India's Northeast No Longer Defined by Insurgency, Home Minister Says

By Mahima Katal

Shillong, India, June 4: India's northeastern region is no longer facing insurgency as a major challenge, Union Home Minister Amit Shah said on Thursday, urging state governments to shift their focus toward protecting citizens' rights, expanding economic opportunities, and preparing for future technologies.

Speaking at the 73rd Plenary Session of the North Eastern Council (NEC) in Shillong, the capital of the northeastern state of Meghalaya, Shah said the region had undergone a dramatic transformation over the past decade, moving from a period marked by armed conflicts and separatist movements to one characterized by peace and development.

"Insurgency is no longer a major issue in the Northeast," Shah said, adding that governments should now concentrate on ensuring that development benefits reach every household and that citizens' rights are protected.

The Northeast, which comprises eight states bordering China, Myanmar, Bangladesh, Bhutan, and Nepal, has historically experienced ethnic tensions, separatist movements, and insurgent violence. In recent years, the Indian government has signed a series of peace agreements with armed groups and invested heavily in infrastructure and connectivity projects across the region.

Shah called on state governments to build infrastructure and ecosystems around emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning, and blockchain, saying these sectors could create new opportunities for the region's youth in the global economy.

He also highlighted the Northeast's economic potential in industries such as agarwood cultivation and processing, cross-border trade, and health tourism, urging states to promote these sectors to generate employment and attract investment.

"The Northeast has immense potential in agarwood, foreign trade, and health tourism," Shah said. "These sectors should be developed in a mission mode to enhance incomes and create jobs."

The home minister credited Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government with bringing lasting peace to the region and said the Northeast had been transformed "from a hotspot of disputes to a hotspot of opportunities."

Shah also described the North Eastern Council as an important platform for coordinating development initiatives between the federal government and the northeastern states, stressing the need for continued cooperation to sustain economic growth.

The meeting was attended by chief ministers, governors, senior officials from the northeastern states, and representatives of the federal government.