500  1 Pre-primary Training Centre (PPTC) provides Junior Basic Training Course (JBTC) with an intake of 100  4 to 7 Normal schools which caters to teachers for middle school providing in service training with an intake of about 200 to 350  18 District Institute of Education and Training (DIET) provide primary (in-service) with an intake of 1500 and D.E.Ed. (Pre-service) with an intake of 600  57 B Ed. Colleges with an intake of 3420. Graduate teachers are deputed to selected B Ed. College /CTEs for in-service training. There are many private B. Ed. colleges of which some are recognized by NCTE but others are not  7 College of Teacher Education (CTE) provides secondary (pre-service and in-service) B Ed. of 1 year duration with intake of 800 Short term courses on different subjects are offered by the following institutions to teachers of primary, middle, secondary and higher schools:  State Institute of Science Education (SISE), Guwahati provides in service short term course on science, mathematics and environmental science  State Institute of Education, Jorhat provides in service short term courses on school subjects and teaching methodology  English Language Teaching institute (ELTI), Guwahat offers in service short term courses on English language teaching Board of Secondary Education Council (SEBA), Guwahati provides short term subject specific training in for middle and secondary level in-service teachers. Assam Higher Secondary Education Council (AHSEC), Guwahati has the vision to implement innovations in teaching-learning methodologies.

Besides undertaking reforms in examinations and evaluation processes, the Council is ‗trying to popularize Spoken English Course amongst the HS students‘ (www.ahseconline.org). The council also offers short term subject specific training to higher secondary school teachers. State Council of Educational Research and Training established in 1985 streamlines, integrates and coordinates academic and professional activities at the school level. As an extension to its services it also provides teacher training to various organizations and institutions in addition to AIR programmes for the primary and upper primary level teachers on many academic issues related to approach, philosophy and pedagogy. WE were not able to access and secondary research or records on the quality of activities of these institutions, or how vibrantly they are performing today.

Universities and Higher Education Institutions Assam has five universities (Guwahati, Silchar, Dibrugarh, Tezpur and agricultural university in Borbheta), four government engineering colleges (Guwahati, Jorhat, Silchar) and three government medical colleges (Guwahati, Silchar and Dibrugarh). Indian Institute of Technology in Guwahati commenced its program in 1995 and is a premier institute of engineering, science and technology (http://assamgovt.nic.in/educational_institutions.asp). Dibrugarh University and Guwahati University also conduct regular B. Ed and M.Ed. course (pre-service) for secondary level teachers.

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Krishna Kanta Handiqui State Open University, established in 2005 and headquartered in Dispur is the first and the only open university for the North-East region of India. With the purpose of promoting education to the unreached through the Open and Distance Learning System, ‗the main aim of the university [is] to develop and provide easily accessible modes of quality higher education and training with the use of latest educational inputs and technology. [With] the inherent flexibility in terms of pace and place of learning, methods of evaluation etc., the university holds the promise of providing equality of opportunities for higher education and bringing into its fold the deprived and denied sections along with the fresh learners‘ (www.kkhsou.in). From 4200 in 2008, the total enrollment increased to over 24000 by 2009. Simultaneouly the number of study centres increased from 79 to 220. Apart from offering around forty academic programmes in humanities, science, social sciences and professional areas, such as Ph. D., masters and bachelors degree; the university with the intention of making learners self dependent has introduced a variety of vocation training courses (www.kkhsou.in). While these data indicate the extent of network and access to higher education, we are unable to comment on the quality of programmes provided or the quality of learning of students.

We are also unable to comment on whether these institutions can consistently deliver quality education which would be able to directly address the development of capacities that would be able to address unemployment.

Post Secondary Vocational Education This is an important dimension of understanding educational avenues. However we were unable to access data about this.

Some observations and recommendations 1. Coverage and access to education is reasonably well established, however pockets remain especially in remote areas and in tea-gardens which merit special efforts and focused funding and action. The state may consider the expansion of ICDS and including of pre-school centres within existing schools, (2 to 6 age group), in such areas.

2. Availability of trained teaches is a major concern for the state. Addressing teacher education requires large scale availability of teacher educators. Towards this the state needs to strengthen centres for teacher education and higher study of education. An academically strong SCERT is essential to support this. Along with this, University strengthening is essential. The strenthening of science education and womens participation in science programmes is necessary. The availability of teachers in mathematics and science will be a matter of concern and the state will need to address the development of adequate access to science and mathematics undergraduate education.

3. The state is to be commended for initiating a curriculum revision effort in 2006, following the NCF 2005. To ensure that the curriculum revision exercise is more than mere textbook revision and addresses the curricular requirements of the state, a State Curriculum Framework for School Education must be developed.

In particular, early literacy and linguistic diversity issues must be addressed.

4. The State is to be commended for bringing the madrasa schools into the ambit of the department of education. This also places special requirements with regards curriculum and the state must respond to this to ensure that the inclusion of madrasa schools leads to an improvement in the quality of general education on offer there. Given that the overall participation of children from muslim communities is lower than that from otehr communities, there needs to be special efforts targetting this group. Education of teachers working in schools serving these communiteis is essential.

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5. The state may also consider creating special focus on girls inclusion in schools, towards enabling them to complete ten years of school and actively access opportunities for post secondary education.

6. Existing teacher education curricula will need to be revised to support the curriculum revision efforts of the state that were initiated in 2006. This revision is required for both secondary and elementary teacher education. Given the huge numbers of untrained teachers in the system, the state needs to address this on a war footing. The state has an extensive set of institutions which can provide inservice teacher education. The quality of programmes on offer and of man-power/teacher educators needs to be reviewed to understand if these are making an impact on quality of learning.

7. Although there is not much increase or participation in private schools in the state, as demand for English emerges, private providers of varying quality will find a place in the state. In anticipation, the state may consider taking up teaching of English as an focus area of curriculum requiring attention and preparation and the use of a variety of media to support pedagogy and curriculum.

8. The extent to which expertise is available within the state for policy analysis and for documenting and analyzing the state of secondary education and vocational education is limited. The state may consider commissioning reports on these areas, in the light of recent planning commission initiatives in the area of vocational education. This also assumes significance given concerns regarding unemployment in the state.

We project an investment of Rs 1500 crores in the above opportunity areas for education in Assam.

Summary Infrastructure Opportunity in Assam 

Eco Townships: The urban population is rapidly increasing and historically urban areas have been driving force in economic and social development and core engine of productivity and growth in the country. Today, urbanisation means shifting of jobs from agriculture to industry and the concentration of economic opportunities in the urban areas. Urbanisation is associated with higher incomes, improved health, higher literacy, improved quality of life and other benefits.

Yet along with the benefits of urbanization come environmental and social ills. Since with urbanization the concentration of people is increasing in cities so is the demand for basic necessities likes food, drinking water, energy and shelter. The result is in terms of poor quality housing, lack of water supply, sanitation facility and lack of proper waste disposal facility leading to stressed infrastructure, management systems and diseases. The challenge is to seek new management approaches that provide both for the needs of urban residents and protect environmental resources on which human life depends. Development of New Eco Townships is a new management approach for urban local bodies that can lead cities towards eco-cities.

These townships would be built on the principles of ecological compliance in terms of biodiverse landscaping, waste management, water management, and air quality. In addition, rural housing could be upgraded with low cost eco-housing, and a possible pilot project could be with the tea garden workforce in Assam.



Power: There is immense potential for the development in non-conventional and renewable energy sector in Assam, specifically Hydel power and nuclear energy, as rural areas do not have enough electricity access. Rural electrification is the key for accelerating rural development as electricity is essential to cater to requirements of home lighting, agriculture, Page 113 of 179

rural industries, khadi and village industries, healthcare, education, IT etc. In order to augment the hydro generation, clean-energy projects are required which will involve Hydel power from Brahmaputra, through a rural based model and nuclear energy. Given the priority to rural areas for enough electricity supply, these projects will create grassroots economic activity across multiple sectors. 

Transportation: Assam is blessed with all modes of transportation. The major modes of transportation in Assam are roadways, railways, airways and inland waterways. There are two roads cum rail bridges and one road bridge over the river Brahmaputra. To understand the significance of infrastructural development for the overall growth and development of the state, an appropriate strategy, action and management is required. A key opportunity in Assam for transportation is inland waterways – to great over 50 river ports on the Brahmaputra and Barak rivers for facilitation of movement of goods and people



Health: Assam has more than 5400 health centers at all levels. The number of health centers in Assam in higher than any of the North Eastern states but lower than India average. However, in order to improve availability and access to quality health care by people, especially for those residing in rural areas, the poor, women and children, there is urgent need to build the ―Core strategies‖ around it. This will not just reduce the Infant Mortality Rate (IMR) but also prevent/ control the diseases, give access to public health services, access to integrated comprehensive primary healthcare, etc.



Information Technology: base is essential for the development of every sector in the economy. It is necessary for the management of information required for grassroots planning. In order to improve the IT of Assam, 3 components are required to build the IT platform viz-a-viz, E–Governance services, Green IT facilities and Development of IT skills.

Highlights The Context  Education is a fundamental requirement of human development,  Assam has a literacy rate of 63.25% which is marginally lower than the national average.  However levels of education are significantly lower than the national average, and dropout levels at subsequent stages of schooling are extremely high.  Access to school due to poor infrastructure is also a stated reason for high dropout rates  The majority of schools in rural areas lack the basic amenities like power and clean water The Opportunity  Opportunity exists for a revamp of the education systems focusing on primary education at the rural level

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F. Incentives for Investments There has been a need for planned incentive packages to stimulate development of industries since the past few decades. Expert groups and committees were constituted by the Ministry of Industry and the Planning Commission to formulate industrial policies at the NER level. There have been initiatives to boost growth in the region with the rollout of dedicated industrial policies, which was first initiated in 1997.

In December 1997, the Government of India announced a separate industrial policy for the NER. The major features included providing incentives for the development of growth centres and Industrial Infrastructure Development Centres (IIDCs). It also included transport subsidies, attractive fiscal incentives for the establishment of new industrial units and substantial expansion of the existing units.

This policy was replaced by the North East Industrial and Investment Promotion Policy, 2007.

The Government of India, Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Department of Industrial Policy Promotion (DIPP) has formulated a package of fiscal incentives for the North East Region under the Box 1.4: The Highlight of the NEIIPP, 2007 Project Development Incentive  15% to 30% Capital Investment Subsidy on Plant & Machinery  Up to Rs 1.5 crore ($ 333,333) automatically, Rs 30 crore ($ 6 mn) by Committee, Unlimited by the Cabinet approval  Fiscal Incentive: 100% exemption of Income Tax Revenue Incentive  100% Excise Duty Refund  100% insurance premium for plant & machinery  3% interest subsidy on working capital loan  Existing transport subsidy Coverage & Duration  Incentives under this policy will be applicable to the following sectors:  Hotels (not below 2star category) and tourism  Medical and Health services – Nursing homes & Old age homes  Vocational training institutes – Catering, food crafts, fashion designing, civil aviation, paramedical, IT etc.  Incentives to bio-technology R&D  Power Generation (except Atomic), Transmission and Distribution  Benefits will be available for 10 years from date of commencement of operations (Practically till 2027) Other Features  The negative list where under industries like Tobacco, Pan Masala, Plastic Carry bags of less than 20 microns and some specified goods produced by petroleum oil and gas refineries are not eligible for this benefits.  Monitoring committee comprising government and industry representatives to be set up to ensure smooth functioning of the policy

―North East Industrial and Investment Policy (NEIIPP), 2007‖. The policy which is planned for a period of 10 years will accelerate the pace of industrialization and the development of the region. The major addition in the policy is the inclusion of the state of Sikkim along with other NE states.

The NEIIPP, 2007 provides for an enhanced capital investment subsidy from 15% to 30% of Plant and Machinery subject to a maximum of Rs.1.5 crore. This represents a five-fold increase in the ceiling for capital investment subsidy, which was earlier only limited to 30 lakh. The Policy allows continuation of

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benefits of excise duty and income tax exemption with a 100% excise duty exemption and 100% income tax exemption.

The Policy also has a provision to consider medium and large projects which have a significant potential for employment generation, to be given subsidy upto Rs.30 crore subject to the approval of an Empowered Committee. In addition a transport subsidy ranging from 50% to 90% is admissible on the transportation cost incurred by an entrepreneur on the movement of raw materials and finished products.

In order to establish a monitoring mechanism for implementation of the policy, a High Level Committee and an Advisory Committee will be set up under DIPP, DONER, Banking and Insurance, Representative of Planning Commission, CMD, NEDFi as well as major stakeholders including industry associations of the NE region. In addition an Over Sight Committee under the Union Commerce and Industry Minister with Industry Ministers of NE region would be constituted to ensure eco-friendly development of the Northeast.

Apart from the above policy, the Government of Assam too has declared the following policies: Assam Industrial Policy 2003 The Industrial Policy of Assam aims at increasing the share of the industrial sector in the State Domestic Product (SDP) from the present level of 13% to at least 18 % at the end of the terminal year of the policy in 2008. The main objectives of the industrial policy are:      

Attract further investments into the state; Encourage private investment in industrial infrastructure projects; Ensure industrial development in backward regions and ensure growth and development of SSI units; Promote IT, biotech industries and export oriented industrial units and ensure revival of sick industrial units; Provide single window clearance system for fast track clearance of industrial proposals; Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) will be eligible for priority clearance of various permissions, allotment of land parcels and power sanction through the single window clearance committee deployed at the state government level.

Package of Incentives available in Assam for setting up Industries – Assam & North East S. N.

Incentives

1

Interest Subsidy on term loan

2

Power Subsidy

State Policy 30% of interest on term loan to F.I. for micro industrial units subject to ceiling of Rs 1.00 lacs per Year (a) 30% subsidy on Power tariff on actual units consumed for 5 years upto connected load of 1.00 MW subject to ceiling of Rs.10.00 lacs per annum. (b) 25% subsidy on power

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NEIIPP07

S. N.

Incentives

State Policy tariff on actual units consumed for 5 Years upto connected load above 1.00 MW subject to ceiling of Rs.25.00 lacs per annum.

3

Quality Certification/ Technical Know how

4

Drawl of Power Line

5

VAT

6

Exemption from Stamp Duty & Registration Fee

7

Special incentive for Mega project

8

Special investment for revival of sick units

9

Participation in Trade Fair

50% subsidy subject to ceiling of Rs.1.00 lacs for fees paid for obtaining BIS/ ISO/ FPO/ Agmark or know how obtained from recognized laboratory like CFTRI/ CIPET 25% of cost payable at ASEB for drawl of power line including cost of Transformer subject to ceiling of Rs.10.00 lacs per unit to micro and small units (a) 7 Years ceiling of maximum 200% of fixed capital for micro, 150% for small and 100% for medium and large new units. (b) 7 Years ceiling of maximum 150% of additional fixed capital for micro, 100% for small and 90% for medium and large units under going substantial expansion.

100% reimbursement of stamp duty and registration fees for setting up of industrial infrastructure.

Priority land allotment, raising ceiling amount of subsidy period of validity of tax concession on case to case basis for Mega projects (100 cores or 1000 minimum employment) Exception of 99% of tax payable under VAT for 3 Years ceiling of 100% of additional investment made for rehabilitation (a) Reimbursement of 50% of rent ceiling of Rs. 10,000 (b) Reimbursement of 50% of transport cost incurred Page 117 of 179

NEIIPP07

S. N.

Incentives

State Policy

NEIIPP07

on exhibits for exhibition in S.E. Asia with ceiling of Rs.50,000 per Exhibition. (c) Preference to woman and Physical Handicapped Entrepreneurs

10

Excise Duty Exemptions

11

Income Tax Exemption

12

Capital Investment Subsidy

13

Interest Subsidy

14

Comprehensive Insurance

15

Incentive to Service Sector

16

Incentives to Biotechnology industries

17

Incentives to Power Generating industries

18

Transport Subsidy Validity

As per Excise Notification of finished goods manufactured in N.E. States 100% Income Tax exemption 30% of investment in Plant and Machinery without any ceiling 30% on Working Capital loan 100% insurance premium

For 5 years to 30-09-2013

All incentive under NEIIPP07 will be applicable to notified service sectors like hotels, medical & health services, vocational training institutes, biotechnology industry, power generating industries All incentives under NEIIP07 will be applicable to bio-technology industries Power generating plants up to 10MW (all types) will be eligible for capital, interest and insurance subsidy under NEIIP07 90% transport Subsidy 10 years

Assam IT Policy, 2000 This policy aims to facilitate and promote the increased use of information technology for government administration and for the industries in the state. For the IT industries, many special incentives have been proposed by the state government and the policy encourages private sector participation in the setting up of IT units.

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Annexures

1. Horticulture in the North East: A Case Study from Meghalaya

2. Incentives a. Agriculture and Horticulture b. Fisheries c. Renewable Energy d. Tourism

3. Green Accounting

4. North East Region: Economic, Social and Demographic Profile

5. North East Region: Infrastructure Profile

6. Abbreviations and References

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Annexure I – Horticulture in the North East: A Case Study from Meghalaya A vision for the agricultural sector depends crucially on developments in the horticulture industry of the States. This is particularly important as the States also seem to be focusing on shifting farmers from subsistence to cash crop farming. Since farmers are naturally risk averse, it is not easy to get them to change their cropping pattern unless gains from doing so are clearly demonstrated. Funded by the Horticulture Mission of the Central Government States like Mizoram, Sikkim and Meghalaya have established Centres of Excellence in their districts. In Mizoram and Meghalaya, these centres act as an interface between the private buyer of flowers, Zopar, and the farmer. The Centre for Excellence in the Shillong district of Meghalaya was visited by one of the field trip teams.

The centre is looking at the whole gamut of production of flowers (anthurium), fruits (strawberries) and vegetables (example, cucumbers). The first step is to provide seeds (or flower pods) to farmers. In the case of anthurium the range of operations performed by the centre is enormous. First, Zopar provides flower pods obtained from Holland to farmers. This is to avoid problems of patent violation and also because the Dutch plants are more resistant to pests. Local varieties are also developed for the national market. Second, special fabricated greenhouses are set up with drip irrigation facilities to allow the plant (roses, anthurium etc.) to grow to sizes ready for cutting. The cut flowers are then taken to the plant for pruning and precision stem cutting for export. The stems are kept in a cold storage till they are packed for export. The stems have to reach the buyer in 24 hours to retain any value.

North Eastern India was put on the global map of flower exports when the first consignment of the exotic cut flower anthurium from the region was exported to Dubai. The cultivation of anthurium is taken up by farmers in Mizoram‘s capital Aizawl and in the East Garo Hills of Meghalaya.

The plants are being grown along hill slopes under shade-houses with the latest Dutch varieties and modern irrigation systems, including fertigation. The first flowers were harvested in September 2003 and export to other States was started by October 2003, only 11 months from the date of planting. Both the department and the growers have realized that anthurium cultivation is going to be remunerative. Therefore, the cultivation of anthurium has been expanding every year. The number of growers increased from a mere 24 in 2002 to more than 200 in 2004.

The first shipment of 1,000 cut flowers from Mizoram and Meghalaya was exported by the Bangalorebased ZOPAR Exports Private Limited to Al Lokrit, Dubai, one of the biggest wholesalers in West Asia. Emirates Air flew the consignment from Kolkata to Dubai. Since Guwahati does not provide the timing or flight schedules which allow the 24-hour deadline to be met. Zopar not only guarantees buy back but also helps in quality control at the Centre. The controlled production at the centre also allows the economics of floriculture to be demonstrated to the farmers. The Agricultural Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) has provided subsidy for carting the consignment from the farm to the airport for export, apart from the other general incentives on international freight.

In the coming months, both Mizoram and Meghalaya are likely to export other floriculture products, including roses, leather leaf fern, lilium, bird of paradise etc. which are being cultivated in the North Eastern Region due and favourable climatic, soil and water conditions. And despite the locations being in remote areas of Aizawl and Williamnagar, farmers have been able to grasp and adopt the

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latest technology and produce international quality anthurium under the supervision and guidance of ZOPAR Exports Pvt. Ltd. Looking at the demand for anthurium within and outside the country, there is good market scope for anthurium flowers. Further, the market is expanding. There is excellent scope for export to Japan, West Asia, Singapore and EU countries. In realizing this Zo anthurium Grower Society Ltd. targeted and projected that the present production would be increased to 10 fold by the end of 2006.

Anthurium will be one of the major sources of State income in the near future. However, this would be highly dependent upon necessary infrastructure being available to the growers. While acting as a demonstration for farmers, the centre also takes plants, vegetables and fruits (strawberries) from the farmers and undertakes quality control and their export for them. Zopar also buys directly from the farmers but the centre monitors the pricing of products to make sure that the farmers get their due.

This is done by monitoring on the Internet the final prices of the relevant products purchased from the farmers. While floriculture seems to have its market mainly in the west, there are also sales in Guwahati, Kolkata and Delhi. In fact, the first sales are made in the domestic market unless a consignment is already committed to the export market. In the case of fruits and vegetables the domestic market is the main target. There is also some evidence that some farmers are switching from producing paddy to strawberries as basic terrace farming is quite conducive to growing this fruit. In the case of floriculture, the question that may be asked is: why are NER States a good choice since the original plant still comes from Holland? The advantage of the NER States seems to lie in their climate (this saves air conditioning costs in greenhouses) and land availability. However, labour costs are high in NER so this is no significant advantage.

While the economics of floriculture and horticulture seems very appealing, the real issue is that without the intermediary role played by experts, the farmers would be ill-equipped to handle the process which is highly capital intensive. Once again, as in the case of all cash crops the crucial issue is marketing. Is the private sector to be allowed in or should the States form a federated body? This is a question that must be answered given the low faith that the States seem to have in NEREMAC after the fiasco of the crash in the ginger prices last year.

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Annexure II – Incentives Incentives for Agriculture and Horticulture Various schemes being implemented by the National Horticulture Board, Spices Board, Government of India in NE state and Directorate of Horticulture and Food Processing, Government of Assam in the state including: Schemes

Details

Horticulture  Development of Commercial horticulture through production and post-harvest management (PHM) (NHB, GOI) Capital investment subsidy for construction/ expansion/ modernisation of cold storages/storages of horticulture product (NHB, GOI)

Inland Transport Assistance of Horticulture products from the NE region (Ministry of Commerce & Industry, GOI)





Controlled atmosphere (CA) & Modified atmosphere (MA) precooling units – 33.3 % subsidy of project cost upto Rs. 60 lacs & Promoter‘s contribution 25 %.



Rs. 1 per kg., if transported by road from NE States upto the India customs point in the NE region at the borders with the adjoining countries.

Rs. 2 per kg., if transported by road from NE Region to WB for processing for exports.

90% of the airfreight charged by airlines from an airport in the NE States and Bagdogra Airport to Guwahati or Kolkata for exports.

For Perennials - 75 % of Estimated cost subject to a max of Rs. 22,500 / ha.

For Non-Perennials - 50 % of Estimated cost subject to a max of Rs. 15,000 / ha.

For Flowers - Rs. 13,000 / 0.2 ha For Black Pepper -Rs. 13,000/ ha For Ginger, Cashew nut & Turmeric - Rs. 13,000 / ha Rejuvenation of Senile Plantation - 50 % of the Estimated Cost of Rs. 30,000/ha subject to a max of Rs. 15,000 Protected Cultivation (For Hi-tech Green Houses) - 50 % of the cost for covering up to 1,000 sq. mtr. @ Rs. 325 / sq. mtr.

Protected Cultivation (For Normal Green Houses) - 50 % of the cost for covering up to 1,000 sq. mtr. @ Rs. 125 / sq. mtr.

Pollination Support through Bee-Keeping - 50 % of the Cost Subject to a max of Rs. 800 / colony with beehive.

Herbal Garden in Pvt. sector - Rs.1.50 lacs Small Nursery in Pvt. sector Rs.3 lacs Community tank - Rs. 1 lacs Seed money to women SHG -Rs. 5000 Earthworm unit - Rs. 30,000

 

      Mini Mission II (Production and Productivity) (Directorate of Horticulture and Food Processing, Government of Assam)

Production (Commercial & indigenous crops, herbs, aromatic plants, seed & nursery, organic foods, beekeeping etc.) – 20% of the costs will be given as subsidy Rs. 30 lacs/ project PHM (Grading, packing, sorting, drying, cold stores, reefer vans, ripening & curing etc.) – 50% subsidy given for the Plastic Crates, Cartons, Baskets, Aseptic Packaging & Nets.

       

Spices  Development of spices in North Eastern states (Spices Board, GOI)



Large cardamom development (New Planting) – Rs. 17,500/ha. towards 62.5% of the cost of planting material, upto 8 ha.

Construction of curing houses: Modified Bhatti – Rs.5,000 (200 kg capacity) and Rs.9,000 (400 kg capacity) bhattis towards 33.33% and 36% of the cost whichever is less respectively

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Schemes

Details  

 Development of spices in North Eastern states (Spices Board, GOI)



  Export development & promotion of spices- ― Spices processing in north eastern region‖ (Spices Board, GOI)

(eligibility upto 4 ha).

Organic cultivation of pepper – 33 % of the cost subject to a max of Rs.15,000/ha, upto 8 ha.

Organic cultivation of Lakadong turmeric – Rs.12,500/ ha is provided as subsidy towards 50% of the cost of planting material (For Organic Ginger cultivation – the subsidy amount will be the same), upto 8 ha for both.

Training of officers and farmers of NE states – 100% cost by Spice Board, GOI Rain Water Harvesting (Construction of RWH device) – 33.33% of the actual cost or Rs.8,000 whichever is less per 200 cu.mtr capacity device (Rs.16,000 for excavation work and Rs.8000/- for silpaulin sheets – Total cost Rs.24,000) – upto 8 ha.

Setting up of Vermi Compost Units – Subsidy per unit will be Rs.2000/- or 33.33% of the cost whichever is less, upto 8 ha.

33% of the cost of all types of primary processing facilities subject to a max of Rs. 25 lac / beneficiary. In respect of farmers‘ groups the assistance will be upto 50% of the cost of primary processing facilities subject to a max of Rs.35 lacs beneficiary (Spices growers‘ co-operatives, farmers‘ associations, NGOs representing, spices growers and individual entrepreneurs are eligible)

Post Harvest Management (PHM)  Schemes for Market Development (APEDA, GOI) 

Schemes for Market Development (APEDA, GOI)

 



 Schemes for Infrastructure Development (APEDA, GOI)

 

Schemes for Infrastructure Development



Packaging Development - Assistance to exporters for use of packaging material as per standards and specifications developed or adopted by APEDA - 25% of the total cost of packaging material subject to a ceiling of Rs 5 lacs (fresh fruits & vegetables, flowers and eggs).

Feasibility Studies, Surveys, Consultancy and Database Upgradation - Development and dissemination of market information with base on products, infrastructure etc. 100% to be implemented by APEDA ; Assistance for conducting feasibility studies etc. 50% of the total cost subject to a ceiling of Rs 5 lacs / beneficiary in accordance with MDA/MAI guidelines.

Export Promotion and Market Development - 100% to be implemented by APEDA Brand publicity (Product specific Indian Brands) through advertisement etc. - 25% of the total cost subject to a ceiling of Rs 50 lacs in a year on reimbursement basis subject to auditing of the accounts. Not to be extended to an exporter beyond 3 consecutive years. Norms for providing assistance would be framed by APEDA. Establishment of common infrastructure facilities by APEDA or any other Government or Public Sector agency like Airport Authority of India or Port Trust etc - 100% grant-in-aid Purchase of specialised transport units for animal products horticulture and floriculture sector - 25% of the cost subject to a ceiling of Rs.2.50 lac / beneficiary.

Mechanisation of harvest operation of the produce- 25% of the cost subject to a ceiling of Rs.5 lac /beneficiary.

Setting up of sheds for intermediate storage and grading / storage / cleaning operation of produce - 25% of the cost of equipment subject to a ceiling of Rs.5 / beneficiary Setting up mechanized handling facilities including sorting,

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Schemes

Details

(APEDA, GOI)

grading, washing, waxing, ripening, packaging & palletisation, both pre cooling facilities with proper handling system as well as cold storage for storing, facilities for pre-shipment treatment such as fumigation, X-ray screening, hot water dip treatment, Water softening Plant - 25% of the cost of equipment subject to a ceiling of Rs.10 lac / beneficiary 

Setting up of integrated post harvest-handling system & environment control system (25% of the cost subject to a ceiling of Rs.25 lac / beneficiary), vapor heat (treatment, electronic beam processing or irradiation facilities - 50% of the cost subject to a ceiling of Rs.25 lac / beneficiary.



Setting up/strengthening labs - 25% of the cost subject to a ceiling of Rs 20 lac / beneficiary.

Assistance of installing quality management, quality assurance and quality control systems - 50% of the cost subject to a ceiling of Rs 5 lac / beneficiary.

Upgradation and recognition of labs for export testing - 50% of the cost for private labs; 75% for State, Testing of water, soil, residues of pesticide etc for all agri products - 50% of the total cost subject to a ceiling of Rs 5000/ sample (pre-negotiated price with APEDA) in case where residue monitoring activity is proposed by APEDA. Assistance for organizing seminars/group activities /study tour within the country and for bringing out information literature 50% of the total cost subject to a ceiling of Rs 1 lacs for national seminar and Rs 2 lacs for international seminar



 Schemes for Quality Development (APEDA, GOI)





Food Processing Mini Mission IV (promotion of new processing units, etc) (Directorate of Horticulture and Food Processing, Government of Assam)

 

Promotion of new processing units - 50 % of Project Cost of Rs. 4 Crore / Unit.

Up gradation / Expansion of existing units - 50 % of Project Cost of Rs. 1 Crore / Unit.

Incentives for Fisheries Schemes

Details 



Intensive Aquaculture in Ponds and Tanks scheme (National Fisheries Development Board (NFDB), GOI)







Existing ponds and tanks; Reclamation/ renovation of Ponds and tanks – 20 % of the Unit Cost (Rs 6,000) - Subsidy shall be provided to cover 2 lac ha out of 8 lac ha under existing ponds and tanks.

New ponds and tanks; Construction of ponds and tanks 20% of the Unit Cost (Rs 30,000) - Subsidy shall be available for development of 25,000 ha new area out of the proposed total of 50,000 ha.

First-year inputs cost - 20 % of the Unit Cost (Rs 12,000) Available for both existing and new tanks and ponds developed.

Establishment of hatchery for production of fish seed; Setting up of a hatchery with production capacity of 8-10 million fry / annum.- 20 % of the Unit Cost (Rs 2 lac) 500 freshwater fish hatcheries to be set up.

Training and Demonstration; Assistance to farmers for participation in 10 days training prog (batch of 25 – 30) Daily Allowance of Rs 125 / day / trainee. Travel Allowance of Rs. 500 / trainee; Honorarium to Resource Persons - Rs 1,250 Page 124 of 179

Schemes

Details – travel

Integrated Fishery Development for the NE Region scheme



(The North East Council (NEC), GOI)

 

Development of Inland Fisheries and Aquaculture scheme (Department of Animal Husbandry, Dairying & Fisheries, GOI) 

Fisheries Training & Extension schemes (Department of Animal Husbandry, Dairying & Fisheries, GOI)



Development of private entrepreneurship (NA in Assam); Increased fish culture for seed production - 25% of the total cost (not more than Rs. 2.5 lacs unit) Development of suitable technologies - 50% of total cost (not exceeding Rs. 10,000/ha).

Development of Freshwater Aquaculture (Fish Farmers‘ Development Agencies (FFDA))  Construction of New ponds; 20% with a ceiling (Rs 40,000 / ha) and 20% with a ceiling (Rs 60,000 / ha)  Reclamation / Renovation of Ponds and Tanks; 20% with a ceiling (Rs 12,000 / ha)  Cost of Inputs; 20% with a ceiling (Rs 6,000 / ha)  Integrated Fish Farming; 20% with a ceiling (Rs 16,000/ ha)  Aerators / Pumps 25% of ceiling (Rs 12,500 / for each set of aerator / pump)  Fish Feed Unit ; 20% with a ceiling (Rs 1 lac) Productive Utilization of Inland Saline/Alkaline Soils for Aquaculture  Cost for construction; Subsidy @ 20% with ceiling of Rs.50,000/ha  Input cost; Subsidy @ 20% with a ceiling of Rs. 20,000/ha  Training; Stipend Rs. 100 / day; Travel Allowance Rs.100/trainee The total outlay approved for the scheme for the entire period of the 10th Plan is Rs 15 crore.

Incentives for Renewable Energy Schemes

Details 

Off-grid renewable energy program

 

(Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, GOI) 

 

Remote Village Electrification Programme (Electricity generation/ lighting systems for households in remote un-electrified census villages/ hamlets)  90% of the cost of electricity generation systems subject to a pre-specified max amount for each tech. and an overall ceiling of Rs.18,000 / household (100% cost of a single light Solar Photovoltaic Devices (SPV) home lighting system for BPL households).

Family Type Biogas Plants - Rs.11,700 / plant (For NE Rs.9,000 /plant Biomass Gasifiers for Rural Areas - Rs.1.50 lac/100 kWe - for thermal and electromechanical applications (with dual fuel engine); Rs.15 lac/100 kWe - for power generation upto 1MW (with 100% producer gas engine); 20% higher subsidy for Special Category States & Islands Biomass Gasifiers for Industrial Applications - Rs.2 lac/300 kWe for thermal applications.; Rs.2.50 lac/100 kWe with dual fuel engine; Rs.10 lac/100 kWe with 100% producer gas Engine; Rs.15 lac/100 kWe with 100% producer gas engine in institutions Industrial Waste-to-Energy Plants - Rs.50 lac to Rs.1.00 cr/ MWe, depending on technology (20% higher subsidy for Special Category States) Solar Photovoltaic (SPV) Systems  SPV lanterns - Rs.2,400 for NE and special areas; NIL for Page 125 of 179

Schemes

Details



 

Grid-interactive renewable power program (Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, GOI) (Ministry of Agriculture, GOI)

other.  SPV home lighting systems: Rs.4500 to 8,660 for NE and special areas as per model Solar Photovoltaic (SPV) Systems  SPV street lighting systems: Rs.17,300 for NE and special areas  SPV standalone power plant of capacity > 1 kW p : Rs. 225,000 lac/kWp for NE and special areas  SPV standalone power plant of capacity > 10 kW p :Rs.270,000 lac /kW p for NE and special areas SPV Water Pumping Systems- Rs.30/Wp of SPV array used, subject to a max of Rs.50,000 / system Solar Thermal Systems/ Devices  Box type cookers: Incentive to SNA: Rs.200 /cooker of ISI brand Rs.100/cooker of non- ISI brand Rs.1.50 lac for publicity / workshops etc.  Solar Water Heating systems: Subsidized Loan @ 2% to domestic users, 3% to institutions and 5% to community users plus Rs.100/square meter of collector area as incentive to motivator; Capital subsidy @ Rs. 825/1100 / sqm. to commercial establishments/ institutions.  Solar Air Heating/ Steam Generating Systems: Capital subsidy @ 35-50% of the cost subject to certain ceilings.  Dish / community type solar cookers: 50% of cost limited to Rs.2,500 for dish type cookers and Rs.25,000 for Scheffler/community type cooker.

For NER, Sikkim, J&K, HP and Uttaranchal  Small Hydro Power Projects: Rs.2.25 cr X (C)^0.646  Biomass Power projects - Rs.25 lakh X (C)^0.646  Bagasse Cogeneration - Rs.18 lakh X

Incentives for Tourism Schemes Product/Infrastructure Development for Destinations and Circuits- (i) Major destinations and circuits development; (ii) Rural Tourism infrastructure development (Ministry of Tourism, GOI) Scheme of financial assistance to states for organizing tourism related events covering creation of semi-permanent structures, seating arrangements, lighting, sound, remuneration to artists, lodging & boarding, production of posters, pamphlets, advertisements in newspapers, hiring of space, transportation etc.

Details 

Major destinations and circuits development: 100% of the project cost based on the project plan GOI contribution would be capped at Rs. 25 cr for destination dev. and Rs.50cr for circuit dev. For identified major destinations and circuits based on tourist traffic.

(No ceiling on project cost, However, the existing ceiling of Rs.5 crore and Rs.8 crore for destination and circuit respectively would continue for other projects.)  Rural Tourism: Max. Rs. 50 lacs

 

Max Rs.15 lacs for each event.

Special Provision for NE: A max amount of Rs.10 lacs / annum will be given irrespective of the number of festivals.

(Ministry of Tourism, GOI)

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Schemes

Details 

Scheme of Central Financial Assistance (CFA) for it projects (Ministry of Tourism, GOI)

Scheme for Market Development Assistance (MDA)

100% to NE states on case-to-case basis (production of CD/VCD/DVD, preparation of CDs/VCDs on culture, traditional art forms, web-sites – launching tourism portals, remore sensing facility, hark etc).

(The CFA on it projects will be on 50:50 basis. The CFA will be restricted to an annual ceiling of rs.75 lac for each state/UT irrespective of number of projects. 90% of the central component st will be released as 1 instalment).

 

(Ministry of Tourism, GOI)  Capital Subsidy (For 1 to 3 star and heritage basic categories) (Ministry of Tourism, GOI)



Sale-cum-Study Tour: Rs. 75,000/ tour Participation in Trade Fairs and Exhibitions: Rs. 1.10 lac / participation Publicity through Printed Material: Rs. 15,000

Incentive - in the form of capital grant of 10% of the total principal loan taken from designated financial inst. or up to Rs.25 lacs to 1 star, Rs.50 lacs to 2 star and Rs.75 lacs to 3 star and the heritage basic category projects, whichever is less.

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Annexure III – Green Accounting What is Green Accounting?

Green accounting is a type of accounting that attempts to factor environmental costs into the financial results of operations. It has been argued that gross domestic product (GDP) ignores the environment and therefore decisionmakers need a revised model that incorporates green accounting.

National wealth should include not just a measure of manufactured assets and financial assets (physical capital), but also natural capital (oil, other minerals, forests, freshwater resources, cropland, fisheries, etc), human capital (knowledge and skills), and social capital (institutional and legal infrastructure, political maturity, social harmony, etc). Sustainable growth is defined as that which increases per-capita national wealth, defined in this 'inclusive' or holistic manner.

Rationale for Green Accounting 'Green Accounting' consists of modelling and pricing the non-marketed services of environmental assets, calculating the value of education as a generator of future incomes, present-valuing future liabilities in the form of pollution abatement costs and health costs etc.

For any accounting period, the overall valuation exercise arrives at a revised value of net assets, and the difference year-on-year is the true measure of national savings, or "genuine savings".

The importance of this holistic approach, and of 'Green Accounting' as a methodology to implement it, cannot be overemphasized. It could make all the difference between a viable and sustainable economic trajectory for developing countries on the one hand, and on the other, one which spells disaster not just for them but for the whole of civilization.

Green Accounting for Assam In common with most developing nations, India faces many trade-offs in its efforts to improve the living standards of its people. Sustainability and the importance of natural capital in achieving sustainability do not get the attention they deserve. A lack of ―sustainability‖ yardsticks means that ―GDP‖ is focused as the only or overriding growth metric. However, classical GDP measures under the SNA omit material externalities, often leading to unsustainable development.

We have in our earlier work demonstrated some preliminary green accounts Adjustments for all Indian states including Assam (in forestry, ecological services of forests, water pollution, agriculture, and education) (see Table 1).

However, we have used a top-down approach to model adjustments to GDP/GSDP accounts, for two reasons.  Firstly, our approach has the advantage of providing a consistent and impartial national framework to value hitherto unaccounted aspects of national and state wealth and production.  Secondly, it optimises extensive existing research, which is not yet tied together in a manner to be useful for policy analysis. This provides a much-improved toolkit for India‘s policy makers to evaluate in economic terms their policy trade-offs, which will enable them and the public to engage in a debate on the sustainability of economic growth, using national as well as inter-state comparisons.

Table 1 (Source : Green Accounting for Indian States Project, Monographs 1,2,4,7 and 8 For the year 2002-03, based on data fro, official national databases) 2002-03

Assam % of NSDP

India

(INR Mio / % of NDP or NSDP)

INR Mio

GSDP (Assam) or GDP (India)

354,314

100.0%

19,295,454

100.0%

NSDP (Assam) or NDP (India)

317,208

89.5%

17,083,824

88.5%

-4,980

-1.6%

-258,605

-1.5%

Agriculture Losses - Soil Erosion, Sedimentation, Quantity changes

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INR Mio

% of NSDP

2002-03 Agriculture – Subsidies

Assam

India

-9,670

-3.0%

-312,634

-1.8%

Forests - Depletion of Timber/Carbon, Fuelwood, NTFP

-663

-0.2%

-74,639

-0.4%

Forests - understated services of Timber/carbon, Fuelwood, NTFP

1,703

0.5%

154,524

0.9%

-21,624

-6.8%

-190,403

-1.1%

8,064

2.5%

225,504

1.3%

Freshwater - Cost of Treatment to Restore Water Quality

-4,294

-1.4%

-586,586

-3.4%

Education - Unaccounted Human Capital Formation

297,470

93.8%

16,153,216

94.6%

Overall Adjustments - Natural Capital Overall Adjustments - Human Capital

-31,464 297,470

Forests - Ecological Services Lost Forests - unstated benefits of Ecological Services

-10% 94%

-1,042,839 16,153,216

-6% 95%

Methodology for Green Accounting The Green Accounting methodology being applied Green Accounting for Indian States Project (GAISP, a project of GIST, the Green Indian States Trust), directed by a small group of professionals including GMS . The Union of India has a federal structure, in which the 28 States and Union territories have a considerable and increasing degree of control on environmental, health, and education policies. Availability of primary data is not a problem, however the models being devised are complex and eight suites of adjustments are planned to be modelled over the next two years (see Table).

GAISP has set up economic models for State-wise annual estimates of adjusted Gross State Domestic product (GSDP) in order to capture unaccounted economic flows. Examples of such non-marketed services are the values of forests, such as flood damage mitigation, water regulation and drought prevention, prevention of soil erosion, carbon storage, microclimate regulation, species Page 129 of 179

maintenance for ecotourism, bio-prospecting, etc. GAISP also measures the true accumulation of human capital and earnings potential from education – another vital aspect of society and the economy which is not correctly reflected in GSDP accounts.

The aim of this project is to set up economic models for State-wise annual estimates of “genuine savings", i.e. savings after including adjustments for the creation or destruction of human capital and the destruction of natural capital. Publication of these results will enable policy makers and the public to engage in a timely and pertinent debate on the sustainability of growth.

GAISP results will be calculated State-wise, thus the project will enable inter-state comparisons of holistic economic performance to be made in an unbiased manner. GAISP will include in the Capital Account the value of investment in education and public health as well as the depletion of assets such as forest resources, agricultural cropland, grazing pastures, fresh water resources and mineral deposits.

A possible policy consequence of Green Accounting may be gradual increases in budgetary allocations towards improvements in education, public health, and local natural environments. All of these are key elements of national wealth in India, although at present they do not seem to receive adequate attention and investment to ensure the long-term sustainability of India's economic growth.

GIST in collaboration with gms have already begun the groundwork for GAISP in the state of Assam and looking to venture to the states of Arunachal Pradesh and Nagaland. In common with most developing nations, India faces many trade-offs in its efforts to improve the living standards of its people. Sustainability and the importance of natural capital in achieving sustainability do not get the attention they deserve. A lack of ―sustainability‖ yardsticks means that ―GDP‖ is focused as the only or overriding growth metric. However, classical GDP measures under the SNA omit material externalities, often leading to unsustainable development. Here we describe a preferred variant of the UN‘s SEEA-2003 based ‗Green Accounting‘ methodology to reflect the true value of natural resources and human resources in Assam‘s GSDP accounts.

We describe how our ―Green Accounting for Indian States & Union Territories Project‖ (―GAISP‖) had set up further economic models for State-wise annual estimates of adjusted Gross state domestic product (GSDP) in order to capture the main externalities from unaccounted flows of non-marketed services & unaccounted changes in capital stocks, being both positive and negative changes in ‗Natural Capital‘ and ‗Human Capital‘.

Our preliminary expectations for Green Accounting Adjustments for Assam (in forestry, ecological services of forests, water pollution, agriculture, and education) is based on our published work on adjusted 2002/03 GSDP and also our thoughts on the additional and more updated work that would ensure that the State develops a robust and appropriate capacity to produce Green Accounts on an ongoing basis.

Future opportunities in (post–Bali) Kyoto-successor protocols on “Compensated Reduction” schemes for avoided deforestation are a very significant opportunity for states like Assam which are losing forest cover. To capture such opportunities and to further its objectives of sustainable development in harmony with Nature, we are in the process of implementing a Green Accounting framework in Assam and consequently the North-East of India Green Accounting as per GIST's (SEEA-2003 based) methodologies is an important step in redefining classical economics to include the importance of Nature's services and value, and integrating these as well as the value of education and health into national and state metrics. It lays the ground work for the redesign towards an economy based on the principles of Naturenomics™.

Key Benefits of Green Accounting for Assam Setting up a ―Green Accounting‖ framework to supplement GSDP statistics for the State of Assam will provide the State many benefits, viz,  Measure the “Sustainability” of Assam‟s economy in quantitative, monetary terms

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   

Track the gains and losses to Assam‟s Natural Capital, including estimates for the values embedded in freshwater quality, forest bio-mass carbon storage and carbon sequestration, biodiversity, bio-prospecting, eco-tourism, timber and fuelwood, and non-timber forest products Track the gains and losses in Human Capital, including the value of education at all levels and the future liability and health impacts of pollution Estimate the annual losses of Carbon Dioxide to the atmosphere through deforestation and thinning of forest bio-mass, so that Assam can benefit from significant compensation through future variations of the Kyoto Protocol Enable the Government of Assam to make economic policy choices informed by a fair valuation of the many untraded services of natural eco-systems, including all their unaccounted benefits that do not at present enter GSDP or GDP accounts.

Specifically, we illustrate how important two of these benefits are, item (3) valuation of educational capital formation and its exceptional returns so that more Central and State funding can be raised, and (4) estimation of CO2 emissions from deforestation and degradation so that managed reductions in these can earn ‗Carbon Credits‘ under the new post-Kyoto regime.

Benefit (3) Measuring Educational Capital Formation The knowledge, experience, and skills resident in population is at the heart of economic growth.

However, GDP and SDP accounts capture as „investment‟ only that element which is spent on fixed assets, such as new university campuses. Current expenditures (eg: teachers salaries, subsidies for books, scholarships) are treated a consumption, which is clearly incorrect.

GAISP uses an income-based approach (―capitalized earnings procedure‖) to measure the stock of human capital by summing the total discounted values of all the future income streams that all individuals belonging to the population in question expect to earn throughout their lifetime. Earnings data from the NSSO (National Statistical Survey Organization) is sufficient to implement this approach (for a detailed exposition, see GAISP Monograph 5, Estimating the Value of Educational Capital Formation in India, 2007). The unaccounted value of educational capital creation (2002-03) was estimated as almost as large as GDP, in Assam and in India generally, and it has the highest ―return on investment‖ of any sector, as well as being the main driver of India‘s recent and continuing economic success.

Benefit (4) Measuring Deforestation and Forest Degradation India‟s estimated total CO2 emissions (2002/ 03) from deforestation and forest degradation were 433 Mt CO2. This is a large amount, comparable in size to the total emissions of our organized Power Sector. It is both a problem and an opportunity, as the international trend now is towards recognizing ―carbon storage‖ (through forest maintenance and protection) and not just ―carbon sequestration‖ (through afforestation).

At the recent Climate Change conference in Bali, a proposal was tabled for Compensated Reduction in Emissions from Avoided Deforestation and Forest Degradation (―REDD‖). The REDD framing paper tabled at Bali (see box below) states that such high-value projects can be undertaken not just by national governments, but by ―provincial or district government agencies‖, i.e., a State Government such as Assam would be eligible to earn REDD carbon credits for managing deforestation / degradation down to lower and lower levels from its current or ―baseline‖ level. If even 5% of India‟s “baseline” deforestation/ degradation emissions were established as being from Assam forest areas, that implies an additional income from Rs. 1,300 to 2,100 Crores for Assam based on prevailing CER forward prices.

Based on GIST and gms empirical work and contingent valuations for material externalities which are omitted in the traditional System of National Accounts (SNA) followed by the Government of India in presenting its national (GDP) and state (GSDP) accounts, we have concluded that it is indeed possible to use a ‗top-down‘ approach and construct Green Accounts for India and its States and Union Territories. (Details of this work may be obtained through our series of eight Monographs on Page 131 of 179

various important categories of national assets in the areas of natural capital and human capital – see www.gistindia.org). Further a ―top-down‖ approach is both feasible and desirable to capture effectively the relativities of sustainable development across India‘s states, and indeed for first-cut analysis at the State level, and that it can assist with formulating the extent of primary research actually required.

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Annexure IV – Economic, Social and Demographic Profile North East Region: Economic, Social and Demographic Profile State Total Area (lac /sqm) Population (lac persons) 2001 Population density (person /sq Km) 2001 Per capita Income GSDP (Rs) 2004-05 Person living BPL (% of total pop. 1999-2000) Forest Coverage (%) 2003 Per capita electricity consumption (kwh) 04-05 Road length (100 sq. Km of area /km) 2002

A.P

Assam

M‟pur

M‟laya

M‟ram

N‟land

Sikkim

Tripura

NER

India

0.84

0.78

0.22

0.22

0.21

0.17

0.07

0.10

2.62

30.65

10.99

266.55

22.94

23.19

8.98

19.90

5.41

31.99

389.95

10,287

13

340

107

103

42

120

76

304

149

324

21,919

15,661

16,299

20,775

30,357 (+)

26,129 (+)

26,215

24,984 (++)

18,032

25,944*

33.47

36.09

28.54

33.87

19.47

23.67

36.55

34.44

34.28

26.10

61.55

34.45

78.01

42.34

75.71

52.05

82.29

60.01

54.52

23.57

144.8

85.3

70.05

352.2

133.7

87.2

397.7

113.1

110.4

411.1

21.93

114.09

51.21

42.65

24.07

126.79

28.45

155.41

66.09

75.54

The eight States located in India‟s north-east cover an area of 262,000 sq km. constituting 7.9% of the country‟s total geographical area, but have only 40 million people or about 3.9% of the total population of the country (2001 census). Over 68% of the population of the region lives in the State of Assam alone. The density of population varies from 13 per sq. km. in Arunachal Pradesh to 340 per sq. km. in Assam. The predominantly hilly terrain in all the States except Assam is host to an overwhelming proportion of tribal population ranging from 19.3% in Assam to 94.5% in Mizoram. The region has over 160 scheduled tribes and over 400 other tribal and sub-tribal communities and groups. It is predominantly rural with over % of the population living in the countryside. According to the 2001 Census, the total literacy rate of the population in the region at 68.5%, with a female literacy rate at 61.5%, is higher than the country‘s average of 64.8% and 53.7% respectively. However, there are significant variations in the literacy rates among different States with Assam, Arunachal Pradesh and Meghalaya below the national average. Even as the average literacy rate in the region is higher than the national average, there are concerns about the quality of education. More importantly, the literacy rate has not translated into higher employability or productivity (Economic Survey of India, 2007-08).

The economy of NER states is highly dependent on economic profile which covers primary, secondary and territory sector. The average per capita incomes within the Northeastern Region vary significantly. Sikkim and Mizoram have per capita incomes comparable to a number of states outside the region, whereas Assam is among the states with the lowest per capita income in the country. Overall, the Northeastern Region has higher incidences of poverty, even when compared with states having similar average per capita income. Sikkim and Andhra Pradesh have similar levels of per capita income, but 37% of people in Sikkim live below the poverty line, compared to 16% in Andhra Pradesh. Rajasthan‘s per capita income is lower than Meghalaya, but Rajasthan has much Page 133 of 179

lower incidence of poverty (15% compared to Meghalaya‘s 34%). Within the North-eastern Region, Mizoram‘s per capita income is comparable to Arunachal Pradesh‘s or Skim‘s, but the poverty rate is around half that of those states. Mizoram is the only north-eastern state comparable to the best in the country in terms of poverty reduction. With levels of employment in the public sector comparable to some other states in the region, the relatively low poverty rates in Mizoram reflect its sparse population, urbanization, and the high productivity of the natural resource base. On the other hand, the disparity between the per capita income and relative poverty rankings of Sikkim and Mizoram suggests that there may be distributional concerns that are likely to be structural and related to geographical difficulties and the type of economic activity in the state (NER Vision 2020, 2008).

The region lags behind the rest of the country not only in terms of per capita GSDP but in several other development indicators as well. People do not have access to basic services in adequate measure. The standard development indicators such as road length, access to healthcare, and power consumption in the region are below the national average. Table 1.1 gives a broad idea of the socio-economic profile of the eight States of the North Eastern Region.

An analysis of the inherent strengths and weaknesses of the North Eastern Region is as follows: Basic Strengths  Large natural resources and potential for growth in the agro-forestry sector including expansive and extensive bamboo plantation, exotic flora.  Large mineral deposits (particularly in Assam and Meghalaya)  A bio-diversity hot spot.  Vast water resources including tremendous hydel power potential.  Great promise for tourism development.  Proximity to one of world‘s fastest growing economies, S.E. Asia.  A literate population.  Rich heritage of handicrafts.  Unique community spirit and democratic traditional system of local self-government.

Weaknesses  Inadequate development of basic developmental infrastructure.  Geographical isolation and difficult terrain that reduces mobility: high rainfall and recurring flood in the Brahmaputra valley.  Lack of capital formation and proper enterprise-climate.  Slow technology spread.  Absence of a supporting market structure and adequate institutional finance structure.  Low level of private sector investment.

However, the government has recently undertaken initiatives to introduce; promote and develop the secondary and tertiary sectors to ensure balanced economic development.

To identify why the Northeast lags behind the rest of India, it is instructive to examine the region‘s economic structure. As in the rest of India, the population of the Northeast is predominantly rural; hence the fortunes of agriculture play a key role in determining poverty levels. There are, however, important differences. In most of India‘s rapidly growing states, the agricultural sector is in relative decline, with growth in the service and manufacturing sectors accelerating. However, in the Northeast, there is little evidence of economic diversification. Agriculture remains the backbone of the economy and is dominated in the hill states by jhumming. With declining land productivity, it is natural to ask if the region can generate growth by capitalizing on its other natural resources, such as minerals, hydropower, and forests.

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Summary North East Region: Economic, Social and Demographic Profile  Population and literacy: Bordering many of India‘s neighbours, NER covers 9% of India‘s total area and 4% of its total population. Despite being low overall, population density varies across the states. Although literacy rates are high, quality of education and its translation into higher productivity are lacking. 

Poverty and Per-capita Income: Mizoram is the best in NER in terms of poverty reduction, though its per-capita income is similar to that of Arunachal Pradesh or Sikkim. The disparity between the per capita income and relative poverty rankings of Sikkim and Mizoram suggests that there may be structural distributional concerns that are likely to be structural, related to geographical difficulties and the type of economic activities. Low poverty in Mizoram reflects its sparse population, urbanization and the high productivity of the natural resource base.



Development Indicators: The region lags behind the rest of the country not only in terms of per capita GSDP but also in several other development indicators like access to basic services, road length, access to healthcare and power consumption.



Strengths and weakness: Natural resources, bio-diversity, tourism, proximity to S.E. Asia, literacy, handicrafts and local self-government are the main strengths; infrastructure, geographical isolation, difficult terrain, floods, lack of capital formation, technology, absence of a supporting market structure, inadequate institutional finance and low level of private investment are the main weaknesses.

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Annexure V - North East Region: Infrastructure Profile Most of the North-East region lacks infrastructure for development and large parts are not connected to the rest of the world physically. Except in Assam, railway network is nonexistent in the region. There are only a few kilometers of railway network in other states. Though there are some civil airports operational in the region, there is only one International Airport at Guwahati. There is no airport in Arunachal Pradesh. Despite many rivers, inland waterways is not developed which is an economic as well as environment friendly means of transportation. Roads are the primary means of transportation and commutation in almost the whole region.

Roads and Railways The main grid for transportation of goods and passengers in the Northeast is the road network of 82,000 kilometers. As shown in Table 1.2, this network is most developed in Assam (35,000 kilometers) and Arunachal Pradesh (15,000 kilometers). The five other main states in the Northeast have networks ranging from 5,000 to 9,000 kilometers. The vast majority of roads, around 56,000 kilometers, are unpaved (kacha) roads, which are generally unsuitable for transport of heavy goods (World Bank Report, 2007).

Table 1.2: Roads in the Northeast – 2004-05 States A.P Assam Manipur Meghalaya Mizoram Nagaland Tripura Total NE

Black-topped/graveled (km) 5,550 5,534 4,110 3,110 1,760 1,984 3,693 25,705

Dirt roads (km) 9,400 29,595 1,768 2,514 3,090 6,708 3,180 56,255

Total (km) 14,950 35,129 5,878 5,624 4,850 8,656 6,873 81,960

Source: www.indiastat.com

The railroad network is limited to 2,500 kilometers and lies almost entirely within the state of Assam (2,466 km), with short stretches in Tripura (45 km) and Arunachal Pradesh (1 km). Only 961 kilometers of this network consists of standard gauge tracks suitable for haulage of bulk goods, and the majority of the network is made up of narrow gauge track suitable for small trains and transportation of passengers and transport of smaller cargo.

Airways The North East has witnessed a quantum increase in the number of flights and passengers. Presently all major airlines, promoted by the government or by the private sector, provide connectivity within the NER and also with the rest of India. Air traffic in NER accounts for less than 1% of all traffic in the top 46 airports in India (IBEF, 2008).

Table 1.3: Air Connectivity in the NER 2006

2007

Increase

Flight/ Day

32

38

18.70%

City pairs/Day

80

93

16.20%

9,493

11,288

18.90%

Seats deployed/Day

Note: City Pairs/day – NE cities connected with other frequented neighbouring cities in India in a single connecting flight Source: Report on Investment Climate in North East, IBEF, 2008

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Air connectivity needs substantial investments and participation from both the Government and private investors. The Sixth Sectoral Summit of NEC on Air Connectivity in Aizawl declared inter-alia the objective of ―operationalizing upto 50 airports/airstips in the North Eastern Region by the end of the Eleventh Five Year Plan, and providing upto 600 flights per week within the region, by using the appropriate type of aircraft, making the required improvements in existing airports/airstrips in a time-bound manner‖.

Inland Water Transport (IWT) Waterways The main network of 1,800 kilometers of navigable waterways of the Brahmaputra and Barak system has been designated NW-2, which is currently used for the transport of bulk goods, but expansion of the transportation sector is limited by the lack of transport and overhaul facilities, and natural restrictions in the river system due to sedimentation and shallow water levels. Development of the major waterways listed in Table 1.4 could extend the transport network for bulk goods and ferry services by 4,000 kilometers. The increase in cargo transported following 2003 was partly due to a facilitation of transport through Bangladesh and indicates the potential of NW-2 for interregional bulk carriage. Inland waterways compete favourably with road and rail for long-distance bulk transport, and could play an important role in promoting trade in an expanding regional economy (Dr. Das Partha J., 2005 & World Bank Report, 2007).

Table 1.4: Transportation potential of major waterways in the Northeast River Brahmaputra Barak Buridihing Dihang Gangadhar Subansiri

Potential navigable length (km) 891 140 161 121 113 143

River Kopili Kolodyne Kolong Katakhal Paanchar Others Total

Potential navigable length (km) 103 112 121 161 105 2012 4,191

Source: NER Vision – 2020

Most of the waterways in NER are in Assam, and are used for ferry, commercial and rescue services and as crew-training centres. Most of the cargo is transported on the Brahmaputra and consists mainly of tea, coal, bamboo, rice, jute, sugar and urea. The movement of cargo on the Brahmaputra grew from 29,414 tons in 1996-98 to 791,522 tons in 2003-04. Most of the ferry services are in Assam.

A number of infrastructure developments have Table 1.5: Major identified cargo routes on NW-2 been proposed to expand the inland waterway Identified route Nature of cargo network linked to NW-2 and improve port Kolkata-Pandu Coal, bitumen, iron, and steel facilities. A 45-meter-wide canal stretch is Pandu-Kolkata Gypsum, tea, coal planned for the Brahmaputra River from the Jogighopa-Kolkata Coal (Meghalaya) Bangladesh border to Dibrugarh, 750 Tezpur-Kolkata Tea kilometers east, with a permanent terminal at Dibrugarh-Kolkata Tea Pandu, 24-hour navigational facilities, and Silghat-Budge Budge Petroleum, oil, and lubricants floating terminals at nine locations along the Namrup Urea canal. For the Barak River, there is a proposal Bongaigaon refinery RP Coke to construct a 40-meter-wide channel for the entire waterway, including four terminals at strategic overhaul locations. Such investments would enable the further development of several cargo routes (Table 1.5) and ferry service routes along

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NW-2. There is also a range of other waterways besides NW-2 that could be developed and contribute to the economic growth of the Northeast and promote Indo-Myanmar cross-border trade.

The third major option for increased inland water transport is the further development of the international Indo-Bangladesh Protocol route for water transport. The development of this route would increase options for goods movement to and from the Northeast and peninsular India through the Sundarbans and Bangladesh, improving the accessibility of the Northeastern Region.

The major strength of inland water transport in the plain areas of NER is the presence of several, perennial rivers, which present the cheapest mode of transportation generating the least amount of pollution. Given the costs of expanding the other modes of transportation in the region, inland water transport could present a viable, cost-effective alternative in the plain areas. Improved inland water connectivity in the North East would increase employment opportunities and tourismrelated activity in the region. The projected increase in economic activity as a result of the development of inland water transport has been forecast to generate an additional 27,000 jobs by 2020, with total earnings estimated at Rs. 900,000 per day, and the overall projected rate of economic return on investments in inland water transport is around 15 %. Improved connectivity would also lead to the opening of inter-country routes for trade and commerce. The lack of facilities for night navigation and mechanical handling and insufficient cargo vessels and terminals will need to be addressed (World Bank Report, 2007).

Telecommunications – Unlocking the NE Telecom Industry‟s Potential In India, the second largest telecom market in the world, this sector has seen much change during the past two decades and has been playing a vital role in connecting people with the rest of the world and changed economic policy in the country. The economic renaissance effected in the early 1990s brought around a paradigm shift on the overall business scenario of India. The telecommunication companies in India went through a huge make-over during the implementation of the open-market policy of India. The erstwhile closed market policy was replaced by a more liberal form of economic policy. A whole new form of Indian Telecommunication Policy was drafted to compliment the change effected in the economic policy of India. The amendment affected the new telecommunication policy of India made huge changes with respect to investments and entry of Foreign Direct Investments (FDI) and Foreign Institutional Investors (FII), into the virgin Indian telecommunication market. This resulted entry of private, domestic and foreign telecommunication companies in India. The economic contribution made by these newly formed telecommunication companies of India is noteworthy and this industry witnessed highest growth after the Indian Information Technology industry. After robust growth of the country‘s economy, telecom policy has changed and implemented by the ‗Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) and Department of Telecommunication‘ under the Ministry of Telecommunication, Government of India.

With the advent of private telecommunication companies in India, the industry witnessed introduction of mobile telephones into the Indian market and it became popular amongst the Indian masses in no time. Today two types of mobile phone service providers operates in the Indian market,  

Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) – 258.23 million subscribers Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) – 88.66 million subscribers

As on Dec, 2008

Predominantly, over the last three years, the telecom sector has grown remarkably in the range of 32%-52% in India. Mobile phones have been the principal engine for telecom growth in the country, as they have been in other parts of the world. The growth in the domestic telecom industry has largely been concentrated in the Metros and Class A circles in the past decade, with coverage reaching around 90% and 35%, respectively. However, coverage in the Class B and Class C cities is still low at 15-25%. Moreover, within these circles growth has largely been concentrated in the

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urban areas while penetration in the rural Classification of States and Cities in various Circles areas remains lower. Thus future growth Circle is likely to come largely from Class B States and Cities (Service area) and C circles and rural areas. Owing to Circle A Maharashtra, Gujarat, Karnataka, Tamil high revenueNadu and Andhra Pradesh. earning potential, almost all private Circle B Kerala, Punjab, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, telecom players in India have initially Uttar Pradesh (U.P.) - (East), U.P. (West), launched their services in urban and Rajasthan, West Bengal and Andaman and metropolitan cities. Keeping this in view, Nicobar Islands. larger players like Bharti Airtel Limited, Circle C Himachal Pradesh, Bihar, Assam, NE - I, NE – II and Jammu & Kashmir.

Reliance Communications Limited, and Source: Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) are largely focusing on increasing their geographical coverage in Class B and C circles. In NER, Reliance and Airtel have started their services in 2005. BSNL is operating as a leader in the region through its three subsidiaries – NE-I (Meghalaya, Mizoram and Tripura), NE-II (Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland and Manipur) and ATC (Assam Telecom Circle). BSNL is providing all kind of telecom services in the region whereas Bharti is mainly in the mobile services. The future growth is widely expected to be led by B and C Class circles.

Three Type of Service providers in India North East‘s geographical location and State owned companies Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd difficult terrain make the development of (BSNL), Videsh Sanchar telecommunication and information Nigam Ltd (VSNL) and technology a sine-qua-non for the socioMahanagar Telephone Nigam economic development of the Region.

Ltd (MTNL) Telecommunication facilities in the Private Indian owned Reliance Infocomm and Tata NER, the number of exchanges is companies Teleservices. limited. The North Eastern states come Foreign invested companies Hutchison-Essar, Bharti Teleunder the ―C‖ telecom circle. Teledensity Ventures, Escotel, Idea Cellular, BPL Mobile, Spice for NER is 5.04 with maximum density in Communications etc.

Sikkim at 17.12 and the least in Assam at Source: Compiled from Various sources 3.79 which is lower than the India average; gap being bridged by Cell phone operators in the region (Table 1.6). On the other hand, the state of Himachal Pradesh ranks first in the country with the highest urban and rural teledensity of 98.3% and 23.3%, respectively followed by Kerala. Further, the rate of increase in teledensity in the NE region is slower than the national average, which could be due to the limited expansion of exchange capacity. But low tele-density is not unique about the NE; it is also quite low for other state like Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Bihar as well. st

Table 1.6: Telecom: Teledensity in NER, 2007 (as on 31 Dec) States NE-I Assam Meghalaya Mizoram Tripura NE-II Manipur Nagaland Arunachal Pradesh Others Sikkim NER India

Telephone

(Number of Phones) Teledensity

1,113,469 156990 116013 193821

3.79 6.21 12.2 5.56

125,504 191,409 156,092

5.04 9.16 13.67

103,014 2,145,978 225 million

17.12 5.04 19.86

Note: Teledensity is telephones per hundred population.

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Source: www.indiastat.com and NEDFi databank, 2008

Key Performance Indicators: India‘s economic growth, favorable demographics of the population coupled with deregulation of telecommunication industry, improved quality and increasing affordability etc. has fuelled the growth of telecommunication industry. In addition, the following indicators are indicative of the impressive performance of the country‘s Telecom sector.      

Favorable economic, demographic and social factors to fuel growth Increased regulatory clarity and Network Decline in tariff and reduced handset costs – Affordability and Quality Fall in incremental capital expenditure per subscriber Low existing penetration levels and increasing focus on rural areas Advantages of easy Access (wireless service over wireline service)

However, rural area tele -density is merely about 8%, it shows clearly that the future lies in the rural areas. Telecommunication access to rural India is going to be the most important since Green Revolution. The rural market holds great potential for telecom companies. Rural telephony will require major investments in the near future as the Government is planning to increase rural teledensity from the current level of 8%. This segment will boost the demand for telecom services, equipment, internet services and other value added services, thereby offering a great market opportunity for telecom players.

Cellular mobile services were introduced in the NE region only in 2003 after a delay of eight years compared to the rest of the country on security considerations. There are still some restrictions in border areas and no signals are allowed within 500 metres of the international border. This restriction is particularly harsh to the North East states where a significant population lives in border areas and, therefore, should be removed as early as possible. To address the situation, Public sector telecom operator BSNL has declared 2007 as the “Year of the North East, to boost the tele-density of the region” (www.northeasttribune.com, 2007). An ambitious expansion plan is on the anvil.

The budgetary allocation of BSNL for the year 2007-08 is more than 1.5 time of the total expenditure made during the last three years in the Region. This is expected to add 1.30 lakh fixed line connections and 11.19 lakh cellular connections as against a total of 2.55 lakh fixed line and 11.24 cellular connections at present. Similarly, there would be an addition of 1.35 lakh broadband connections as against a total of about 19,000 connections at present. A total of 89 new towns will be brought on the broadband map as against a mere 20 towns/cities at present. The Region has sparse habitations and is disaster prone. The importance of telecom, particularly of wireless mode, is, therefore, all the more. People living in rural areas, particularly remote ones, have few means of reliable communication.

The mobile sector has grown from around 10 million subscribers in 2002 to around 234 million in 2007. As per the figures of Oct-Nov 2007 there are 2,941,739 and 1,646,674 GSM (Global System for Mobile Communications) subscribers in Assam and NE respectively. The per month growth rate of GSM subscribers in North-East states is around 2.5-2.9% in comparison to 3.84% overall growth rate of India. The mobile penetration in the region is less than 10% which indicates huge growth potential in the telecom sector. There are some players who have entered into the Assam market.

Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) is the largest service provider in the Region with a share of 30.86% in Assam and 48.73% in other States. The statistics of the number of subscribers in the NE region and Assam state for the month of March, 2009 are given in the table below.

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Table 1.7: Number of GSM Subscribers – March 2009 Operators Reliance Telecom Vodafone Essar Bharti Airtel BSNL Aircel (Dishnet Wireless)

NE Subscribers 468,614 163,099 920,268 1,058,307 1,014,150

Assam Subscribers 1,407,486 161,342 1,501,478 471,421 1,704,933

Source: Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI), March 2009

The NE mobile sector is an intensely competitive industry, featuring 10 mobile operators, of which five namely Bharti Airtel Ltd, Reliance Communications Ltd, Aircel, BSNL/MTNL, together accounts for almost three – fourth of the entire NE mobile market share, which is entirely GSM based. The competitive matrix is illustrated in the graph. Also recently, Tata Teleservices Ltd (TTSL), India fastest growing telecom service provider, has launched Note: Market share viz-a-viz:- Bharti Airtel: GSM; Reliance Communications / its much awaited telecom BSNL/MTNL: GSM and CDMA; Tata Tele: CDMA; Vodaone: GSM; Aircel: GSM operation in the Assam circle, Source: TRAI, April 2009 under its brand Tata Indicom in the year 2008, the first CDMA entrant in the region. To increase its national footprint TTSL has invested over Rs 100 crore, in Assam circle establishing a pan India network with 20 circles.

Tata Indicom has deployed a state-of-the-art CDMA network in the Assam Circle which allows superior quality, network, improved access etc. TTSL announced that they will invest Rs 500 crore over a period of three years in the creation of a robust telecom infrastructure across North-East and Assam (TTSL, 2008).

Falling tariffs rates and aggressive marketing by the major telecom players also contributed to the rise in the subscriber‘s base. With companies continuing to penetrate deeper into the interior parts of India, the North Eastern region witnessed a whopping growth of 241.6% in FY 2005-06, but due to infrastructural bottlenecks and technology related constraints, the growth rate declined to 139.8% in 2006-07. Despite such constraints, the region has witnessed a healthy subscriber growth of 76.3% in the last fiscal (2007-08) (Assam Tribune & www.manipuronline.com; 2008).

The most important infrastructure required for the development of telecommunication including mobile technology is optical fibre networking and broadbanding. It would be difficult to get the services of a dedicated communication satellite for the region and therefore, erection of towers and spreading optical fibres presents the viable option for the region. Alternatives like utilizing the power transmission and distribution network etc. should be explored for optimizing costs.

The telecommunication revolution in the country has led to a dramatic increase in Internet connectivity in the country, which has made possible the revolution in Information technology. That Internet usage is low in the North East is clear from the insignificant number of connections in NER, Page 141 of 179

being a low 15,303 in 2002, just 0.48% of the total number in the country. This increased in 2003 but was still less than 1% (0.88%) of the total. It is thus reasonable to conclude that the NER states have not been impacted by the telecommunication revolution as much as the rest of the country. The low Internet penetration is particularly worrying given the long-term plan of rapidly increasing the spread of IT services in the region.

The number of individual internet connections in the NER is about 50,000 at present which is woefully inadequate. Further, the bandwidth connectivity is poor in the region. Moreover, the cost of Bandwidth is very high in comparison to the rest of the country. The IT industry should not be misled by the false portrayal of the North-East as a Region beset with terrorism and insurgency. The fact is that large swathes of the Region have impeccable law and order situation. Ministry of DONER and the NE States should take appropriate measures to dispel such a notion from the minds of potential investors (Ministry of DONER, GOI, 2008).

Information Technology (IT) A strong IT platform would need to be created to support and enable the implementation of initiatives in the focus verticals to secure the Natural Resoures. The illustration below is a vision created for India, it covers the key verticals that needs to IT driven.

We envisage 3 components that would be required to build the IT platform:  E – Government services  Green IT facilities  Development of IT skills

Green IT Facilities Green IT saves Energy and Money Rising energy costs will have an impact on all businesses, and all businesses will increasingly be judged according to their environmental credentials, by legislators, customers and shareholders. This Page 142 of 179

won‘t just affect the obvious, traditionally ‗smoke-belching‘ manufacturing and heavy engineering industries, and the power generators but will also affect the power-hungry IT industry An Information Technology center primarily consist of an Building, Human resource, Office equipments like servers, monitors, processors etc, and all backed by heavy requirement for Energy.

This turns out to have a huge carbon footprint. Hence, it becomes really essential to reduce the consumption and avoid wastage.

There lies potential of turning the activities sustainable and convert into green data center/ IT infrastructure by following:       

Minimizing the footprints of the buildings The use of low-emission building materials, carpets and paints Sustainable landscaping Waste recycling Installation of catalytic converters on backup generators The use of alternative energy technologies such as photovoltaics, heat pumps, and evaporative cooling The use of hybrid or electric company vehicles

Development of IT skills The number of IT-BPO professionals employed in India grew from less than 200,000 people in 1998 to over 1.6 million in 2007, largely because of the country‘s demographic profile and network of high-quality academic institutions.

India currently has around 347 institutes of higher education and 16,885 colleges with a total enrollment of over 9.9 million. These produce around 495,000 technical graduates, nearly 2.3 million other graduates and over 300,000 post-graduates every year.

Technology adoption in the domestic market also reported steady gains in FY2009. This segment is expected to reach INR 1,113 billion (USD 24.3 billion) in FY2009, reporting healthy growth across all key segments.

Domestic IT services spends are estimated to grow 20 per cent to touch INR 380 billion (USD 8.3 billion) terms and are showing strong signs of increasing sophistication as building enterprise IT infrastructures and applications, networking and communication become key priorities for India Inc. Software and BPO spending growth in the domestic market is being supported by increasing adoption. While the software product segment registered a growth 15 per cent (INR 103 billion, USD 2.3 billion), domestic BPO segment recorded the fastest growth of about 40 per cent to reach INR 88.7 billion (USD 1.9 billion).

Hardware segment reached INR 541 billion (USD 11.8 billion) in FY2009, a growth of 17 per cent over FY2008.

Knowledge Professionals employed in the Indian IT-BPO sector FY2008 FY2009 IT Exp. & Services 860,000 946,809 Exports It‘s become imperative to enhance the Indian talent pool to maximize the industry‘s potential and enable the sector to further grow.

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The following is the Pyramid approach for developing industryâ€&#x;s skills requirement A holistic view of IT industry' skill requirements is required The base of the pyramid represents simple technical skills (including entry level jobs in the BPO industry and vocational jobs like networking, hardware maintenance, etc.). The middle stands for skills which are mainstream and account for the majority of the existing shortage in the industry, while the top of the pyramid, represents high-end technology skills (in areas such as bio-informatics, embedded software, product architecture, DSP, VLSI, program management and multimedia convergence), which are niche today, but will become mainstream in the near future.

Top of the Pyramid

ToP

Represents high end technology skills which are niche today, but will become main-stream over a 2-3 year horizon

Middle of the Pyramid

MoP

Represents skills which are mainstream today and represent majority of the current skill gap in the industry

Base of the Pyramid

BoP

Represents relatively simple technical skills

TM

Copyright Š NASSCOM 2006

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Annexure VI – Abbreviations and References Abbreviations A.P AASC APEDA BAIF BPL BTFF CA CB CCCMP CCCMPF CDM CFA CGE CNBC CSO cu.m DIPP DONER FDI FFDA FII GDP gms (GMS) GOI GSDP Ha HYV IBEF IDDPI IES IHEI IIDCs Kg Km LEWWAC MAI MDA mm MOAH MW NABARD ND NDDB NEC NEDFi NEEPCO

Arunachal Pradesh Assam Administrative Staff College Agricultural and Processed Food Products Exports Development Authority Bharatiya Agro Industries Foundation Below Poverty Line Balipara Tract and Frontier Foundation Controlled atmosphere Crossbred Community Climate Change Mitigation Projects Community Climate Change Mitigation Project Fund Clean Development Mechanism Central Financial Assistance

Community Green Entrepreneurs The Consumer News and Business Channel Central Statistical Organisation cubic metre Department of Industrial Policy Promotion Ministry of Development of North East Region Foreign Direct Investments Fish Farmers‘ Development Agencies

Foreign Institutional Investor Gross Domestic Product Globally Managed Services Government of India Gross State Domestic Product Hacter High Yield Value India Brand Equity Foundation Intensive Dairy Development Programme

International Ecotourism Standard International Hotels Environment Initiative Industrial Infrastructure Development Centres Kilogram Kilometres Land, Energy, Water, Waste, Air and Carbon Market Access Initiatives Market Development Assistance Milimeter Ministry of Animal Husbandry Megawatts

The National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development Non-descript The National Dairy Development Board The North East Council North Eastern Development Finance Corporation Ltd. North Eastern Electric Power Corporation Page 145 of 179

Abbreviations NEIIPP NER NERHM NFDB NFDB NGO NHB NHPC NPOP NSDP NSI NSSO NTPC NW-2 PHM PPP R&D RBI RE RJBI RSI S.E Asia SEC SFHE SHG‘s sq km UP WB WTTC

The North East Industrial and Investment Promotion Policy North East Region North East region Horticulture Mission National Fisheries Development Board National Fisheries Development Board

Non Government Organisation National Horticulture Board Hydroelectric Power Corporation National Programme for Organic Production Net State Domestic Product National Specialization Index National Sample Survey Organisation National Thermal Power Corporation National Waterways Post Harvest Management Public Private Partnership Research and Development Reserve Bank of India Revised Estimates River Journeys and Bungalows of India Regional Specialization Index South East Asia Socio Economic Classification Small Farmers Horticulture Estate Self Help Groups square kilometre Uttar Pradesh West Bengal The World Travel and Tourism Council

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Annexure VII12 Demography Some of the salient feature of North Eastern Region

State

Area in Sq. Km.

Population (Person)

Decadal Growth Rate (1991-2001)

Density per sq. km.

Sex Ratio Percentage of (females '000 Main workers males)

Arunachal 83743 1097968 27.00 13 893 37.66 Pradesh Assam 78438 26655528 18.92 340 935 26.57 Manipur 22327 216786 24.86** 103* 974* 31.67** Meghalaya 22429 2318822 30.65 103 972 32.03 Mizoram 22081 888573 28.82 42 935 40.95 Nagaland 16579 1990036 64.53 120 900 35.38 Sikkim 7096 540851 33.06 76 875 39.29 Tripura 10486 3199203 16.03 305 948 28.33 Total NER 263179 38857769 21.61 148 937 -All India 3287263 1028610328 21.54 313 933 -* Population , Density and Sex ratio includes estimated population of Paomata, Mao Maram and Purual sub-divisions of Senapati district of Manipur for 2001. ** Excludes Mao Maram, Paomata & Purul sub-division of Senapati Dist.

Source : Basic Statistics of NER 2006.

Statistical Pocket Book India 2008

Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes proportions to the total population Proportion of SC Proportion of ST population population Arunachal Pradesh 0.6 64.2 Assam 6.9 12.4 Manipur 2.8 34.2 Meghalaya 0.5 85.9 Mizoram 0.0 94.5 Nagaland 0.0 89.1 Sikkim 5.0 20.6 Tripura 17.4 31.1 Source: Primary Census Abstract: Census of India 2001 State

12

All the tables in the annexure are sourced from the following NER website -http://databank.nedfi.com/.

Accessed on 12th of June 2011

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State wise Estimated Mid-Year Population: ('000 nos.)

State

1991 Arunachal Pradesh 873 Assam 22569 Manipur 1851 Meghalaya 1791 Mizoram 697 Nagaland 1229 Sikkim 410 Tripura 2781 Source: Statistical Pocket Book India 2008

As on 1st July 2006 1174 28797 2317 2480 950 2128 578 3421

2007 1188 29183 2346 2510 962 2154 586 3463

2008 1203 29564 2374 2540 973 2180 593 3505

Number of Districts, DRDAs, Blocks and Villages, Inhabited & Uninhabited in Northeastern Region as on 1st April 2008: (Unit : Number) Number of Towns As District As Total Inhabited Uninhabited State per 2001 on 2001 Villages* Villages* Villages DRDAs Blocks census Arunachal 13 16 89 4065 3863 202 17 Pradesh Assam 27 27 222 26312 25124 1188 125 Manipur 9 9 37 2275 2199 76 33 Meghalaya 7 7 39 6026 5782 244 16 Mizoram 8 8 26 817 707 110 22 Nagaland 11 11 52 1317 1278 39 9 Sikkim 4 1 8 452 450 2 9 Tripura 4 4 40 870 858 12 23 Total 83 83 513 42134 40261 1873 245 All India 618 609 5637 639445 594589 44856 5161 Note: DRDAs stands for District Rural Development Agengies Number of Panchayats as on 31st March 2008: Districts Village Panchayat Arunachal Pradesh # 1639 Assam 2223 Manipur 165 Meghalaya Mizoram Nagaland Sikkim 163 Tripura 513 # The figures do not include Tirap District @ These States have Traditional Council of Villages Elders Source: Statistical Pocket Book India 2008

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District Panchayat 14 20 4 @ @ @ 95 4

Economy State-wise Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP) at Constant 1999-2000 Prices in NER, (1999-2000 to 2009-2010): (Rs. in Crore) 1999- 2000- 2001- 2002- 2003- 2004- 2005- 2006- 2007- 2008- 2009States 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 Arunachal 1612 1726 1997 1911 2120 2469 2364 2689 2860 3028 NA Pradesh % growth over prev 7.07 15.70 -4.31 10.94 16.46 -4.25 13.75 6.36 5.87 NA year 34833 35715 36642 39233 41595 43150 45282 47502 50222 53319 56702 Assam % growth over prev 2.53 2.60 7.07 6.02 3.74 4.94 4.90 5.73 6.17 6.34 year 3260 3053 3261 3246 3598 3947 4129 4283 4573 4899 NA Manipur % growth over prev -6.35 6.81 -0.46 10.84 9.70 4.61 3.73 6.77 7.13 NA year 3773 4033 4186 4470 4788 5173 5508 5971 6459 NA Meghalaya 3578 % growth over prev 5.45 6.89 3.79 6.78 7.11 8.04 6.48 8.41 8.17 NA year 1550 1627 1733 1913 1974 2056 2105 2221 2344 2495 NA Mizoram % growth over prev 4.97 6.52 10.39 3.19 4.15 2.38 5.51 5.54 6.98 NA year 2802 3267 3641 3985 4185 4377 4554 4850 NA NA NA Nagaland % growth over prev 16.60 11.45 9.45 5.02 4.59 4.04 6.50 NA NA NA year 896 964 1040 1116 1204 1297 1413 1514 1626 1756 NA Sikkim % growth over prev 7.59 7.88 7.31 7.89 7.72 4.94 7.15 7.40 8.00 NA year 4867 5153 5878 6255 6623 7162 7813 8019 8350 NA NA Tripura % growth over prev 5.88 14.07 6.41 5.88 8.14 9.09 2.64 4.13 NA NA year India GDP 1786526 1864301 1972606 2048286 2222758 2388768 2616101 2871118 3129717 3339375 NA (1999-2000 Base) % growth over prev 4.35 5.81 3.84 8.52 7.47 9.52 9.75 9.01 6.70 NA year India GDP 2967599 3249130 3564627 3893457 4154973 4464081 (2004-05 Base) % growth over prev 9.49 9.71 9.22 6.72 7.44 year

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Abbr. : NA : Not Available.

Note : As on 09.09.2010.

Source : Central Statistical Organisation.

State-wise Own Tax Revenue in NER, (2006-2007 to 2009-2010): (Rs. in Crore) 2006-07 2006-07 2007-08 2007-08 2008-09 2008-09 2009-10 2006-07 2007-08 (Budget (Revised (Budget (Revised (Budget (Revised (Budget States (Accounts (Accounts Estimates Estimates Estimates Estimates Estimates Estimates Estimates ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) Arunachal 63 70 78 79 80 98 95 99 109 Pradesh Assam 3827 3566 3483 4042 3512 3360 4021 4039 4028 Manipur 104 111 122 127 143 147 160 160 182 Meghalay 268 268 305 332 332 319 385 385 404 a Mizoram 52 63 68 68 69 78 75 95 116 Nagaland 119 119 119 128 128 131 138 149 156 Sikkim 119 130 173 145 148 198 151 162 177 Tripura 312 353 342 401 382 371 451 451 546 Source : Reserve Bank of India.

State-wise Projections of States Own Revenue Receipts/Non-Plan Revenue Expenditure in NER, (20052010): (Rs. in crore) State's Own Revenue Receipts Non-Plan Revenue Expenditure Pre dev.

States Of which NPR Deficit OTR ONTR Total Total Pension IP Assam 15502 3362 18865 77741 10172 10907 -58876 Arunachal 351 502 853 5608 406 1614 -4755 Pradesh Manipur 581 499 1080 14128 1849 3094 -13048 Meghalaya 1399 860 2260 7633 713 1225 -5374 Mizoram 176 346 522 5914 595 977 -5392 Nagaland 563 288 851 10241 1101 2414 -9390 Sikkim 520 515 1034 3958 212 539 -2924 Tripura 1650 934 2584 14081 2323 2362 -11497 Abbr. : OTR : Own Tax Revenue, ONTR : Own Non-Tax Revenue., IP : Interest Payment, NPR : Non-Plan Revenue.

Compiled from the statistics released by : Report of the Twelfth Finance Commission (2005-10), Ministry of Finance, Govt. of India.

State-wise Prescriptive buoyancies and Growth Rates of Tax Revenues in NER, (2005-2010): States Arunachal Pradesh Assam Manipur Meghalaya Mizoram Nagaland Sikkim

Nominal annual growth Prescriptive buoyancies Prescriptive growth rate rate of GSDP(%) of tax revenue of tax revenue (%) 12.80 1.10 14.08 11.00 1.20 13.20 11.00 1.10 12.10 11.00 1.20 13.20 11.00 1.10 12.10 11.00 1.10 12.10 12.00 1.20 14.40

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Tripura 12.00 1.10 GSDP : Gross State Domestic Product.

Compiled from the statistics released by : Report of the Twelfth Finance Commission (2005-10), Ministry of Finance, Govt. of India.

13.20

Distribution of Workers by Category of Workers (e.g., Cultivators, Agricultural Labourers, Household Industries Workers and Other Workers by Sex: Agricultural Household industry Cultivators Other worker Total labourers workers State workers Number % Number % Number % Number % Arunachal Pradesh Persons 482902 279300 57.8 18840 3.9 6043 6,043 6043 6043 Male 293612 136336 46.4 10329 3.5 3177 1.1 143770 49.0 Female 189290 142964 75.5 8511 4.5 2866 1.5 34949 18.5 Assam Persons 9538591 3730773 39.1 1263532 13.2 344912 3.6 4199374 44.0 Male 6870960 2634068 38.3 832508 12.1 133902 1.9 3270482 47.6 Female 2667631 1096705 41.1 431024 16.2 211010 7.9 928892 34.8 Manipur Persons 945213 379705 40.2 113630 12.0 96920 10.3 354958 37.6 Male 527216 214282 40.6 49928 9.5 20547 3.9 242459 46.0 Female 417997 165423 39.6 63702 15.2 76373 18.3 112499 26.9 Meghalaya Persons 970146 467010 48.1 171694 17.7 21225 2.2 310217 32.0 Male 568491 255018 44.9 90888 16.0 9358 1.6 213227 37.5 Female 401655 211992 52.8 80806 20.1 11867 3.0 96990 24.1 Mizoram Persons 467159 256332 54.9 26783 5.7 7100 1.5 176944 37.9 Male 263008 130497 49.6 12775 4.9 3476 1.3 116260 44.2 Female 204151 125835 61.6 14008 6.9 3624 1.8 60684 29.7 Nagaland Persons 847796 548845 64.7 30907 3.6 21873 2.6 246171 29.0 Male 488968 270927 55.4 15985 3.3 9193 1.9 192863 39.4 Female 358828 277918 77.5 14922 4.2 12680 3.5 53308 14.9 Sikkim Persons 263043 13,258 49.9 17000 6.5 4219 1.6 110566 42.0 Male 165716 70107 42.3 8762 5.3 2849 1.7 83998 50.7 Female 97327 61151 62.8 8238 8.5 1370 1.4 26568 27.3 Tripura Persons 1159561 313300 27.0 276132 23.8 35292 3.0 534837 46.1 Male 831346 220962 26.6 162640 19.6 14830 1.8 432914 52.1 Female 328215 92338 28.1 113492 34.6 20462 6.2 101923 31.1 Source: Primary Census Abstract: Census of India 2001

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Education State-wise Literacy Rate by Sex for Rural/Urban Areas in NER (Census 2001) Rural Urban Total States Males Females Person Males Females Person Males Females Person Arunachal 57.65 36.94 47.83 85.19 69.49 78.26 63.83 43.53 54.34 Pradesh Assam 68.22 50.70 59.73 89.74 80.24 85.34 71.28 54.61 63.25 Manipur* 77.31 56.95 67.29 88.71 70.01 79.28 80.33 60.53 70.53 Meghalaya 59.24 53.24 56.29 89.05 83.50 86.30 65.43 59.61 62.56 Mizoram 84.93 77.26 81.27 96.43 95.80 96.13 90.72 86.75 88.80 Nagaland 67.58 57.52 62.79 87.44 81.42 84.74 71.16 61.46 66.59 Sikkim 74.45 58.01 66.82 87.81 79.16 83.91 76.04 60.40 68.81 Tripura 78.40 60.50 69.72 93.21 85.03 89.21 81.02 64.91 73.19 Note : * : Excluding Mao-Maram, Paomata Purul sub-divisions of Senapati District of Manipur.

Sources: Department of Secondary & Higher Education, Ministry of Human Resource Development, Govt. of India

State-wise Districts with Maximum and Minimum Values of Literacy Rate (Persons) in NER (2001 census):

States

Literacy Rate

Sikkim Arunachal Pradesh Nagaland Manipur Mizoram Tripura

69.68 54.74 67.11 68.87 88.49 73.66

District with Maximum Literacy Rate Literacy Rate East 75.57 Papum Pare 70.89 Mokokchung 84.27 Imphal West 80.61 Aizawl 96.64 West Tripura 77.82

Meghalaya

63.31

East Kashi Hills

76.98

Assam 64.28 Jorhat 77.91 Compiled from the statistics released by : Census of India 2001 Literacy Rate (%) of NER:

District with Minimum Literacy Rate Literacy Rate West 59.31 East Kameng 40.89 Mon 42.25 Senapati 50.47 Lawngtlai 56.45 Dhalai 61.56 West Garo 51.03 Hills Dhubri 49.86

2001 Census 2004-2005 Total Male Female Total Male Female Arunachal Pradesh 54 64 44 60 65 54 Assam 63 71 55 71 76 65 Manipur* 71 80 61 76 82 69 Meghalaya 63 65 60 78 79 76 Mizoram 89 91 87 90 90 90 Nagaland 67 71 62 78 82 75 Sikkim 69 76 60 75 80 70 Tripura 73 81 65 74 79 69 * Excludes Figures of Paomata, Mao Maram and Puru sub-divisions of Senapati dist. of Manipur for 2001Census.

Source: Statistical Pocket Book India 2008 States

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State-wise Number of Recognised Primary/Junior Basic and Middle/Senior Basic Schools in NER, (20052006 to 2007-2008)(P): 2005-06 2006-07 2007-08 Primary/ Middle/ Primary/ Middle/ Primary/ Middle/ States Junior Basic Senior Basic Junior Basic Senior Basic Junior Basic Senior Basic Schools Schools Schools Schools Schools Schools Arunachal Pradesh 1380 528 1438 588 1561 664 Assam 30499 9716 30094 11347 30094 11347 Manipur 2552 831 2563 769 2563 769 Meghalaya 5851 1759 6351 2259 6618 2259 Mizoram 1688 1121 1700 1081 1700 1081 Nagaland 1520 481 1520 481 1662 465 Sikkim 733 205 761 217 772 221 Tripura 1863 1004 1998 1007 2151 1021 Abb. : P : Provisional.

Source : Ministry of Human Resource Development, Govt. of India State-wise Number of Recognised High Schools/Higher Secondary/Intermediate/Pre-Degree Colleges in NER, (2005-2006 to 2007-2008): Number of Colleges States 2005-06 2006-07 2007-08 Arunachal Pradesh 223 240 260 Assam 5527 5881 5881 Manipur 705 804 804 Meghalaya 655 774 774 Mizoram 560 581 581 Nagaland 391 449 406 Sikkim 162 163 164 Tripura 667 674 713 Abb. : P : Provisional.

Source : Ministry of Human Resource Development, Govt. of India.

State/Management-wise Number of High/Post Basic Schools in NER, (2006-2007): High/Post Basic Schools States Govt.

Local Bodies Private Aided Number %age Number %age Number %age Arunachal Pradesh 109 73.15 0 0.00 17 11.41 Assam 2793 55.29 0 0.00 935 18.51 Manipur 201 28.67 0 0.00 102 14.55 Meghalaya 14 2.07 0 0.00 458 67.75 Mizoram 191 38.12 0 0.00 126 25.15 Nagaland 125 31.41 0 0.00 273 68.59 Sikkim 95 84.82 0 0.00 1 0.89 Tripura 395 93.16 1 0.24 9 2.12 Source : Ministry of Human Resource Development, Govt. of India.

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Private Unaided Number %age 23 15.44 1324 26.21 398 56.78 204 30.18 184 366.7 0 0 16 14.29 19 4.48

Total 149 5052 701 676 501 398 112 424

State/Management-wise Number of Pre-Degree/Junior Colleges/Higher Secondary Schools in NER, (2006-2007): Pre-Degree/Junior Colleges/Higher Secondary Schools States Govt.

Local Bodies Private Aided Private Unaided Total Number %age Number %age Number %age Number %age Arunachal 79 86.81 0 0.00 7 7.69 5 5.49 91 Pradesh Assam 646 77.93 0 0.00 25 3.02 158 19.06 829 Manipur 39 37.86 0 0.00 0 0.00 64 62.14 103 Meghalaya 21 21.43 0 0.00 43 43.88 34 34.69 98 Mizoram 22 27.50 0 0.00 20 25.00 38 47.50 80 Nagaland 9 17.65 0 0.00 42 82.35 0 0.00 51 Sikkim 45 88.24 0 0.00 2 3.92 4 7.84 51 Tripura 209 83.94 0 0.00 32 12.85 8 3.21 249 Source : Ministry of Human Resource Development, Govt. of India.

State/Management-wise Number of Middle/Senior Basic Schools in NER, (2006-2007): Middle/Senior Basic Schools Govt.

Local Bodies Private Aided Private Unaided Number %age Number %age Number %age Number %age Arunachal Pradesh 506 86.05 0 0.00 5 0.85 77 13.10 Assam 7192 63.38 0 0.00 2154 18.98 2001 17.63 Manipur 306 39.79 0 0.00 94 12.22 369 47.98 Meghalaya 56 2.48 0 0.00 980 43.38 1223 54.14 Mizoram 544 50.32 113 10.45 109 10.08 315 29.14 Nagaland 271 56.34 0 0.00 0 0.00 210 43.66 Sikkim 150 69.12 0 0.00 0 0.00 67 30.88 Tripura 998 147.20 0 0.00 5 0.74 17 2.51 Source : Ministry of Human Resource Development, Govt. of India.

States

Total 588 11347 769 2259 1081 481 217 678

State-wise Number of Pre-Degree/Junior Colleges, Higher Secondary and High/Post Basic Schools in NER, (2006-2007): Institutions Board of Intermediate/ Pre-Degree Junior Higher Colleges/ Higher Secondary/Secondary Secondary Schools Education Arunachal Pradesh 0 91 Assam 2 829 Manipur 2 103 Meghalaya 1 98 Mizoram 1 80 Nagaland 1 51 Sikkim 0 51 Tripura 1 249 Source : Ministry of Human Resource Development, Govt. of India.

States

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High/Post Basic Schools 149 5052 701 676 501 398 112 425

State-wise Number of Government/Private Professional Educational Institutions (Degree and Diploma Courses) in NER, (As on 03.12.2007): *Degree Diploma Number of States Number of Pvt. Number of Govt./Govt.

Govt./Govt.

Number of Pvt. Inst.

Inst.

Aided Inst.

Aided Inst.

Arunachal 1 0 3 1 Pradesh Assam 13 4 15 0 Manipur 2 0 4 0 Meghalaya 0 2 3 0 Mizoram 1 0 4 0 Nagaland 2 1 4 0 Sikkim 0 3 3 1 Tripura 6 0 4 0 Note : * : Includes Undergraduate and Post Gradual degre Level Institiutions in Engg. And Technology, Pharmacy, HMCT, Architecture and Post Graduate degree Institutions in Management and Computer.

Compiled from the statistics released by : Rajya Sabha Unstarred Question No. 1352 dated on 03.12.2007.

Application.

Health Estimated Annual Birth Rates State 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 Arunachal 30.1 30.9 26.6 28.0 23.5 23.8 21.9 21.4 Pradesh Assam 38.5 30.9 30.8 29.5 30.8 29.3 27.6 28.2 Manipur 21.1 20.1 19.5 20.5 21.7 20.6 19.6 19.7 Meghalaya 31.8 32.4 29.8 28.5 29.5 29.0 30.4 30.2 Mizoram 15.1 15.1 Nagaland 16.2 18.5 19.2 20.0 20.1 N.A. N.A. 30.2 Sikkim 26.3 22.5 22.0 24.3 24.6 22.5 20.0 19.8 Tripura 24.9 24.4 23.1 23.3 21.9 18.9 18.4 18.3 N.A.- Not Available.

Source : Sample Registration Bulletins & RGI. Statistical Hand Book of Assam 2006 & 2007 Estimated Annual Death Rates State 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 Arunachal 13.2 13.5 9.4 8.9 9.9 6.0 5.5 8.3 Pradesh Assam 11.5 10.4 10.2 9.2 9.6 9.6 9.9 Manipur 5.9 5.4 5.6 4.8 6.7 6.7 5.8 5.9 Meghalaya 7.8 8.8 8.5 6.8 7.1 8.9 8.9 8.8 Mizoram 3.7 4.8 Nagaland 4.1 3.3 3.8 4.7 4.3 N.A. N.A. N.A. Sikkim 7.3 7.5 5.8 6.9 2.9 6.9 6.5 4.8 Tripura 7.1 7.6 7.6 6.4 5.3 7.7 6.5 6.8 N.A.- Not Available.

Source : Sample Registration Bulletins & RGI. Statistical Hand Book of Assam 2006 & 2007 Page 155 of 179

2000 2001 2002 2004 2006 22.3

22.2

20.2

21.2

22.5

26.9 18.3 28.5 16.0 N.A. 21.8 16.5

27.0 18.3 28.3 15.7 N.A. 21.6 16.1

26.6 16.8 25.8 16.9 N.A. 21.9 14.9

25.1 13.9 25.2 19.1 13.9 19.5 15.0

24.6 13.4 24.7 17.8 17.3 19.2 16.6

2000 2001 2002 2004 2006 6.0

5.7

4.8

4.7

5.0

9.6 5.6 9.2 5.2 N.A. 5.7 5.4

6.9 5.2 9.0 4.4 N.A. 5.1 5.6

9.2 4.6 7.7 4.8 N.A. 4.9 5.7

8.8 4.3 7.3 5.2 3.7 4.9 5.5

8.7 4.5 8.0 5.5 4.8 5.6 6.3

Infant Mortality: State 2004 Arunachal Pradesh 38 Assam 66 Manipur 14 Meghalaya 54 Mizoram 19 Nagaland 17 Sikkim 32 Tripura 32 Source: Statistical Hand Book of Assam 2006 & 2007

Page 156 of 179

2006 40 67 11 53 25 20 33 36

Selected 20 indicators from District Level Household and Facility Survey and Factor analysis of the data with index construction

At leas t one teta nus toxo id inje ctio n

Per cent of chil dre n suff ere d fro m AR I in 2 wee ks

Per cent of chil dre n rece ived brea stfeed ing wit hin 24 hou rs of birt h

Per cen t birt hs of Jan 04+ that are ord ers 1& 2

Perce nt <3 year childr en recei ved Colos trum/ Khee sa

Perce nt house holds with electr icity

Perce nt of 1223m childr en fully immu nized

AN C (J0 4+) in any hea lth fac ilit y

100 + IF A tabl ets/ syr up

Ind ex wit h ran kin g

Thr ee or mor e ante nata l chec k-up

Ante natal chec k-up in the first trim ester

Kamrup

21.

38

69.7

59.9

23.3

87.7

8.2

98.2

80.

6

96.7

39.1

4.6

77.6

60.0

73.

3

90.

4

Dibrugar h

14.

90

58.4

53.6

28.0

80.0

12.

0

93.4

68.

7

94.5

40.5

7.0

41.8

88.0

52.

5

Kamrup Metro

13.

60

60.8

50.6

25.2

75.6

8.6

98.2

76.

2

93.8

35.2

3.2

61.1

77.1

49.9

45.0

26.3

77.2

99.7

45.0

2.5

42.0

69.2

48.9

33.3

75.8

97.5

75.

8 73.

1

98.5

60.6

7.8 13.

3

90.6

23.2

3.4

48.3

District

Contra ceptive preval ence by any MOD ERN Metho d

Perc ent of chil dren suff ered from diarr hoea in 2 wee ks

Per cen t vill age s wit ha gov t hea lth faci lity

Perc ent wom en (1549) with any RTI/ STI sym ptom s

Perce nt of delive ries instit utiona l

Perce nt house holds with potab le drink ing water

Perce nt house holds living in pucca house

Perce nt house holds with toilet facilit y

CM Ws of age 2024 mar ried bef ore age 18

34.

5

65.5

90.3

23.3

92.2

7.5

0.97 2

2.51 7

0.23 4

85.

5

25.

4

49.9

96.6

8.0

82.2

14.

3

1.40 4

0.63 2

1.00 9

54.

3

81.

8

39.

3

56.3

72.7

14.8

80.4

8.8

0.53 2

1.69 1

0.26 4

81.

4 79.

3

36.

5 29.

9

52.0

96.9

7.0

68.4

68.5

75.

0 55.

6

52.2

82.2

7.0

79.8

13.

6 16.

5

0.49 9 0.87 0

0.64 3 0.38 7

1.06 1 0.52 3

0.32 2

0.41 7

1.45 5 0.11 4 0.39 0

0.26 3

FA C1_ 1

FA C2_ 1

FA C3_ 1

Sibsagar

11.

98 10.

92

Jorhat

10.

07

56.0

53.6

26.0

87.6

6.3

99.3

75.

1

99.4

27.5

2.1

48.8

67.0

41.

5

88.

4

37.

9

47.4

74.5

8.9

70.6

15.

8

Karbi Anglong

7.3 7

46.4

31.5

33.7

62.1

7.8

99.2

88.

0

98.0

38.9

2.6

63.1

63.3

88.

6

65.

9

44.

7

37.6

78.0

5.4

83.0

8.0

1.00 3 0.85 7

51.8

43.4

26.3

69.7

99.5

99.5

41.7

0.3

30.9

56.6

60.3

66.9

92.5

44.3

5.4

40.8

53.7

36.

5 36.

5

2.9

29.0

82.

3 72.

7

90.0

47.4

70.

0 52.

5

38.3

55.3

5.3 13.

3

43.4

93.7

4.5

82.5

15.

9 16.

0

0.33 5 0.30 7

Nalbari

Baska Tinsukia

7.1 1 5.8 8

96.1

81.

0 58.

9

157 of 179

0.87 1 0.33 7

FA C4_ 1 0.06 9 0.99 4 0.09 4 0.48 1 0.50 2 0.76 8 0.23 6 1.28 4 0.44 1

FA C5_ 1 1.46 3 0.92 2 0.00 2 0.28 5 0.21 2 0.45 8 1.57 8 0.20 9 0.84

8

Golaghat

5.6 4

56.7

15.

9

42.2

37.0

45.7

Darrang

4.1 4

44.2

45.8

27.9

77.9

Sonitpur

2.6 1

49.7

42.8

26.8

Barpeta

2.4 1

49.3

43.0

Marigaon

1.8 8

43.9

Udalguri

1.2 7

Assam (15-49)

1.1 9

Nagaon

Cachar Karimga nj Lakhimp ur Bongaiga on Hailakan di

Dhemaji

Goalpara

0.9 6 0.6 5 0.7 6 1.2 8 1.7 3 3.3 6 5.0 0 5.0 7

77.0

14.

3

0.31 8

2.7

58.4

25.

0

0.56 5

48.2

5.5

68.6

15.

2

0.40 3

28.8

92.4

2.6

73.9

34.

0

40.

3

30.7

96.1

6.5

68.5

27.

2

0.66 6 0.29 1

79.

7

33.

5

32.8

65.1

2.8

56.6

19.

7

57.

1

74.

3

38.

5

35.1

74.9

5.5

69.9

20.

8

0.81 4 0.05 9

40.4

70.

5

72.

6

40.

6

29.8

83.6

5.2

75.6

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0

0.24 8

36.7

49.4

44.

2

86.

5

28.

3

32.2

48.1

7.3

87.3

17.

7

0.76 1

9.3

26.8

39.7

89.

1

83.

7

23.

8

22.4

50.5

4.5

85.6

27.

3

26.6

4.6

26.2

51.2

67.

4

63.

5

49.

0

41.3

61.8

5.9

63.3

19.

2

92.6

27.7

2.6

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70.

7

70.

8

39.

5

29.9

66.9

5.4

62.1

28.

4

0.71 2 1.22 5 0.34 4

52.

9

58.9

14.8

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36.9

63.

0

89.

2

24.

6

22.5

40.9

3.2

96.5

30.

1

99.4

67.

0

96.0

34.6

7.3

20.2

43.8

19.

1

65.

1

44.

4

31.6

82.3

2.9

51.4

18.

4

99.7

63.

3

99.4

31.1

0.8

29.8

37.9

50.

0

67.

3

47.

8

28.2

63.6

3.4

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27.

0

97.8

71.

9

57.0

65.

2

72.

5

42.

8

95.4

20.5

5.5

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91.2

7.1

1.9

100.

0

67.

5

99.4

36.3

1.0

23.3

60.5

52.

2

79.

3

41.

7

38.4

93.8

80.8

15.

1

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60.

1

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36.2

3.4

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53.0

52.

3

82.

6

36.

0

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41.8

74.6

10.

1

93.5

63.

9

85.3

27.7

3.7

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57.3

53.

3

75.

9

36.

7

32.3

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63.0

11.

2

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70.

9

95.1

24.7

2.2

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55.6

54.

2

71.

3

53.6

46.9

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6.9

96.5

58.

8

91.5

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0

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12.

0

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0

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31.0

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51.2

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8

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8

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7

81.1

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3

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33.1

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12.

7

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71.

0

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64.

4

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16.

5

68.7

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20.

9

33.5

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25.3

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3.6

Page 158 of 179

1.26 5 1.27 0 0.60 2

0.09 7 0.94 7 0.15 3 1.36 1 0.37 9 0.95 8 0.10 7 0.98 9 0.06 3 1.17 4

0.97 4 0.97 4 0.46 7 0.55 3 0.52 2 0.21 1 0.15 3 0.07 4 1.77 4 1.21 1

1.73 5 1.41 4 0.05 2

0.74 6 0.47 8 0.86 9

0.14 7 0.21 7 0.72 3

0.22 5

0.15 4 1.34 0

0.51 4 1.61 7 0.06 9

1.27 7

1.16 5 0.71 4

2.03 7

1.51 7

0.34 7 0.59 4 1.54 5

0.16 0 0.27 3 2.15 0

0.62 2 0.71 2

0.42 9

0.46 1

0.07 9 0.68 2

0.59 4 0.35 8

1.96 8 1.73 3

0.97 1 2.35 9 0.22 6

0.73 6

Dhubri

5.8 0 6.1 2 8.8 9 12.

33

Assam

NA

Chirang North Cachar Hills Kokrajha r

33.9

28.9

36.5

56.4

4.8

98.0

61.

7

35.7

48.3

21.4

61.6

4.5

85.8

72.

9

36.6

37.0

3.6

75.2

40.3

35.

3

72.

9

33.

2

40.8

49.8

3.9

95.9

12.

5

27.2

22.7

35.8

38.2

12.

4

94.8

64.

6

95.5

30.2

4.4

34.1

35.3

62.

2

47.

8

63.

9

32.6

80.7

4.1

40.6

26.

5

20.7

20.6

29.0

40.0

94.3

64.

2

95.2

23.6

2.6

22.0

26.0

59.

1

88.4

5.8

49.3

37.

1

39.4

36.4

68.5

92.9

NA

86.7

31.4

4.1

NA

50.9

NA

59.

3 36.

9

15.8

45.2

47.

7 74.

8

0.88 0 0.73 4 2.38 0 2.39 7

35.3

NA

NA

NA

NA

NA

16.

2 11.

9

99.6

27.1

3.2

13.6

52.1

42.

0

60.

3

48.

0

29.3

71.4

1.3

29.2

19.

5

Page 159 of 179

1.02 7 1.83 9

0.71 8 3.19 6

0.18 2 1.28 9

1.26 6 1.41 6

0.07 8 0.68 7

0.11 5 0.14 4

0.36 4 0.10 8

0.29 0

NA

NA

NA

NA

0.89 8

Tourism State-wise Domestic Tourist Visits in Northeast, (2005 to 2008): States 2005 2006 Arunachal Pradesh 50560 80137 Assam 2467652 3268657 Manipur 94299 116984 Meghalaya 375901 401529 Mizoram 44715 50987 Nagaland 17470 15850 Sikkim 251744 292486 Tripura 216330 230645 India 391948589 462310177 Source : Ministry of Tourism, Govt. of India.

2007 91100 3436833 101484 457685 43161 22085 329075 244795 526564364

2008 149292 3617306 112151 549936 55924 21129 460564 245438 562915569

2009 195147 3850521 124229 591398 56651 20953 547810 317541 650038673

State-wise Number of Foreign Tourist Visits in Northeast, (2007 and 2008): States Arunachal Pradesh Assam Manipur Meghalaya Mizoram Nagaland Sikkim Tripura India Source : Ministry of Tourism, Govt. of India.

Number of Foreign Tourist Visits 2007 2008 2212 3020 12899 14426 396 354 5267 4919 669 902 936 1209 17498 19154 3181 3577 13267273 14112590

State wise Major Tourist Places in North eastern Region: States Arunachal Pradesh Assam Manipur Meghalaya Mizoram Nagaland Sikkim Tripura

Major Tourist Places Tawang, Dirang, Bomdila, Tipi, Itanagar, Malinithan, Likabali, Pasighat, Along, Tezu, Miao, Roing, Daporijo, Namdapha, Bhismaknagar, Parashuram Kund and Khonsa.

Kamakhya Temple, Umananda, Navagraha, Basisth Ashram, Dolgobinda, Gandhi Mandap, State Zoo, State Museum, Sukreswar Temple, etc. in Guwahati, Kaziranga National Park, Manas, Orang, Sibasagar, Tezpur, Bhalukpung, Hajo, Batadrava, etc.

Imphal, Bishnupur, Loktak Lake, Sirori Hills, Keibul Lamjao National Park, etc.

Shillong, Jowai, Cherrapunji, etc.

Aizawl, Champhai, Tamdil, Thenzawl etc.

Kohima, Dimapur, Khonoma, Dzukou valley, Dzulekie, Japfu Peak, Tseminyu, Longkhum, UngmaVeda Peak, Shilloi LakeMount Tostu etc.

Gangtok, Bakhim, Yamthang, Dubdi, Dzongri, Varsey, Tashiding etc.

Agartala, Old Agartala. Tripura Sundari Temple etc.

160 of 179

State-wise Number of Tourism Sites and Amount Sanctioned for Promotion of Rural Tourism Projects in NER, (2002-2007 and 2007-2012): (Rs. in Lakh) States No. of Tourism Sites Amount Sanctioned Arunachal Pradesh 4 246.78 Assam 4 230.08 Manipur 4 162.39 Meghalaya 3 143.29 Mizoram Nagaland 12 803.15 Sikkim 11 715.77 Tripura 10 625.95 India 167 10316.48 Source : Lok Sabha Starred Question No. 160, dated on 19.11.2010.

State/Project-wise Central Financial Assistance Provided for Development of Eco-Tourism in NER, (2006-2007 to 2008-2009): (Rs. in Lakh) Year of Amount Amount States Project Sanction Sanctioned Released Development of Dolma Park at Lumla.

2008-09 170.00 136.00 Development of Tourism Infrastructure near Arunachal Pradesh Pakhui Wild life Sanctuary at Seijosa, East 2007-08 336.51 269.21 Kameng District.

Assam Development of Eco-tourism at Haflong.

2007-08 63.47 50.77 Development of Eco-tourism Park at Manipur 2006-07 345.29 172.64 Imphal.

Meghalaya Mizoram Integrated Development of Mon as EcoNagaland 2008-09 452.76 362.20 Adventure & Culture destination.

Contraction of Indian Himalayan Center for Sikkim 2007-08 389.54 311.63 Adventure and Eco-tourism at Chemchi.

Tripura Source : Press Information Bureau, Govt. of India.

Agriculture State-wise Fish Production in NER, (1999-2000 to 2008-2009): (In ' 000 Tonne) States 1999-00 2000-01 2001-02 2002-03 2003-04 2004-05 Arunachal 2.40 2.50 2.60 2.60 2.65 2.70 Pradesh Assam 159.77 158.62 161.45 165.52 181.00 186.31 Manipur 15.51 16.05 16.45 16.60 17.60 17.80 Meghalaya 4.68 6.18 4.97 5.37 5.15 5.64 Mizoram 2.89 2.86 3.15 3.25 3.38 3.68 Nagaland 5.00 5.50 5.20 5.50 5.56 4.90 Sikkim 0.14 0.14 0.14 0.14 0.14 0.14 Tripura 29.34 29.42 29.45 29.52 17.98 19.84 NA : Not Available.

Source : Ministry of Agriculture, Govt. of India.

Page 161 of 179

2005-06 2006-07 2007-08 2008-09 2.75

2.77

2.83

2.88

188.00 18.22 4.12 3.75 5.50 0.15 23.87

181.48 18.61 5.49 3.76 5.80 0.15 28.63

190.32 18.60 4.00 3.76 5.80 0.18 36.25

199.41 18.80 3.96 3.76 6.18 0.17 36.00

Livestock and Poultry as per Livestock Census 2003: (in '000 number) Cattle Horse Total Total States Buffalo Sheep Goats Pigs & Yaks Mithun Cross- IndigenLivestock Poultry Total Ponies bred ous Arunachal 13 445 458 11 19 231 330 7 9 192 1257 1743 Pradesh Assam 440 7999 8440 678 170 2987 1543 12 0 0 13829 21664 Manipur 69 349 418 77 6 33 415 2 0 20 917 2941 Meghalaya 23 744 767 18 18 327 419 2 0 0 1551 2821 Mizoram 9 27 36 6 1 17 218 2 0 2 280 1125 Nagaland 243 208 451 34 4 175 644 1 0 40 1349 2789 Sikkim 80 79 159 2 6 124 38 2 7 0 337 322 Tripura 57 702 759 14 3 472 209 0 0 0 1458 3057 Source: 17 th Livestock Census, Department of Animal Husbandry

State-wise Milk Production in NER, (2006-2007 to 2009-2010): ( ' 000 Tonne) States 2006-07 2007-08 2008-09 Assam 751 752 753 Manipur 77 78 78 Tripura 89 91 96 Meghalaya 75 77 77 Nagaland 67 45 53 Sikkim 49 49 49 Arunachal Pradesh 49 50 24 Mizoram 16 17 17 Note : * : Proisional estimates.

Source : Lok Sabha Unstarred Question No. 742, dated on 03.03.2008. & Lok Sabha Unstarred Question No. 819, dated on 24.11.2009. & Lok Sabha Unstarred Question No. 5124, dated on 27.04.2010. & Lok Sabha Unstarred Question No. 276, dated on 27.07.2010. & Lok Sabha Unstarred Question No. 856, dated on 29.07.2010.

State-wise Production of Eggs in NER, (2001-2002 to 2007-2008): (Lakh Nos) States 2001-02 2002-03 2003-04 2004-05 Arunachal 86 86 88 90 Pradesh Assam 5067 5095 5138 5216 Manipur 717 736 794 822 Meghalaya 902 943 936 946 Mizoram 289 304 307 317 Nagaland 540 681 682 755 Sikkim 97 103 129 140 Tripura 607 995 1005 1071 Source : Ministry of Agriculture, Govt. of India.

Page 162 of 179

2009-10* 0.84 0.287 0.079 0.078 0.055 0.049 0.025 0.013

2005-06

2006-07

2007-08

73

73

394

5359 835 973 326 868 146 1100

5350 836 978 348 868 144 1193

4910 845 990 403 802 143 1320

State-wise Estimates of Meat@ Production in NER, (1998-1999 to 2007-2008): ( ' 000 Tonne) States 1998-99 1999-00 2000-01 2001-02 2002-03 2003-04 2004-05 Arunachal Pradesh 18 18.2 18.4 18.6 19 9.17 7.69 Assam 17.18 20.92 22.36 24.77 Manipur 19.17 20.71 20.95 21.5 21.82 22 22.74 Meghalaya 30.69 29.49 34.32 30.79 32.96 35.64 36.38 Mizoram 6.47 11.38 7.64 7.71 7.88 8.69 9.02 Nagaland 6.56 26.36 18.73 19.48 23.52 26.18 60.73 Sikkim 0 0 Tripura 0 4 8.9 Note : @ : meat productiom from recognised sector unless specified otherwise. * : in Tripura poultry meat consists of broiler production and production from ducks also. ** : Unregistered sector also included.

Source : Ministry of Agriculture, Govt. of India.

2005-06 2006-07 2007-08 20 21 21 26.64 29 30 23 23 24 36.54 36 37 9.24 10 11 63.25 63 22** 0 0 12.22 13* 14*

State wise Productivity of Vegetables: States

1991-92 2001-02 Arunachal Pradesh 4.7 4.0 Assam 9.6 12.4 Manipur 4.3 6.2 Meghalaya 8.5 7.4 Mizoram 5.3 6.5 Nagaland 8.2 10.9 Sikkim 6.1 4.2 Tripura 10.1 11.3 Source: Indian Horticulture Database 2009

Productivity (in MT/HA) 2006-07 2007-08 4.6 4.6 13.4 13.6 8.9 9.4 8.2 8.3 18.6 17.5 4.8 6.1 4.5 4.8 13.1 12.6

2008-09 4.6 12.2 10.5 9.4 7.9 7.5 4.6 11.5

State-wise Area for Food grains in NER, (2001-2002 to 2008-2009): (Area : ' 000 Hectare) States 2001-02 2002-03 2003-04 2004-05 2005-06 2006-07 2007-08 2008-09 Arunachal Pradesh 188.4 197.6 191.6 192.6 198.7 202.0 200.3 203.8 Assam 2755.0 2749.0 2742.5 2575.5 2597.5 2380.0 2518.0 2670.8 Manipur 173.7 155.0 166.4 187.4 177.8 177.8 183.6 185.6 Meghalaya 134.8 134.7 134.9 134.5 125.8 128.6 130.7 132.5 Mizoram 65.9 69.2 75.2 66.0 74.0 68.5 67.1 65.6 Nagaland 257.5 248.0 262.6 255.8 263.1 294.4 302.0 283.9 Sikkim 76.6 72.4 71.6 73.9 74.1 74.1 81.0 79.6 Tripura 258.5 267.3 249.5 255.4 256.9 262.6 247.1 251.3 NER 3910.4 3893.2 3894.3 3741.1 3767.9 3588 3729.8 3873.1 Source : Ministry of Agriculture, Govt. of India.

Page 163 of 179

State-wise Production of Total Foodgrains in NER, (2001-2002 to 2009-2010): (Production: '000 Tonne) States 2001-02 2002-03 2003-04 2004-05 2005-06 2006-07 2007-08 2008-09 2009-10* Arunachal Pradesh 217.4 242.3 244.5 226.9 240.9 245.7 248.5 255.8 Assam 4023 3894 4035 3618.2 3677.8 3060 3470 4143.0 3939.6 Manipur 400.5 343.7 391.9 447.8 398.5 398.5 421.8 415.0 Meghalaya 224.7 227.1 233.8 225.2 183.1 231.5 231.8 236.3 Mizoram 126.3 129.1 139.4 124.6 129.8 56.3 19.1 58.9 Nagaland 355.4 388 409.8 403.5 424.8 436.2 473.2 514.2 Sikkim 98.7 96.6 99.9 103.9 100.3 100.3 111.6 107.5 Tripura 597.5 611.8 529.1 556.4 563.6 630 633.3 634.7 NA : Not Applicable.

Note : * : 4th Advance Estimates.

Source : Ministry of Agriculture, Govt. of India & Rajya Sabha Unstarred Question No 844, dated on 24.02.2009 & Lok Sabha Starred Question No. 51, dated 07.07.2009.& Lok Sabha Starred Question No. 76, dated 23.02.2010. & Lok Sabha Starred Question No. 360, dated 20.04.2010. & Lok Sabha Unstarred Question No. 2611, dated on 10.08.2010.

State-wise Yield of Foodgrains in NER, (2001-2002 to 2008-2009): (Yield : Kilogram/Hectare) States 2001-02 2002-03 2003-04 2004-05 2005-06 2006-07 2007-08 2008-09 Arunachal Pradesh 1154 1226 1277 1178 1212 1216 1241 1255 Assam 1460 1417 1472 1405 1416 1286 1378 1551 Manipur 2306 2217 2355 2390 2241 2241 2297 2236 Meghalaya 1667 1686 1733 1674 1455 1800 1774 1783 Mizoram 1917 1866 1854 1888 1754 822 285 898 Nagaland 1380 1565 1561 1577 1615 1482 1567 1811 Sikkim 1289 1334 1395 1406 1354 1354 1378 1351 Tripura 2311 2289 2121 2179 2194 2399 2563 2526 Source : Ministry of Agriculture, Govt. of India.

State-wise Estimates of Area and Production of Spices, (2008-2009 and 2009-2010): 2008-2009 2009-2010 Production Production States Area Area (In ' 000 Million (In ' 000 Million (In ' 000 Hectare) (In ' 000 Hectare) Tonne) Tonne) Arunachal Pradesh 7.6 43.3 7.6 43.3 Assam 27.4 18.6 27.4 18.6 Manipur 9.0 7.8 9.0 7.8 Meghalaya 16.6 69.9 17.4 72.0 Mizoram 22.7 80.6 22.7 80.6 Nagaland 7.2 38.6 7.2 38.6 Sikkim 26.6 41.7 26.6 41.7 Tripura 4.5 10.3 4.0 12.1 Source : National Horticulture Board.

Page 164 of 179

Production of Raw Silk in NER, 2006-07: ('000 kg) State

Mulberry silk

Tasar --3

Raw silk Non-mulberry silk Eri 5 740 374 202 4 115 ---

Muga 1 107 -6 -----

Total

Arunachal Pradesh -7 Assam 11 858 Manipur 70 447 Meghalaya 1 209 Mizoram 6 -11 Nagaland 1 -117 Sikkim ---Tripura 5 -5 Source : Central Silk Board, Ministry of Textiles State-wise Average Yield of Tea in N.E. States: (Figures in Kg/Hectares) States 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 Assam 1686 1685 1601 1601 1603 1622 1610 1593 Tripura 971 904 874 1037 867 863 818 877 Manipur 106 224 222 90 83 82 83 83 Sikkim 355 367 270 549 769 805 856 423 Arunachal 456 981 890 1420 1283 1526 218 2273 Pradesh Nagaland 35 129 110 103 100 100 101 101 Meghalaya 399 398 299 321 393 393 552 459 Mizoram 100 103 100 104 96 112 115 115 Source: Tea Board, Guwahati.

State-wise Share of Area and Production of Rubber in North Eastern States: (in Percentage) 2005-2006 2006-2007 States % Share of % Share of % Share of Area % Share of Area Production Production Tripura 5.72 2.03 6.15 2.19 Assam 2.48 0.42 2.58 0.58 Meghalaya 0.85 0.42 0.87 0.47 Nagaland 0.38 0.07 0.40 0.08 Manipur 0.31 0.01 0.30 0.02 Mizoram 0.08 0.01 0.09 0.01 Arunachal Pradesh 0.07 0.01 0.07 0.01 Total 9.89 2.97 10.47 3.35 Source: Rubber Board, Guwahati

Natural Resources State-wise Annual Replenishable Ground Water Resource in NER (2008): (BCM/Year) Total Annual Replenishable Ground Water States Resource Arunachal Pradesh 2.56 Assam 27.23 Manipur 0.38 Meghalaya 1.15

Page 165 of 179

Mizoram Nagaland Sikkim Tripura Note : BCM/Yr : Billion Cubic Metre per Year. : Totals may not tally due to rounding off.

Source : Central Water Commission, Govt. of India

0.04 0.36 0.08 2.19

Major and Medium Rivers:

Name of River

Name of State

Important Tributaries

Total Catchment Average Annul Length of Area Runoff (mlthe River (Sq. Km) cub-m) (km)

Lohit, Dehang, Subansiri, Jiadhal, Kalang, Dibang, 5,80,300 (up to Assam/ Buridehing, Kopili, 4,94,300 Goalundo in Arunachal Dhansiri(s), Sonkosh, (at Pandu) Brahmaputra Bangladesh) Pradesh Pagladiya, Dikrong, 5,37,000 (at 4,64,130 at JiaBharali, Jiadhal, Jogighopa) Jogighopa Champamati, Beki, Manas, Aie, Rangmadi

Name of Discharge Collection Sites

2906 Bechamara, (Up to out Pandu, fall in Bay of Bhurbandha, Bengal) Panchratna.

Subansiri

-do-

Boginadi, Kamala, Chayulchu

28,200

52,705 at 1st dam site

375

1st dam site, Chouldhuwaghat

Kopilikalang

Diyung, Jamuna, Assam/ Borpani, Kiling, Meghalaya Haria, Misa, Nonoi

20,068

9,023 at Dharamtul

261

Dharamtul

10,305

6,785 at Numaligarh

352

Numaligarh, Golaghat, R.C.C. Bridge

28,844 at NT.Road Crossing.

229

NT. Road Crossing

Assam/ Diphu, Gelabil, Dhansiri(s) Nagaland/ Deopani, Nambor Manipur Jia-Bharali

Assam/ Para, Pachi, Dikrai, Arunachal 10,289 Nameri, Pacha, Papu Pradesh

Jiadhal

-do-

Sidonadi, Sika N, Kumtiya Siri N.

1,346

N.A.

99

No discharge site

Ranganadi

-do-

Niyarpung, Keing, Talo, Kale, Pabha, Singara

2,941

5,286 at Pahumaraghat

150

Pahumaraghat, Yazali

Buri-Dehing -do-

Sanglai, Deban, Dirak, Namdapha

8,730

11,906 at Khowang

360

Khowang

Dikrong

Pachim N, Beguli N, Kachikata N, Keyate 1,528 N

2,538 at Sissa pathar

145

Sissapathar

N.A.

29 th Mile, Tuting, Yingkiong, Ranaghat, Passighat

Dehang

-do-

-do-

Siyom

2,49,000

Page 166 of 179

1,79,000 at 29 th Mile

N.A.

N.A.

Hayuliang, Mompani, Nepalibasti, Tiding, Brahmakunda, Digarughat

Lohit

-do-

Delai, Dou, Tidding, Dichu, Satti, Lang, Digaru, Balijan, 28,280 Kundil, AnoaDehing, Tengapani

Dibang

-do-

Ithun, Emra, Matuntalon, Dri

N.A.

N.A.

N.A.

Christanbasti, Angolin,Munli

Sonkosh

-do-

Phochu, Panakha, Raidak

10,345

17,197 at Srirampur

321

Jamduar, Srirampur

Tipkai

-do-

Hel-longa, Garuphela 1,744

7,685 at Khoraghat

N.A.

Khoraghat

Champamati -do-

Dhalpani, Laopani, Tunia, Bakra

1,142

3,567 at Bahalpur

100

Bahalpur, Karigaon

Pagladiya

-do-

Mutunga, Nona, Dimla, Chaulkhowa, 1,674 Baralia, Ghogra

1,134 at N.T.Road Crossing

197

Thulkuchi, Bijalighat, N.T.Road Crossing, Galdighat

Puthimari

-do-

Sukla, Sessa

2,231 112 at N.H. Crossing

N.H.Crossing

Disang

Assam/ Nagaland

Balama, Demow, Deroi, 3,950 Tikok, Tissa, Tiratjo

4,992 at Nangalmara

230

Nangalmara

Dikhow

Assam/ Nagaland/ Darika, Namdung, Arunachal Yungmun, Phonchi Pradesh

4,022

4,230 at N.H Crossing

236

N.H.Crossing

Jhanji

Assam/ Nagaland

1,349

783 at N.H.Bridge

108

N.H.Bridge

KulsiDeosila

Krishniya, Umsiri, Assam/ Boko, Batha, Singra, 3,770 Meghalaya Marki

2,318 at Ukium 220

Ukium, N.H.Bridge

Dudhnoi Krishnai

-do-

Rongre, Chidrang, Rongma, Chil

1,249 105 at N.H. Crossing

N.H.Crossing

Jinjiram

-do-

Ajagaur-Ghagowa, 3,467 Rongai, Kallo, Daru

1702 at Rongsai N.A.

Rongsai

Godadhar

Assam

Silai

610

730 at Moterjhar

Moterjhar, Targhat

Barnadi

Assam/ Bhutan

Barnadi, Kalpani, Dimla

730

405 at N.T.Road 112 Crossing

N.T.Road Crossing

Noa Nadi

-do-

Batiamari, Mongaldoi N,Lakshimijuli

745

279 at N.T.Road 103 Crossing

N.T.Road Crossing

Tangani

-do-

Angara N, Khourang 237 N

352 at Computed

75

No Discharge Site

Muning N, Tori N, Teok

1,787

1,615

N.A.

Assam/ Betali N, Ajagar, Dhansiri(N) Arunachal Mora, Dhansiri Pradesh

956

2,295 at N.T Road Crossing

76

N.T Road Crossing

Dherai, Garjuli, Sapaigarmanjuli

751

728 at N.T Road Crossing

N.A.

N.T Road Crossing

Belsiri

-do-

Page 167 of 179

Gabharu

-do-

Sonai, Rupali, Gelgeli

1,026 at N.T N.A. Road Crossing

N.T Road Crossing

Bargang

-do-

Tonga, Jinjia, Sukhahauti, 550 Namorah, Gangtung

N.A.

42

N.H.Crossing

Buroi

-do-

Gira N, Dalang, Heka, Bihmari

791

179 at N.H. Crossing

63

N.H.Crossing

Ghiladhari

-do-

Monai N, Dirring, Majuli, Chnota, Ghiladhari

670

196 at N.H Crossing

61

N.H.Crossing

296

Brahmajan -do-

Tupung N, Kehuri N, 92 Chengelijan

164 Comuted

28

No Discharge Site

Moridhal

-do-

Sisi, Kanibil N Lalpulia N

N.A.

123

No Discharge Site

Depota

Assam

Bindukuri, Borjuli, 296 Bimlajan, Ghagra N

159 at N.T.Road 46 Crossing

N.T.Road Crossing

Bhogdoi

Assam/ Nagaland

No Tributaries

920

698 at N.H. Crossing

160

N.H.Crossing

Bharalu

Assam/ No Tributaries Meghalaya

469

N.A.

40

N.H-37 Crossing

Jinary

-do-

Rongkhati, Nabang

594

617 at Balbala

60

Gaurang

Assam/ Bhutan

Samukha, Tarang

1,023

4,312 at Bamungaon N.H.Crossing

N.A.

Balbala Bamungaon N.H.Crossing, Kokrajhar Rly. Bridge

Tripura

Sarma chhera, Malik chhera, Maharani 2,492 chhera, San gang, Sonamura Ganga chhera

2,748 at Sonamura

167

Sonamura, Udaipur

2,273 at Kailashar

140

Kailashar, Kumarghat

Gumti

Manu

-do-

Haora

-do-

Burima

-do-

Khowai

-do-

Dep R, Chamanu chhera, Chailengtha chhera, Kanan chhera, Lakhmi chhera, Madhal chhera Donaigaon, Ghoramora, Debtagang, Champanadi, Debatila chhera Rangpani chhera Balu chhera, Jeel chhera, Chamal chhera, Ahiadia chhera, Bhaskar chhera, Maharani chhera, Trirupa chhera, Samru chhera, Lal chhera

929

2,278 Kailashar

488 Bordwali 200 at Bardwali 53

Bardwali

414 Bishalgarh

Bishalgarh

98 at Bishalgarh 54

1,328 Khowai 862 at Khowai

Page 168 of 179

166

Khowai

Dhalai

Juri

-do-

Bahuri chhera, Chandrai chhera, Sofema chhera, 630 at Tamthung chhera, Kamalpur Surma chhera, Kulai chhera, Dalu chhera, Nali chhera

540 at Kamalpur 117

Kamalpur

-do-

Deo chhera, Kakri chhera, Lal chhera, 482 at Bali chhera, Hakai N, Radhapur Lchailal chhera

155 at Radhapur 79

Radhapur

Irang, Makru, Tuivai, Tipaimukh, Assam/ Jiri, Sonai, Chiri, 26,193 at IndoLakhipur, Nagaland/ 29,056 at Barak Madhura, Jatinga, Bangladesh 900 Bhubandhar, Manipur/ Badarpurghat Ghagra, Dhaleswari, border Annapurnaghat, Mizoram Singla, Longai Badarpurghat State wise Availability of Surface Water and its Accessibility in the North Eastern Region: Total Catchment inside States (Sq.Km) Total Catchment River Yield Area Arunachal Assam Meghalaya Nagaland Manipur Tripura Mizoram (Mcum) (Sq.Km) Brahmaputra 464130 81424 70634 11667 10803 - 537000 Subansiri

28200

KopiliKalang

20068

Dhansiri(S)

10305

Jia-Bhoroli

19289

9360

929

-

-

-

-

-

28844

Jiadhal

1346

306

1040

-

-

-

-

-

NA

Ranganadi

2941

2241

700

-

-

-

-

-

5286

BurhiDihing

8730

Dikrang

1528

Dihang Lohit Dibang

15800

1200

-

-

-

-

-

52705 9023

Statewise CA Not Available

6785

Statewise CA Not Available 1276

252

-

-

11906 -

-

-

249000

2538 179000

28280

NA Statewise CA Not Available

NA

NA

Beki-ManasAie

41350

Sonkosh

10345

-

785

-

-

-

-

-

17197

Titkai

1744

-

1572

-

-

-

-

-

7685

Champamati

1142

-

1005

-

-

-

-

-

3567

Pagladia

1674

-

1251

-

-

-

-

-

1134

Puthimari

1787

Disang

3950

Dikhow

4022

47

Jhanji

1349

-

KulsiDeosila

3770

Dudhnoi-

1615

2925

Statewise CA Not Available - 2146

2231

-

1804

-

-

-

4992

928

-

2521

-

-

-

4230

476

-

873

-

-

-

783

- 1595

2175

-

-

-

-

2318

Statewise CA Not Available

Page 169 of 179

1249

Krishna Jinjiram

3467

-

975

2492

-

-

-

-

1702

Gadadhar

610

-

610

-

-

-

-

-

730

Bornodi

739

-

612

-

-

-

-

-

405

Noanadi

745

-

651

-

-

-

-

-

279

Thangani

237

-

191

-

-

-

-

-

352

Dhansiri(N)

956

230

623

-

-

-

-

-

2295

Belsiri

751

170

581

-

-

-

-

-

728

Gabhoru

296

58

238

-

-

-

-

-

1026

Borgang

550

350

200

-

-

-

-

-

NA

Buroi

791

654

137

-

-

-

-

-

179

Ghiladhari

670

619

51

-

-

-

-

-

196

Brahmajan

92

25

67

-

-

-

-

-

164

Moridhal

929

128

801

-

-

-

-

-

NA

Depota

296

-

296

-

-

-

-

-

159

Bhogdoi

820

-

286

-

534

-

-

-

698

Bhorolu

469

-

414

55

-

-

-

-

NA

Jinary

594

-

183

411

-

-

-

-

617

Gourang

1023

-

834

-

-

-

-

-

4312

Gomti

2492

-

-

-

-

-

2492

-

2748

Manu

2278

-

-

-

-

-

2273

-

2273

Haora

488

-

-

-

-

-

200

-

200

Burima

414

-

-

-

-

-

414

-

98

Khowai

1328

-

-

-

-

-

1328

-

862

Dhalai

630

-

-

-

-

-

630

-

540

Juri

482

-

-

-

-

-

482

-

155

Barak 26193 - 6562 728 9567 8585 Data Source: Office of the C. E. (P & D), Brahmaputra Board, Basistha, Guwahati-781 029, Assam

-

Mineral Resources of Different States of N.E. Region: States

Minerals

Arunachal Pradesh

Coal, Limestone, Petroleum, Dolomite

Assam

Coal, Limestone, Petroleum, Granite, Silimanite, Iron ore, Quartzite, Feldsper, Clay, Natural Gas, Oil

Manipur

Chromite, limestone

Key Points The state has a substantial deposit of Minerals, which includes petroleum (Crude) coal, dolomite and limestone. The production of petroleum is 44,000 MT (approx).

Assam has a host of mineral deposit among which coal, oil and natural gas have only been commercially exploited. The coal reserve is estimated at 371 million tons and the production rate of crude oil is estimated 4.80 mm tons per annum. Assam has potential to tap natural gas @ 5.93% million cubic meters per day. Assam is therefore rich in energy. Of the 463 million tons of reserve of limestone, over 400 million tons are located in Umrangshu which therefore has almost all the cement plants of the region.

The state accounts for very little extractable mineral. Although reserve of copper, coal, iron, nickel, as well as petroleum oil / natural gas are reported, no estimation or prospecting has been actually undertaken, There are however deposits of semi-precious Page 170 of 179

stones like Lapis Lazoli, Serpentine rocks and Jades, which are being extracted.

Coal, Limestone, The state has a vast deposit of coal at a estimated reserve of 564 Granite, Sillimanite, Iron million tons. Although the reserve for limestone is 4147 million tons Meghalaya ore, Quartzite, Felsper, but the currently extractable reserve of limestone is 0.24 - 0.30 Clay million tones. Meghalaya is also known to have reserves of uranium.

The mineral resources of the are not fully explored. Some deposits Coal, Limestone, Oil, of petroleum oil and natural gas are forecasted but no exploration Mizoram Natural Gas has been conducted. The forecasting is based primarily on the gas reserve of Tripura and Cachar.

Although oil and natural gas has been under production for a while Coal, Limestone, Nagaland but all mining activities have been suspended due to political Petroleum, Slate, Marble reasons. No record of any state earning for past five years.

Zinc, Lead, Copper, The state has good resource of all the minerals, Commercial Sikkim Dolomite, Coal, exploitation of some of these minerals have been made by the Quartzite, Graphics, Talc Sikkim Mining Corporation.

Kaolin, Iron Ore, Tripura has substantial reserves of natural gas. According to Tripura Limestone, Coal, Natural ONGC's exploration results, the region has a production potential of Gas 3.5 million cubic meter of gas per day.

Source: Statistical Handbook of different States Production of minerals in NER during-2005-06: Value - Rs. '000 All minerals

State Value

Total value

Fuels Petroleum crude

Coal

Quantity Quantity Value Value (th.tonne) (th.tonne)

Arunachal 575233 573710 Pradesh Assam 30888808 30819876 1100 1798886 Manipur 2866 Meghalaya 8609059 8469165 5781 8469165 Mizoram 755 Nagaland 1774 Sikkim 4038 Tripura 866421 864000 Source: Indian Bureau of Mines, Ministry of Mines

Lime stone Natural gas Quantity In million cubic Quantity Value Value metres (th.tonne) (Gas Utilised).

103

573710

-

-

-

-

4487 -

24992590 -

2238 -

4028400 -

406 550 -

62550 97014 -

Energy States-wise Power Forecast in NER, (2001-2002 to 2011-2012):

States Arunachal Pradesh Assam Manipur Meghalaya

Energy Requirement (Mkwh) Peak Load (MW) 2001-02 end 2006-07 end 2011-12 end of 2001-02 end 2006-07 end 2011-12 end of of 9th Plan of 10th Plan 11th Plan of 9th Plan of 10th Plan 11th Plan 346

596

982

94

151

249

4976 703 638

6818 1201 912

9124 2024 1279

986 193 140

1330 323 196

1765 531 270

Page 171 of 179

Mizoram 505 1016 1872 141 267 465 Nagaland 268 372 507 68 93 126 Sikkim 133 183 245 46 63 85 Tripura 712 1147 1765 186 292 438 Source : Central Electricity Authority, Ministry of Power, Govt. of India.

Year: Period of fiscal year in India is April to March, e.g. year shown as 1990-91 relates to April 1990 to March 1991.

Units: (a) 1 Lakh (or Lac) = 100000. (b) 1 Crore (or Cr.) = 10000000.

Some part of the footnotes/units may not be applicable for this table.

State-wise Status of Proposed Mega Power Projects in Public Sector in NER, (2007-2012): State/Project Arunachal Pradesh Subansiri Lower 8x250=2000 MW Kameng 4x150=600 MW Sikkim Teesta St.V 3x170=510 MW Assam Bongaigaon 3x250

Executing Agency

Fuel

Capacity (MW)

Likely Year of Commissioning

NHPC

Hydro

2000

2011-12

NEEPCO

Hydro

600

2011-12

NHPC

Hydro

510 (one unit commissioned)

March 08

NTPC

Coal

750

U1-2010-11 U2-2011-12 U3-2011-12

Tripura Tripura Power Development Co. Pvt.Ltd. JV of IL and Tripura Gas* Gas 750 2011-12 FS, ONGC and Govt. of Tripura.

Tripura Abbr. : NHPC : National Hydroelectric Power Corporation Ltd. NEEPCO : North Eastern Electric Power Corporation Ltd. NTPC : NTPC Ltd. Note : * : Construction yet to start.

Compiled from the statistics released by : Lok Sabha Unstarred Question No. 2176, dated 14.03.2008.

State/Sector-wise Power Capacity Commissioned/being Monitored for Likely Benefits in NER, (20072012): (Figures in MW) States Central Sector State Sector Private Sector Total Arunachal Pradesh 2600 0 0 2600 Assam 750 37 0 787 Manipur 0 0 0 0 Mizoram 0 0 0 0 Meghalaya 0 124 0 124 Nagaland 0 0 0 0 Sikkim 510 0 1299 1809 Tripura 726 0 0 726 Source : Rajya Sabha Unstarred Question No. 3313, dated 03.08.2009.

Page 172 of 179

State-wise Projected Consumption of Power by Industrial, Domestic and Agricultural Sectors in NER, (2009-2010): (In Million kWh) States Industrial Domestic Agricultural Arunachal Pradesh 8.91 113.09 0 Assam 1105.32 2429.38 73.21 Manipur 67.13 249.95 4.52 Meghalaya 651.87 430.23 0.7 Mizoram 7.19 178.26 4.6 Nagaland 139.29 188.54 0 Sikkim 30.36 75.94 0 Tripura 77.05 359.17 117.13 Source : Lok Sabha Starred Question No. 334, dated on 11.12.2009.

State-wise Actual Power Supply Position (Energy) in NER, (November, 2007 and 2008):

States

November, 2008 November, 2007 Energy Energy Requirement Availability Surplus/Deficit (-) Requirement Availability Surplus/Deficit (-) (MU) (MU) (MU) (MU) (MU) (%) (MU) (%)

Arunachal 36 24 -12 -33.3 Pradesh Assam 404 366 -38 -94 Manipur 50 43 -7 -14 Meghalaya 143 120 -23 -16.1 Mizoram 29 24 -5 -17.2 Nagaland 42 37 -5 -11.9 Sikkim 29 28 -1 -3.4 Tripura 65 54 -11 -16.9 Source : Lok Sabha Unstarred Question No. 451, Dated on 20.02.2009.

33

26

-7

-21.2

394 51 138 23 30 29 67

369 50 108 22 27 28 52

-25 -1 -30 -1 -3 -1 -15

-6.3 -2 -21.7 -4.3 -10 -3.4 -22.4

Transportation State-wise Length of Road Works Completed under Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY) in NER India, (2005-2006 to upto June, 2010): (Upto June, States 2005-06 2006-07 2007-08 2008-09 2010) Arunachal Pradesh 136.37 272.05 271.90 317.43 2649.92 Assam# 477.90 1546.97 1141.00 1985.11 8177.71 Manipur 282.58 199.55 265.99 78.95 2141.20 Meghalaya 75.07 38.35 52.47 30.80 881.45 Mizoram 174.37 146.81 207.43 195.18 1774.44 Nagaland 355.76 9.50 398.42 298.53 2580.98 Sikkim 191.99 204.22 142.47 308.57 2270.27 Tripura 3.60 175.61 59.51 361.27 1605.03 Note : # : Figures upto May ' 10 Source : Rajya Sabha Unstarred Question No. 1346, dated on 09.03.2010. and Lok Sabha Unstarred Question No. 1743, dated on 08.03.2010. & Lok Sabha Unstarred Question No. 171, dated on 26.07.2010.

Page 173 of 179

Selected State-wise Target and Achievement (New Connectivity, Length in Km.) under Bharat Nirman (Rural Roads Component) Programme in NER India, (2005-2006 to 2009-2010 Upto December, 2009): 2009-10 (Upto Cumu2005-06 2006-07 2007-08 2008-09 CumuDec., 2009) lative Target lative Achiev States 2005Achiev Achiev Achiev Achiev Achiev Achiev eTarTarTarTar09 Tar- eeeeeement* get get get get get ment ment ment ment ment ment* (%) Arunach 162. al 2118.75 86.90 637.50 128.17 646.88 213.61 671.88 112.59 250.00 92.74 634.01 30% 5 Pradesh 13153.2 605.

2864.0 1552.5 3889.8 1141.0 5793.4 1985.1 2280.0 1356.5 6522.8 Assam 487.70 50% 2 9 6 1 5 0 6 1 0 5 7 146.61 Manipur 1744.05 100 111.00 460.71 464.29 224.97 719.05 67.23 200.00 342.93 892.74 51% 1 Meghala 123.

543.88 75.10 135.97 24.50 140.09 27.17 144.21 24.80 50.00 11.55 163.12 30% ya 6 Mizoram 941.95 82.7 174.40 274.82 146.38 277.88 141.17 306.50 192.03 200.00 104.37 758.35 81% Nagaland 421.84 93.3 317.30 104.53 22.00 109.51 156.00 114.49 73.30 150.00 111.00 679.60 161% Sikkim 419.17 75 165.80 104.04 324.11 108.04 135.00 132.05 156.02 300.00 32.17 813.10 194% Tripura 1158.88 94.8 3.60 261.74 175.60 354.70 59.51 447.66 361.28 450.00 141.62 741.62 64% Note : * : Cumulative achievement is the achievement up to November 2007 against the overall target for 2005-09.

Source : Ministry of Rural Development, Govt. of India Railway infrastructure in Northeast India: Railway route length Density of route length (km.)

(Per '000 sq. km. of area) Arunachal Pradesh 1 0.01 Assam 2516 32.08 Manipur 1 0.04 Meghalaya 0 0 Mizoram 2 0.09 Nagaland 13 0.78 Tripura 45 4.29 All India 63140 19.21 Source: Background Paper Authors' calculation based on CMIE March 2004 (MHDR2008).

Railway Network in Northeaster Region as on 2003: State

State Broad Gauge Meter Gauge Narrow Gauge Total Gauge Arunachal Pradesh Nil 1.26 Nil 1.26 Assam 1227.70 1289.53 Nil 2517.23 Manipur Nil 1.35 Nil 1.35 Meghalaya Nil Nil Nil Nil Mizoram Nil 1.50 Nil 1.50 Nagaland 11.13 1.72 Nil 12.85 Tripura Nil 64.42 Nil 64.42 Source: NER Basic Statistics-2006 Waterways details of Ferry service in NER:

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Name of Ferry Service Distance Covered Dhubri - Phoolbari 17 Dhubri - Chunari 65 Goalpara - Ramapara 16 Bagbore - Guwahati - Sialmari 211 Sialmari - Vijoynagarh - Guwahati 96 Bohori - Guwahati 82 Guwahati - North Guwahati 4 Guwahati - Rajaduar 4 Guwahati - Karua 10 Kachari - Umananda 4 Guwahati - Kanchanmari 80 Nemati - Kamalabari 12 Bogibill - Kerangabil 30 Dibrugarh - Kacheri - Oriumghat 100 Sadia - Saikhowa 12 Source: Background paper No. 7, Inland Water Authority of India, March 2006 Waterways: Nevigable length of Main Rivers in NER: State

Assam

Rivers Brahmaputra Buridhing Disang Gangadhar Subansiri Kapili Kolodeye Kolong Katakhal Panchas Others Total

2000-01 Total length of the river in the state 724 161 129 113 143 103 112 121 161 105 1967 3839

Waterways: Major Identified Cargo Routes for NW-2: Identified Route

Nature of Cargo Kolkata-Pandu Coal, bitumen, iron and steel Pandu-Kolkata Gypsum, tea, coal Jogighopa-Kolkata Coal (Meghalaya ) Tezpur-Kolkata Tea Dibrugarh-Kolkata Tea Silghat-Budge Budge POL Namrup Urea Bongaigaon Refinery RP Coke Source: Background paper No-7, The Inland Water Authority of India, March 2006

Forest Page 175 of 179

Forest Cover of North Eastern Region: (Area in km2) 2003 Assessment (Data of 2005 Assessment (Data of Forests Nov-Dec 2002 & Jan- Feb Nov-Dec 2004 & Feb 2003) 2005) Arunachal Pradesh Very Dense Forest 14445 14411 Moderately Dense Forest 38084 37977 Open Forest 15163 15389 Scrub 116 128 Non Forest 15935 15838 Total 83743 83743 Assam Very Dense Forest 1449 1444 Moderately Dense Forest 11431 11387 Open Forest 14855 14814 Scrub 219 146 Non Forest 50484 50647 Total 78438 78438 Manipur Very Dense Forest 930 923 Moderately Dense Forest 5595 5541 Open Forest 10734 10622 Scrub 74 39 Non Forest 4994 5202 Total 22327 22327 Meghalaya Very Dense Forest 265 338 Moderately Dense Forest 6786 6808 Open Forest 9874 9842 Scrub 169 181 Non Forest 5335 5260 Total 22429 22429 Mizoram Very Dense Forest 133 133 Moderately Dense Forest 6522 6173 Open Forest 11928 12378 Scrub 274 0 Non Forest 2224 2397 Total 21081 21081 Nagaland Very Dense Forest 236 236 Moderately Dense Forest 5860 5602 Open Forest 7919 7881 Scrub 231 13 Non Forest 2333 2847 Total 16579 16579 Sikkim Very Dense Forest 498 498 Moderately Dense Forest 1912 1912 Page 176 of 179

Net Change

-34 -107 226 12 -97 0 -5 -44 -41 -73 763 0 -7 -54 -112 -35 208 0 73 22 -32 12 -75 0 0 -349 450 -274 173 0 0 -258 -38 -218 514 0 0 0

Open Forest Scrub Non Forest Total Tripura Very Dense Forest Moderately Dense Forest Open Forest Scrub Non Forest Total Source: Forest Survey of India 2005

852 360 3474 7096

852 363 3471 7096

0 3 -3 0

58 4972 3093 1 2367 10491

61 4969 3125 59 2277 10491

3 -3 32 58 -90 0

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References 

DONER (2008): NorthEastern Region, Vision 2020: ―Peace, Progress and Prosperity in the North Eastern Region VISION 2020‖; Ministry of Development of NE region and NEC, Govt. of India, New Delhi, 2008



World Development Report (2007): The World Bank ―Development and Growth in Northeast India: The Natural Resources, Water, and Environment Nexus – Strategy Report‖, World Bank, 2007.



GOI (2006-07): Economic Survey of India, Government of India, New Delhi, 2006-07



GoA (2005-06): Economic Survey of Assam, Government of Assam, Assam, 2005-06



HDR of Assam (2003): ‗Human Development Report of Assam, 2003‘, UNDP & GoA, Planning Department of Assam, Government of Assam, Assam.



GoA, 2005-06: ‗Agriculture at a Glance‘, Department of Agriculture, Government of Assam, Assam



Xola Report (2008): Report on ―Adventure Tourism Development Index: Destination Analysis for Assam‖ Xola Consulting Inc, 2008



FAO (2003): Paper on ―Crop Diversification in India‖ by Mr. Hazra, C.R; Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO), Thailand, 2003



IBEF (2008): Report on ―Investment Climate in North East‖, India Brand Equity Foundation, Haryana, India, 2008



NEDFi (2008): http://www.nedfi.com/



Various Data: www.indiastat.com



Various Data: http://mospi.nic.in



Dr. Das Partha J., (2005): Paper on ―Integrated Water Resources Management: A North East India perspective‖, AARANYAK (A Society for Biodiversity Conservation in Northeast India), Guwahati, Assam, 2005



GOI (2002-03): Various data on agriculture production, Ministry of Agriculture, Govt. of India, New Delhi, 2002-03.



Various information (2007-09) – NaturenomicsTM Knowledge Foundation, Mumbai, 2007-09



Mr. Asati, B.S. et al (2008): Paper on ―Diversity of Horticulture Crops in North east Region‖, Division of Horticulture, ICAR Research Complex for NEH Region, Meghalaya, 2008



MOAH (2004): The data on Animal Husbandry, Ministry of Animal Husbandry, Govt. of India, New Delhi, 2004.



Kumaran, V.S (2008): Paper on ―New Tourism Products Development in North East‖, presented Indian Institute of Management Kozhikode, India, 2008



MoEF (2001): Various Sources on Forest resources, Ministry of Environment and Forest (MoEF), Govt. of India, New Delhi, 2001.



India & Assam Labour Laws (Various Years): www.vakilno1.com, 2007



India & Assam Labour Laws (Various Years): India Code Information System; 2009,



AASC (Various Years): Assam Administrative Staff College, 2008



Assam Human Development Report 2003.

Retrieved June 1, 2011 from http://hdr.undp.org/en/reports/nationalreports/.../india/name,3268,en.htm Barpujari, H.K. (2004). The Comprehensive History of Assam -Vol I. Guwahati.

Bazlur, R. K. (2010). Assam Muslim History:A Brief outline .Retrieved June 6, 2010 from http://knol.google.com/k/bazlur-rahman-khan/assam-muslim-history/bklv3mqndqkn/4.

Eduational Inititatives. (2008-2009). Student Learning Study. Ahmedabad: Educational Inititatives.

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Feature Adventure

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Government of India. (2006). Social, Economic and Educational Status of the Muslim Community in India . New Delhi: Government of India.

Mehrotra, S. P.R. Panchamukhi, Ranjana Srivastava and Ravi Srivastava (2005). Universalizing Elementary Education in India: Uncaging The 'Tiger' Economy. New Delhi: Oxford University Press.

Pratham Resource Centre. (2008-2010). Annual Status of Education Report. Mumbai: Pratham Resource Centre.

Universal elementary education poor in the state. (Nov, 2010). Retrieved June 1, 2011 from http://www.assamtribune.com/scripts/detailsnew.asp?id=nov1410/at096 http://www.dise.in/ http://www.aiaer.net/ejournal/vol19107/20.htm http://www.scertassam.in/curntext.asp http://www.scertassam.in/aboutus.asp http://socialjustice.nic.in/sectorger.php http://www.scribd.com/doc/19781573/Speech-on-the-Right-of-Children-to-Free-and-CompulsoryEducation-Bill-2009-Edited http://www.assamchronicle.com/node/45 http://www.nfhsindia.org/assam_report_for_website.pdf http://www.ssaassam.gov.in/Education%20Statistics.htm http://ssa.nic.in/ssa1/planning-2007/Minutes%20PAB%20Assam.pdf – minutes PAB http://www.censusindia.gov.in/2011-prov-results/data_files/assam/Paper-1-I.pdf http://www.censusindia.gov.in/2011-prov-results/data_files/assam/Paper-1_II.pdf http://databank.nedfi.com/content/educational-infrastructure-assam http://www.assamtribune.com/scripts/details.asp?id=jul1009/edit2 http://censusindia.gov.in/Census_Data_2001/Census_Data_Online/Language/Statement3.htm http://assamgovt.nic.in/educational_institutions.asp http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/guwahati/Small-town-students-shine-bright-inHS/articleshow/8541199.cms http://www.ahseconline.org/Mission_Vision.htm http://www.kkhsou.in/main/about.html http://socialwelfareassam.com/ICDS.asp

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