Tumbenthung Y Humtsoe, PhD
The Frontier Nagaland Territorial Authority (FNTA) is arguably the most significant political development in Nagaland since statehood, with legislation formalizing its creation slated for introduction in the ongoing budget session of the Nagaland Legislative Assembly (NLA).The new political beginning is an opportunity to realize inclusive development—where all sections of society advance together—in the soon-to-be Frontier Nagaland as well as across the entire state.In that direction, the current essay suggests ‘economic development with social cohesion’ as a developmental approach to achieve the objective of the Eastern Nagas’ political movement, which has culminated in the FNTA—namely, the removal of economic backwardness.
Social division and economic marginalization:
Socially, Eastern Nagaland is composed of different tribes, like the rest of the state. Without social unity among the constituent tribes, neither regional balanced development (where all areas progress equally) nor inclusive development can be achieved.In the absence of social cohesion, the existing unequal inter-tribal and intra-tribal power structures will play out to the benefit of certain tribes, and to the disadvantage of certain villages within a tribe. Such a scenario of social division will act as a major constraint to economic development as illustrated in the following hypothetical example.
If tribes begin mobilizing for the establishment of a proposed healthcare institution along tribal lines, a demographically larger tribe with greater political influencemay ultimately secure it.Similarly, if villages demand the establishment of a proposed school in a district along village lines, a larger village that already has such a facilitymay end up securing it.Many such unfortunate instances can be readily cited from the state.Overall, developmental progress will be hindered if resource allocation is driven by such ethnic mobilization.In other words, institutions for human capacity development may be established in locations where such facilities are underutilized, leaving many areas—and most citizens—either underserved or entirely unserved.In perspective, a new school may be constructed in a particular Sangtam village that already has one, creating a situation in which children in Phom villages are deprived, even as the new school languishes without students.Economic discontent will breed social division, engendering unequal development in which certain tribes progress while others remain marginalized.
Principled and data-driven policy paradigm:
A geographically and socially inclusive development can only be achieved by means of principled and data-driven policymaking. In other words, resource allocation should be determined based on evidenceguided by the principles of justice, equity, and fraternity.
To begin with, the FNTA headquarter should be established in an area easily accessible by the largest number of common people since it will become the administrative centre. Itscreation should not be influenced by ethnic mobilizations, vested interest of some elites and other politicized considerations.Otherwise, the tyranny of distance will impose avoidable costs on the masses in accessing public services.Similarly, the envisagedtrans-frontier highway should be aligned to serve the greatest good for the greatest number, without any interferences from vested interests.Otherwise, such infrastructure (including railways) will serve to exacerbate inequality rather than facilitate shared prosperity.
To avoid inequitable asset creation, policy interventions should be guided by credible and reliable evidence.If data shows that Noklakdistrict requires a hospital more than other areas, all tribes should unite to support its establishment.That way, economic development with social cohesion can be pursued, with public discourse and policy interventions guided by credible evidence.Herein, the significance of generating quality data becomes even more salient.
Addressing developmental gaps requires bridging data deficits. In the absence of quality data, the diagnosis of social and economic problems will be flawed, and any policy prescriptions based on such data will be counterproductive.For instance, if demographic data is deliberately distorted by a particular tribe to secure disproportionate councilor representation in the FNTA, other tribes will be systematically deprived of fair representation.Therefore, reliable data should be generated to accurately inform public debate and guide policymaking with precision.In that direction, it may be noted that the upcoming census exercise should not be politicized or manipulated in any way.Citizens across the state ought to recognize the indispensability of accurate data and ensure proper registration.
Way forward:
Given the existing data deficits in the state, it would be advisable for the FNTA to undertake socio-economic surveys to establish a data-driven policymaking paradigm from the outset.Such an initiative will also serve as a baseline survey conducted in the year of FNTA’s formation, which can then be used to gauge yearly, quinquennial, and decadal progress.Such a data-driven approach to economic development with social cohesion will not only transform Frontier Nagaland into a developed region but also serve as an example and inspiration for the rest of the state.Any deviations from economic development with social cohesion run the risk of further dividing the Nagas at large.With the FNTA, the eastern Nagas have an opportunity to lead by example in inclusive development.
The author is an Economic and Statistics Officer, Government of Nagaland and Fellow at Global Complexity School, Sante Fe Institute.
