The awakening of the region in every sense is like a soothing music. Though the burning issue of Constitutional amendment bill 2016 has overshadowed everything in the last few weeks, the bright spots in the region cannot be missed. Opening up of the region exemplified by the Act East Policy has ushered in a wave of self awareness among the people. No other event in the recent past has raised the level of self confidence of the people in the region as high as this. It is beginning to be noticed. The dearth of entrepreneurship in the region is becoming an erroneous reading of society. Never before had the people been so receptive of changes and willing to take risk. Never before had the diaspora been so willing to work together for the welfare of the people. Every Work has become dignified. The youth are becoming self employed by participating in works considered unsuitable and indecent earlier. It is belated appropriate response to the growing hold of immigrants in the labour markets. Our people are coming back with ideas subsequent to their exposure to the outside world. It is increasingly realized that we have solutions to our own problems. Faith on others to solve our problems is misplaced. This can happen only when the environment is conducive . The government should be given due credit for this change in mind set. There is this feeling everywhere that we can do better. This is further endorsed by the number of applicants for Start up schemes. Our diaspora also thinks that it is worth going back to contribute to the nation building process. Besides there is so much to be discovered – traditional knowledge,minerals, forests and virgin tourist spots across the region . The glass ceiling has been broken. The change in mindset is like creating solid foundations upon which multi storeyed buildings can be constructed. Quite often laying the foundation has been wrongly interpreted as not doing enough. One should understand that one should be very patient in building a multi-storeyed building. The state governments like the central government has been trying to touch each and every aspect of life . The accessibility of the government has improved dramatically. Many jobs have been advertised . However the shortcomings have been so immense that nothing is adequate. The government should be given due credit for laying the foundation for change in such a short time .

This growing awareness and enthusiasm for change should be given proper vent by the government . The growing self realisation needs to be patronised to ensure sustainability of policy programmes. The growing work culture will be less meaningful if there is no work. The changing mindset should go with appropriate incentives. Such changes call for a conducive environment changing as fast. It is this that worries us again and again. The well intentioned policies have few takers for the simple reason that the credibility of the governments across the region is increasingly questioned. Most of the states in the region have footloose governments- governments with ideology we are struggling to identify ourselves with . They might have won the elections , not the hearts of the people. To say that whatever the government has done to understand the region has been highly inadequate will be an understatement. Huge resources have been injected with inadequate understanding of the absorptive capacity and culture of the people. Subsequent Poor visibility of outcomes has added another dimension to the region’s problems. Besides election time noises can confound any vision. Many policy programmes fail the timeliness test. CAB 2016 is an example of a correct perspective coming at the wrong time. It is quite natural for the opposition political parties to try to get some political mileage out of this stand-off.

The northeast is notorious for its deficits and inadequacies. Inadequacy may not be only in level of investment, it may be also in timing. When the region is on the verge of take-off every care should be taken to neutralise as far as possible the inhibiting factors. Availability of cheap bank credit with the usual safety measures will play a significant role in concretising the take-off. Such opportunities do not come often. It will be a tragedy if it is squandered in the name of politics and economics. Availing of such an opportunity should not be examined in terms of economics alone. The huge flow of intangibles should not be ignored. Cheaper bank credit and higher growth of money supply need not be feared when the inflation rate is also quite low. That calls for a lower interest rate regime.