Deepening Critical Infrastructures in Northeast India: People’s Perspective and Policy Implications

Northeast India continues to be an industrially underdeveloped and infrastructurally deficient region. The poor condition of infrastructure in the region demands serious attention. Studies in the region reveal that a people’s perspective of development, i.e., roads, electricity, telecommunications and water, falls rightly within the ambit of critical infrastructure. Critical infrastructure is directly linked to economic development, national security, access and availability of educational and health infrastructure. This article foregrounds the need to alter the framework of the infrastructure development policy and maybe set up a Northeast Infrastructure Mission (NIM) with an aim for engaged governance to deepen critical infrastructure.