Participants, including theme and invited speakers along with the Principal and Vice-Principal of Fazl Ali College, Mokokchung, at the inaugural session of the two-day ReD&GoNE 2026 national conference at FAC on April 15. (Morung Photo)
Morung Express News
Mokokchung | April 15
A two-day National Conference on “Reimagining Development and Governance in North-East India: Pathways for Inclusive and Sustainable Futures (ReD&GoNE 2026)” began on April 15, 2026, at Fazl Ali College (FAC), Mokokchung with Prof Lanu Aier, Retired Professor of Sociology, NEHU as the theme speaker.
FAC’s Departments of Economics, Political Science and Sociology are collaborating for the event sponsored by the college’s Internal Quality Assurance Cell.
Chairing the inaugural session, Dr. Adangla Changkija, Associate Professor and Head of the Sociology Department, FAC, who also serves as the Programme Convenor of the conference, highlighted the North-East India as a region rich in cultural heritage, resilience, and immense potential.
The conference aims to foster dialogue centered on people-oriented pathways and future-focused development, she added.
Delivering the welcome address, Dr I Wati Imchen, Principal, FAC and Patron of the conference, stressed the importance of collaboration in addressing contemporary challenges.
He also dwelt on globalisation and multiculturalism, stressing the need to revisit history, language, and traditions in the Northeast within an inclusive framework.
The conference, Dr Imchen held, provides a vital platform for academicians and researchers to contribute towards building a sustainable future.
Examining development via ethical and moral lenses
Offering an insightful and critical perspective, theme speaker Prof Aier defined development as “any change by action,” stating that it is inherently tied to human agency and must be examined through ethical and moral lenses.
Drawing from Nagaland’s context, he highlighted the dual nature of development, noting it can drive both progress and regression depending on its qualitative outcomes.
Prof Aier also elaborated on various dimensions of development including social, economic, political, and religious, arguing that social development is a culmination of all these aspects.
Raising critical questions, he asked whether Nagas can truly be considered developed and who bears responsibility for development in the region.
He pointed to the roles of political parties, pressure groups and civil bodies, noting contradictions in their functioning, particularly when compared to practices elsewhere. Prof Aier also drew attention to the region’s economic dependence on central funding, questioning the sustainability of such a model.
He challenged prevailing notions of identity, morality, and tradition, urging introspection on whether these values are genuinely practiced.
He concluded by stressing the need for continued dialogue and critical engagement, noting that such conferences provide important spaces to explore diverse and meaningful solutions for the future.
Summarising the inaugural session, Bendangsenla, FAC IQAC Coordinator, reflected on the key themes of the keynote address and expressed hope that the conference would move beyond critique towards constructive, actionable outcomes.
Context-sensitive development
In the first technical session, invited speaker Amba Jamir, Independent Policy Analyst and Development Strategist, Guwahati, Assam, spoke on “From Frontier to Pivot: Reimagining Development and Governance in Peripheral Landscapes.”
In his address, Jamir emphasised the need to rethink development in the Northeast by shifting from externally imposed models to approaches rooted in local realities, indigenous knowledge, and institutional contexts.
He highlighted structural challenges such as dependence on central frameworks, gaps in governance systems, and the limited operational capacity of existing institutions.
Stressing the importance of integrating traditional and modern systems, he called for a more context-sensitive, participatory, and sustainable vision of development emerging from within the region.
The conference has brought together scholars, researchers, and academicians from across the region and beyond, and will conclude on April 16 with multiple technical sessions and discussions.
