Way back in 2013, a Committee headed by economist Raghuram Rajan had identified Arunachal Pradesh as the "Least Developed"  state . The Committee was set up by the then UPA government for Evolving a Composite Development Index of States. But has anything changed after that. Of course, much water had flowed down the River Siang since the report was submitted but the condition of Arunachal Pradesh remained the same.

 Many surveys had identified that the state has considerable mineral reserves that offer huge potential. These include coal and limestone. But due to the lopsided policies of the successive governments, these minerals remain least exploited. While the state’s hydropower generation potential is estimated at 60,000 Megawatt (MW), the state has only 118 mega watt installed hydropower generation capacity as of now.

However, between 2011-12 and 2017-18, the Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP) increased at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 14.06 per cent to Rs 243.53 billion whereas the per capita GSDP increased at a CAGR of 11.79 per cent to Rs 154,229. The per capita GSDP of the state is almost double than that of neighbouring Assam or any other six states of the region. Still, surprisingly, Arunachal remains the backwaters of development.

But the silver lining on the Arunachal horizon is the under construction Trans Arunachal Highway which will crisscross through or linked through the 16 districts of the state in its 2407 kms route estimated to cost over Rs. 10,000 crore. This is the “fortune line” of Arunachal. But the worrying factor is the inordinate delay in construction which is progressing at a snail’s pace.  The project initially announced in 2008 was supposed to be completed by 2015-16. But controversies surrounding the project, delay in land acquisitions, problems of compensation and the adverse weather conditions have all added to the delay.

 At the same time as the Chief Minister promised over a hundred medium and mega hydel projects will also start construction activities. The earnings or royalty from these projects will alone help the state to sustain itself without depending on the Central government for developmental funds. Behold, the future is of Arunachal Pradesh.

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Kenter Joya Riba

(Managing Editor)
      She is a graduate in Science with post graduation in Sociology from University of Pune. She has been in the media industry for nearly a decade. Before turning to print business, she has been associated with radio and television.
Email: kenterjoyaz@easternsentinel.in / editoreasternsentinel@gmail.com
Phone: 0360-2212313

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